guy
-
Posts
2,366 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
135
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Static Pages
News
Blogs
Gallery
Events
Downloads
Posts posted by guy
-
-
"Bad sex, it is said, is still pretty good, insofar as it is preferable to no sex at all. Unfortunately one cannot say the same thing about bad history.
Although I enjoyed your review, I thought it was a little bit harsh. The second season of the series was obviously negatively impacted by budget constraints and a rushed schedule. The series had to balance popular appeal with historical accuracy. In some areas they failed, but in many other areas they were very successful.
I agree that the criminal underworld subplot was too much.
However, any series that mentions Regium (modern day Reggio Emilia, where my cousins live), the Battle of Mutina (near modern day Modena, Reggio Emilia
-
Meh. A big screen treatment of Pullo and his bastard son? The Vorennus children struggling without their father? A still living Atia coping with the loss of control over her family?
No thanks.
The fate of Lucius Vorenus is still unclear. If the contract is able to be signed, he will have survived.
Despite the historical inaccuracies, the series generated interest in the Classics. That is always good.
My concern is "what time frame would the movie deal with?" Marc Antony is dead. The succession issue was already dealt with in "I, Claudius." The Pax Augusta might not make for exciting viewing, but any movie that strives for at least a semblance of historical accuracy will hold my attention.
guy also known as gaius
-
You know, when I first read it, I had had a bad week at work, couldn't get into the book, and placed it on my shelf where it lay for months.
Then I picked it up again in a better mood and devoured it. Just goes to show what one's mood does for enjoying a book.
My problem is finding time to read these days. That is why I greatly enjoy everyone's reviews.
The Michael Grant book, The Climax of Rome: The Final Achievements of the Ancient World AD 161-337 is hard to find. Nevertheless, it can be purchased at HamiltonBook .com for $5.95.
guy also know as gauis
-
Thank you for the excellent review. I, too, enjoyed the book. Another great book dealing with the "Third Century Crisis" (my favorite period in Roman History) is Michael Grant's The Climax of Rome.
Thanks, again.
guy also known as gaius
-
Traianus said:How beautiful!!! sounds like an inmortal love. Where did you find it? do you have the original inscription? I'd like to see it written in Latin. Thank you in advance.
The source is the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) 13.1983.
What the heck is CIL? I certainly won't have known a few years ago. It contains every known Roman inscription found from the entire Roman Empire. I'll let Wikipedia explain:
"The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw light on all aspects of Roman life and history.
The CIL collects all Latin inscriptions from the whole territory of the Imperium, ordering them geographically and systematically. Earlier volumes collected and published authoritative versions of all previously published inscriptions. The Corpus continues to be updated in new editions and supplements.
In 1847 a committee was created in Berlin with the aim of publishing an organized collection of Latin inscriptions, which had previously been described piecemeal by hundreds of scholars over the preceding centuries. The leading figure of this committee was Theodor Mommsen (who wrote several of the volumes covering Italy). Much of the work involved personal inspections of sites and monuments in an attempt to replicate the original as much as possible. In those cases where a previously cited inscription could no longer be found, the authors tried to get an accurate reading by comparing the versions of the published inscription in the works of previous authors who had seen the original. The first volume appeared in 1853.
The CIL presently consists of 17 volumes in about 70 parts, recording approximately 180,000 inscriptions...."
-
Here`s my favorite Ancient Roman inscription. This dedication was found on a tombstone in Roman Gaul from a laborer for his deceased wife.
(Although I`ve seen this inscription quoted on various sites, I first saw it on HBO`s "Rome" historical consultants blog.)
"To the eternal memory of Blandinia Martiola, a most faultless girl, who lived eighteen years, nine months, five days, Pompeius Catussa, a plasterer, dedicates to his wife, who was incomparable and very kind to him, this memorial which he had erected during his lifetime for himself and his wife...You who read this, go bathe at the public baths of Apollo for us, as I used to do with my wife. I wish I still could."
