guy

Here's my promo for the future HBO/BBC Galla Placidia miniseries: She was the beautiful daughter of a powerful and great emperor. She was the sister to two young and weak emperors. She was the wife and empress to a brave Roman general. And she was the lover of a mighty barbarian Gothic king. Her story is a true tale of passion, love, scandal, betrayal, and intrigue. Galla Placidia: A woman who witnessed the collapse of the Ancient Roman world around her. Galla Placidia: The woman who tried to save an Empire. Yep. I think the story has potential guy also known as gaius

Galla Placidia (392-450) is one of the fascinating people of the late Roman Empire. She would make a great topic for any movie or miniseries. Her resume is impressive: Daughter of the great Emperor Theodosius I. Younger half-sister of the Emperors Arcadius in the East and Honorius in the West. Grew up in the household of the Roman general Stilicho and his wife. Betrothed to Stilicho's son Eucherius until Stilicho's assassination. Captured by the Visigoth king Alaric. Married Alaric's successor, Ataulf till his assassination. Eventually freed to Rome and married Constantius III, eventual co-emperor with Honorius. Involved in the political intrigues of the Roman generals Bonifacius and Aetius. Mother and regent of the feckless Emperor Valentinian III. A potential movie about Galla Placidia would have everything: love, romance, tragedy, war, murder, and political intrigue. I'm not sure who would play the part of Galla Placidia. She would have to be, however, intellegent, scheming, but also beautiful and sensuous. Great movie. Can you hear me, HBO/BBC? Our esteemed author and friend to UNRV, Ian Hughes, could help with the screen play and act as an historical consultant. And I would volunteer my time and render my opinions at the rehearsals for the female lead of this movie. guy also known as gaius

Aurelia: Are you from Belgium? Isn't Dutch already mandatory there? Ik hou van Amsterdam. guy also known as gaius

An expert on Ancient coins wrote this about the longevity of circulation of Ancient coins. The specific coin discussed in this example is the famous Marc Antony denarius from 31 BCE used in circulation for two centuries: "Our final Imperatorial (and Republican) coin was issued in the period just before the Battle of Actium by the loser of this final fight for control of Rome. This final battle was to be at sea and Antony's sailors were paid in these coins showing a warship and military standards. Antony was short on resources to pay such huge sums so he added copper to the silver used for these coins. The alloy was, therefore, debased. After the battle (and Antony) had been lost, these coins remained in circulation. The fact that they were not good silver caused them to remain in circulation until the debasement of the regular Roman coinage reached the same level and made them desirable to be buried in hoards. Legionary denarii of Antony are common in hoards deposited over 200 years after their issue. Many of these coins are worn slick." This is taken from Doug Smith's excellent article on the web: http://dougsmith.ancients.info/voc2.html guy also known as gaius

Indeed - I suspect the hoarding was of earlier issues with more silver content. Forgive my extreme tangent, but are all U.S. pre-64 Dollars, quarters etc silver? In England it is all pre-47 stuff. I got this from the internet. I believe it is correct: 1964 was the date on the last 90% silver coins. Silver coins were actually made up through the early part of 1966 but the 1964 date was used on all of those. 1965 was used on the clad coins that were made in that year. So any dime, half dollar or quarter with a date of 1964 is 90% silver. The Kennedy Half Dollars produced from 1965 through 1969 were made with a 40% silver content. By 1971 half dollars had been changed to copper-nickel clad as well. In 1986 the U.S. once again started making silver dollars (Silver American Eagles) which are almost solid silver and they are still being minted today. However, although they have a face value of $1 and a bank can only give you the $1 for it, they trade at the price of silver bullion, currently almost $20. // As far as hoarding goes, it probably increased during times of economic and social stress. But which coins were more likely to be hoarded and removed from circulation? Of course, it was those coins which had an intrinsic precious metal value and not the debased worthless coinage. Coinage in the ancient world was used as much for its inherent value as its perceived value. Remember, a coin made in Rome would be used throughout a large empire and beyond. It is less likely that a debased coinage would be as readily accepted in commercial transactions in the distant reaches of the Empire.* The use of debased coinage would have exacerbated the already rampant inflation of the Third Century. This also explains the reluctance to use paper currency till more modern times. It was only relatively recently that precious metals weren't used in everyday coinage. *The concern about ancient forgeries would explain the frequent bankers' marks or test cuts on ancient coins. These scratches into the coin were made to assess the purity of the metal and assure authenticity. guy also known as gaius