Simple. Beautiful. A sad yearning for a lost love, a love that transcends the ages.
guy also known as gaius-
1
-
-
I'm finishing the Penguin Classic translation of Ammianus Marcellinus's The Later Roman Empire (AD 354-378). Great read. Here's a sample from his description of a battle between the Roman forces lead by Julian and the Alamanni. (This excerpt is a slightly different translation I found on-line from C.D. Yonge):
Quote46. But the Allemanni, still charging forward impetuously, strove more and more vigorously, hoping to bear down all opposition by the violence of their fury. Darts, spears, and javelins never ceased; arrows pointed with iron were shot; while at the same time, in hand-to-hand conflict, sword struck sword, breastplates were cloven, and even the wounded, if not quite exhausted with loss of blood, rose up still to deeds of greater daring.
47. In some sense it may be said that the combatants were equal. The Allemanni were the stronger and the taller men; our soldiers by great practice were the more skilful. The one were fierce and savage, the others composed and wary; the one trusted to their courage, the others to their physical strength.
48. Often, indeed, the Roman soldier was beaten down by the weight of his enemy's arms, but he constantly rose again; and then, on the other hand, the barbarian, finding his knees fail under him with fatigue, would rest his left knee on the ground, and even in that position attack his enemy, an act of extreme obstinacy.
-
Here is the famous statue in Rome of Marcus Aurelius on a horse. This horse doesn't seem large by modern standards.
Thank you, Viggen for your help with this image.
-
(Have patience with me on this one. I was born in the city and grew up in the nearby suburbs, so I
-
I am happy to present to you UNRV's first video game review.
Feel free to discuss.
I enjoyed your thoughtful and extensive review of
-
Hi everyone,
i thought on my comeback i give you experts something to ponder about...
My question; was there a correlation bewteen the fall of Constantinopel and the Renaissance?
cheers
viggen
By 1453 (the year Constantinople fell and the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist), the Renaissance had already achieved critical mass in both Italy and Northern Europe. The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman ruler Mehmet II, therefore, did little to effect the development of the Renaissance.
The Byzantine influence on the Renaissance began much earlier than 1453. Byzantine contributions included the re-introduction of long forgotten Ancient Greek scholarship to a Latin oriented Western Europe. These included works by Plato, Plutarch, and the early Eastern Christian writers. Without this Hellenic influence, the West would have been much less rich in its intellectual development. Much of this impact, however, began long before 1453.
According to Kenneth W Harl, Ph.D., there were only 50,000 inhabitants in Constantinople by 1453. According to Harl, the last emperor of Constantinople, Constantine XI, lamented that by then the city only needed a mayor rather than an emperor. (At the time of the final siege, the city was able to muster only 7,000 defenders.)
By 1453, many of the greats of the Renaissance had already left their mark: Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio in literature; Giotto, Masaccio, Donatello, Ghiberti in art; and Brunelleschi in architecture.
As written earlier on this subject, 1204 was a more critical date for the development of the Renaissance. It was that year that the soldiers from the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople. The returning soldiers re-exposed Europe to some of the Ancient knowledge preserved in the Byzantine Empire. With the loss of prestige and power, Constantinople began to suffer the exodus of its intellectuals who sought patronage in the more prosperous cities of Western Europe. These intellectuals brought with them the Ancient knowledge that helped to spur on the Renaissance movement.
The Black Death in the late 1340
-
Galen, Roman Empire's famous Greek physician from Pergamon, departed Rome in 166 AD at the outbreak of the Antonine plague. Many critics feel that this was an act of cowardice.
Galen's own words that he wrote thirty years after leaving Rome helped to give this impression: "... having sojourned three years in Rome, the great pest beginning, I hastily set out from the city, going eagerly to my native country [Pergamon]."
His own words were later interpreted by some critics to suggest that he cowardly ran away from the epidemic.
I recently read an article by Joseph Walsh, MD, "Refutation of the Charges of Cowardice Made against Galen," Annals of Medical History, 3 (1931), 195-208. Walsh presents a good explanation for his departure, exonerating him from the charges of cowardice.
Walsh makes several good points. First, Galen was a pious Pagan and an ardent devotee of Aesculapius (god of medicine and healing as well as the patron of the ancient guild of doctors). Walsh writes, "In his Pagan piety, Galen saw the hand of Aesculapius helping him over rough and perplexing places many times." His stoic training would have prepared him to bravely face the challenges and potential death the plague would have brought. According to Walsh, Galen was a very dedicated physician who would have placed professionalism and patients' care above his own well-being and safety.
Galen went to Rome in 162. While in Rome, his reputation as a respected physician, philosopher, anatomist, and physiologist grew. According to Walsh, Galen had many rivals among the other medical men in Rome. He was despised by others of the medical community of Rome for his criticism of their theories and methods since Galen based his practice on reason and experience, thus challenging older beliefs based on superstition and tradition. They were jealous of his newly acquired fame and success. Possibly, even his life was threatened. Walsh states, "... he looked forward day after day to the time when he could end the bickering he detested and return to the research he loved so much."
Walsh adds that Galen's earlier writings from only thirteen years after his departure from Rome seem to further exonerate his motives. Galen wrote, "When I understood the war [with Parthia] was ended, I set out immediately from Rome. Not long after, Lucius [Verus] returned." Verus didn't return to Rome until March 166. The plague didn't break out in Rome until the spring of 166 and the spring of 167, sometime after Verus had returned. Galen, therefore, left before the plague broke out in Rome.
He, therefore, left the relative safety of Rome (which hadn't been devastated by the plague, yet) for regions where the plague was already in full force. This is hardly the act of a coward.
Finally, he was summoned by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius two years later and bravely joined him on the plague ravaged battle frontier. He then returned with the Emperor's son, Commodus, to the then plague-ridden Rome to take care of the young prince. According to Walsh, "No ruler in history surpasses Marcus Aurelius in love of virtue, resolute in courage and devotion to duty. It is unthinkable that he would engage as a caretaker for his beloved son a physician so deficient in character and philosophical stoicism as to prove a deserter in time of danger."
Maybe history has judged Galen wrongly and too harshly. -
[salve, G.
Your quoting is incomplete, because it lacks the source of the abstract, Dr. C.(Charles N.) Haas.
You can get his e-mail at the Drexler University, Philadelphi, PA, to send him your questions and/or commentaries (or alternatively, via the Bulletin de l'Acad
-
Salve!
Galen had first-hand knowledge of the disease.
He was in Rome when the plague reached the city in AD 166.
He was also present during an outbreak among troops stationed at Aquileia during the winter of AD 168-169.
His references to the plague are scattered and brief but enough information is available to firmly identify the plague as smallpox.
His description of the exanthema is fairly typical of the smallpox rash, particularly in the hemorrhagic phase of the disease."
I hope this may be useful.
Galen was hardly the self-sacrificing physician. He first abandoned the city at the onset of the plague. He was coerced to return to the city on the request of the emperor.
Although I agree that the Antonine plague probably represents smallpox, I can't be so dogmatic. First, an exanthem is just a widespread rash. Although is it usually infectious, it can be drug-induced, also. It is certainly not specific for smallpox.
Second, I would have been more persuaded if the ancient sources had mentioned the horrible vesicles (blisters) associated with smallpox. (Think the worst case of chickenpox.) These vesicles quickly pustulate (to form "pus blisters"). The feature of widespread blisters is an unforgettable characteristic of smallpox, however.
guy also known as gaius
-
-
An addendum:
I know the debate between those who believed in the trinity (trinitarians) and those who did not [lead by the theologian Arius (250-336) and called Arians] seems petty and insignificant. And for most modern Christians, the trinity is accepted dogma.