Here's an intriguing thread on the internet by an amateur coin hunter in Germany. He used a metal detector to find his coins in a local forrest. I found it interesting that he found coins from different eras in one spot. Earlier I had writen at UNRV: David Vagi, in his book Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, states: "It is well documented both by literary and archaeological evidence that ancient coins circulated for centuries. An excellent example is the countermarking of older, worn coins in the east by the emperor Vespasian in the early AD 70s. The majority of these denarii were at least a century old at the time they were countermarked." He adds, "The issuance of Imperial cistophori by the emperor Hadrian (117-138) is similarly convincing. Most (if not all) of the planchets used were older cistophori issued some 100 to 150 years earlier. We have no reason to doubt that these "host" coins (the coins that were overstruck) had been in circulation up until the time they were withdrawn for re-coining." A possible analogy would be the modern use of Indian Head pennies in the US or Queen Victoria pennies in Great Britain[?]. I imagine that with the debasement of Roman silver coinage in the mid-200's, hoarding became more common. (When was the last time someone found a real silver coin in circulation; e.g., a Mercury Head dime or even a pre-1964 silver quarter?) Interestingly, Vagi asserts that the gold coinage typically did not suffer the same debasement as the silver coinage, but maintained their purity, even in the late Roman Empire. Gold coins, however, did suffer a reduction in size. Here's the thread: http://www.cointalk.com/t80765/#post749271 In the thread, the author writes: guy also known as gaius

I'm looking forward to your book! It certainly will be on my "must buy" list for 2010. guy also known as gaius

I am really happy for you (and very envious!). You are very fortunate to be able to spend an extended time to study a subject closeup and to enjoy life. Not since college have I been so lucky. Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy. guy also known as gaius

I'm hoping to use 2010 to find time to further delve into three subjects of potential interest in Ancient (and not so ancient) history. This year's goal to learn more about the GrecoRoman philosophers was a bust since I found much of the subject matter so dry and uninspiring. I read Ian Hughes' book Belisarius: The last Roman General. I enjoyed the book and it inspired me to read more about late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. I want to learn more about the role in history of the various peoples that became important during the fall of Rome and later transformation of Europe, including the Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, etc. Also, I want to learn about numismatics (coins and medals) of the Ancient world...without spending too much money on buying coins. Finally, although I find Greek philosophy too abstruse and Greek literature too boring, I do enjoy learning about the many personalities that played a role in Greek history (especially military history), including Pericles, Epaminondas, and Alexander the Great. I was wondering whether anyone else made goals for areas of study in the new year. guy also known as gaius

Sylla: Good pick up. I couldn't make out the details. I did find some similar coins from the later Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132-136): http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsourc...condRevolt.html An interesting quote from the article: "The 24-26mm. bronzes of Bar Kochba picture a grape vine leaf and 7-branched palm tree. The seven branches of the palm tree could well allude to the holy 7-branched Temple Menorah, that was considered too holy to depict on coins (with the isolated exception of the small bronze Menorah coin issued in the last desperate days of the reign of Antigonus Mattathias)." Another example from the Bar Kokhba revolt: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?searc...p;view_mode=1#4 guy also known as gaius

Jason: I appreciate your shared interest and input on this topic. One of my goals for 2010 will be to increase my knowledge about Ancient coins (without spending any money on coin purchases ). guy also known as gaius

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destination...xhibition_N.htm

One more reason to love the Dutch, I would say. Ik hou van Amsterdam. (I love Amsterdam.) That said, the Dutch are among the tallest people in Europe. My guess that this is a result of some Germanic influence and not from Ancient Roman blood. guy also known as gaius

Banker's marks were used by people to assess the authenticity and purity of a precious metal coin thought possibly to be a forgery. These were test cuts into the coin's surface. Although they were usually shallow, they would permanently damage the coin (and diminish its numismatic value for future generations) . guy also known as gaius

This article is from the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC)-Ancients web site. Written by David Vagi, director of NGC-Ancients, this series of articles is a great introduction to Ancient Greek coins (which I don't collect and about which I know very little): http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=1355 Part II: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.as...wsArticleID=683 part III: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=1478 Part IV: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.as...wsArticleID=740 Part V: The last of the series with emphasis on non-Greek neighbors, many of whom were influenced by the surrounding Hellenistic culture: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.as...wsArticleID=773 Article on the symbols of Ancient Greek cities: http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=1075 guy also known as gaius

Quick question: Does the Pantheon merit a visit? And is there anything to be seen at Hadrian's mausoleum (Castel Sant'Angelo)? An easy visit (since it is directly across from the main train station Stazione termini) are the baths of Diocletion. guy also known as gaius

MMA athletes with a traditional martial arts background bring with them a life philosophy and respect for their opponents. Athletes with the more traditional wrestling background do not. The big exception,of course, is Matt Hughes. Despite his starting as a wrestler, Hughes respects his opponents in the ring. Remember when Hughes castigated Rashad Evans (and later champion) for his disrespectful behavior while competing? Evans was a very accomplished collegiate wrestler before joining the UFC. guy also known as gaius