For Romans in the 4th century, however, it was source of much disagreement and conflict. Despite the Nicene creed of 325 during the time of Constantine I, which essentially outlawed the Arian movement and tried to make Trinitarianism the only accepted view, the issue wasn't totally resolved inside the Roman Empire till the time of Theodosius I in 381.
Possibly more importantly, it was a later source of Christian identity for many of the invading peoples (Goths, Lombards, Vandals, etc.) who remained Arians. Although also Christians, these Arian Christians were able to forge their own national identity and remain distinct from their mostly Catholic Roman subjects.
guy also known as gaius
-
Gaius Octavius
I'm not sure I want to revisit the Council of Nicaea, but if Jesus is not God who/what is he? I know he is the Son of God but does that not make him a god?
I heard a program a few weeks ago with religious questions from children of various faiths. One Jewish girl asked about Jesus and said that she believed Christianity to be polytheistic because there was God and there was Jesus (not to mention the holy ghost).
So is Christianity truly a monotheistic religion?
Here is an interesting site that discusses the arguments about the Christian concept of the Trinity. I won't say where I stand (although I am a heretical henotheistic Christian).
guy also known as gaius
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/...efs/trinity.htm
-
M. Porcius Cato said:BTW, I do agree with Vespasian Columbopolii that historical accuracy shouldn't be whole standard for judging historical fiction. But I do want to see the Romans depicted in a more favorable light--when they deserve it.
I really enjoyed this controversial article by Israeli scholar Nachman Ben-Yehuda about the Masada siege. The article challenged some of my long held beliefs.
The subject has not been solved. It may never be solved, but it is a good example of the historical record and archaeologic evidence being used to better understand the past.
http://www.deportati.it/static/upl/be/benyehuda,themasadamyth.pdf
https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/sites/bibleinterp.arizona.edu/files/images/ZiasJuly3 revised9.pdf
-
Just a heads up:
One of my favorite courses by the Teaching Company is on sale ($99.95) till September 27 (2007). It is Kenneth Harl's " Rome and the Barbarians." This is not an introductory course. It deals with the interaction of Rome with her "barbarian" neighbors. (Check their web site for details.)
Great course and I recommend it highly.
Remember, only buy these courses when they are on sale. (Fortunately, they go on sale several times a year.)
-
Violentilla said:Does anyone know how long the sales usually last?
Sales usually last at least a month. Fortunately, the courses are on sale several times a year.
Only buy the courses on sale, however.
-
Antiochus of Seleucia said:The Great Courses catalog has a variety of lectures given by numerous professors, but this dandy caught my eye:
There are also lectures on many various different subjects such as physics, calculus, philosophy, and on how to argue. The latter may do well for a lot of people here.
I admit I've bought many of these lectures. (My wife insists too many!) And I've liked most all of them.
**Only buy them on sale, however. They go on sale several times a year, fortunately.
I would gladly participate in any thread discussing a course or answer questions concerning a specific course.
-
guy said:Error
-
Ursus said:I wouldn't recommend "Gladiator" for anything beyond the opening battle sequence.
Yes, but what a great opening scene it was!
Despite the many obvious historical inaccuracies (where are the pila when you need them?), the opening battle scene was very powerful. I even enjoyed the ridiculous and unlikely musings of Marcus Aurelius about returning the power to the Senate.
I've watched the opening scenes dozens of times. I don't think I've ever watched the entire movie beyond Aurelius's death, however.
-
Any explanation for the "fall of the Roman Empire" must answer these two simple questions:
1) Why did the Byzantine (Eastern) Empire continue for nearly a thousand years after the Western Roman Empire collapsed?
2) Why didn't the Roman Empire collapse two hundred years earlier during the "crisis of the third century"?
Lead poisoning played little, if any, role in the "fall of the Roman Empire". It makes for a seductively simple, but obviously incomplete explanation for a multifactorial event.
Favorite Episode or Scene in HBO's Rome
in Rome Television Series
Posted
My favorite scene from HBO