Fedor: Thank you for your passion (and education) about MMA. Most MMA fighters I've seen have a traditional martial arts backgound and show the respect for ones's opponent associated with the martial arts. Unfortunately, many of the fighters with an American wrestling background are more suited for Studio Wrestling. Lesnar, obviously, is no exception. He looks like a steroid-enhanced jerk who deserves to go down hard. guy also known as gaius

Sylla: I agree with you on that point. (I wrote in my post that I thought the article was a little harsh.) Thank you for your other thoughtful replies to my previous posts. Here's a more thoughtful article about which I would like to know your opinion. It was written by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh who wrote the most excellent book, Shadows in the Desert--Ancient Persia at War. (I've given my highest recommendations for that book in earlier posts.) http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Antholog...kh/farrokh7.htm An interesting quote from the article: "Of far greater significance is the following quote that vividly describes Sami Shawkat

I think this was a very insightful reply. Any society, such as Rome during the "third century crisis," is less likely to make advances in the fields of science, architecture, art, and medicine. Rome was being pressured by such forces as insurrection, devastating disease, economic collapse, hostile foreign invasion, population contraction, etc. It is unlikely that any society would be able to undergo a "golden age" faced with this pressures. The Islamic "golden age" was as much a reflection of a stable society as anything. I think this criticism of that period of time is a little harsh: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/789555/posts Every society produces great geniuses and brilliant thinkers. Unfortunately, without political and social stability along with intellectual freedom and tolerance, these great minds never fulfill their potential. Ending the many conflicts and bringing stability to the region, the Islamic control of this region allowed the indigenous peoples to explore that potential. Remember, Rhazes and Avicenna thought of themselves as Persians, tracing their intellectual heritage to the previous Sassanian and Persian Empires. (Unfortunately, we in the West have too long stereotyped these great Empires as "barbarians.") The idea that Islam preserved and transmitted Ancient Greco-Roman culture is as perverse a notion as the idea that white European settlers have somehow preserved and transmitted Native North American Indian culture. Destroying a culture, but keeping a few shreds of history is hardly "preserving" that culture. guy also known as gaius

I was thinking the same idea, too. That said (and here comes my ignorance), it was the invading armies of Islam that destroyed most the remnants of the Roman world in Spain in the form of the Visigoth Empire and the great bastion of Christian scholarship found in Northern Africa. And I'm not so sure that was a good thing. We are told (perhaps by historians with a politically correct bias) that the destruction of the Visigoth peoples and the suppression of Christian intellectuals in Africa was followed by a more tolerant and intellectually free Islamic presence. This may be true. It seems to me, however, that the threats posed by Islam resulted in a backlash in the Christianized Western world to suppress intellectual pursuits and scientific discovery. That could not have been good, of course. Remember, it was only after the suppression of the Islamic threat in Spain did the King and Queen of Spain feel secure enough to give their financial support to the adventures of Mr. Columbus. It was also this backlash that created the permanent fissure between the intellectual freedom and scientific curiosity of Ancient Rome and the more repressive, insecure, and inward looking medieval Western world. I have to think more about about this topic, later. Hopefully, I will have time in 2010 to delve more deeply into the transformation of the late Classical Age into Renaissance Europe. guy also known as gaius

Agree! I agree with Adrian Goldsworthy when he asserts that it was Rome's frequent and bloody civil wars that sapped the Empire's strength and led to its downfall. A stable Rome could have easily defeated any of its traditional enemies or, at least, defended itself against the many invasions. Imagine, if you will, the amount of trained manpower and resources lost during conflicts between competing Roman emperors and the potential usurpers. A properly led and united Rome would have presented an unbeatable force against any of its enemies. However, there is one great forgotten and underestimated enemy to the Roman empire: disease. It was disease that destabilized the empire as much as anything else. Disease disrupted trade routes, depleted populations needed for agricultural production and distribution, and forced Rome to seek replacements from "barbarian" soldiers for its military weakened by disease and civil wars. Social instability caused by disease and the incessant civil wars along with poor leadership weakened Rome to the point where an attacking force; e.g., the Goths or the Vandals, could easily sack Rome and permanently disupt the Empire. guy also known as gaius

That said, there are infrequent examples of Constantine I with a radiate crown: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?searc...p;view_mode=1#6 And always one to hedge his bets, Constantine did have the image of the sun-god Sol regularly on the reverse of his coins. http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=135075

Great observation . I don't know much about coins of any type, but I do know that a Christianized Roman Emperor would not be typically portrayed with a radiate ("spiky") crown that is closely associated with the sun-god Sol. Here are some images of the coins from the emperor Constans: http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?searc...p;view_mode=1#0 The coin image depicted (the radiate crown and the beard) is more typical of a military Emperor from the third century, a century before Constans. Perhaps this coin was carried by someone from the fourth century, but depicted an Emperor from the century before. Coins in Ancient Rome were known to circulate for many years after they were initially produced. guy also known as gaius