guy

Pop culture breathes life into Latin ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press Tuesday, December 4, 2007 The Latin language, on life support for decades, got a brief reprieve when the world of Harry Potter introduced such words as "expelliaramus" - a spell to disarm an enemy - and Latin-sounding names like Remus and Albus. But this kind of pop-culture exposure does little to paper over the bad news: The ancient tongue once common to most of the civilized world, not to mention the language of the Roman Catholic Mass until about 50 years ago, is fading fast. In 1960, as Harry Mount relates in his book "Carpe Diem: Put a Little Latin in Your Life" (Hyperion, 259 pages, $19.95), 60,000 British schoolchildren did Latin O levels - the basic exam for British 16-year-olds. Today, only 10,000 do a much more basic replacement. Even fewer go on to take Latin in upper levels of schools. The picture is a little brighter in the United States, Mount says, where the number of children taking the National Latin Exam has soared in recent years. But the language still has migrated largely to universities and a small group of die-hard classics majors. The question, of course, is, who cares? With few exceptions, Latin hasn't been a spoken language for centuries. A basic grounding is helpful for science, law and spelling - and tracking the Hogwarts gang - but it's hard to dispute the idea that schools' scarce resources should be spent on teaching languages more relevant to today: Arabic, say, or Chinese. Still, Mount makes a strong case for the study of Latin as a window into cultural, literary and archaeological history. He mixes humor and multiple pop-culture references with heavier reflections on Latin and its legacy in his book. Who knew, for example, that soccer megastar David Beckham and actress Angelina Jolie share in common a penchant for Latin tattoos? Jolie gets a mention for a Latin phrase on her pregnant belly, "Quod me nutrit me destruit" ("What nurtures me destroys me"). Of Beckham's nine tattoos, Mount reports, three are in Latin, including the phrase "Ut Amem et Foveam," or, "That I might love and cherish," on his left forearm. Along the way, we get a history of the appearance of togas on college campuses thanks to the 1978 movie "Animal House" and the toga popularized by Bluto Blutarsky, the character played by John Belushi. Mount also manages to squeeze in references to "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Star Trek" and novelist Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter. There's also a brief stop by Monty Python, remembered for the scene in "Life of Brian" where a Roman centurion, played by John Cleese, corrects the poor Latin of graffiti-writing Brian. We also learn of the popularity of Ista, a German hip-hop band that raps in Latin. Keeping it relevant to real life, Mount recalls the phrase "annus horribilis," or horrible year, coined by Queen Elizabeth to describe her 1992, "a bloody terrible year, when Windsor Castle burned down, and the marriages of Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne fell apart." Dominoes, it emerges, come from the word "dominus," or master, and the dark cloaks these medieval lords wore with holes cut into them for eyes. Hence, the dark blocks with white dots. Neat. As jokey as Mount likes to be, he doesn't skirt the rigor required to learn Latin. And he does his best to drive home his argument that Latin does matter, even now. "Knowing a bit of Latin is an invitation to the biggest room in the building, with a view down the corridor to all the succeeding ages," he writes.

My favorite scene from HBO

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

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

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

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

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):

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 enjoyed your thoughtful and extensive review of

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.

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

I

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.)

Sales usually last at least a month. Fortunately, the courses are on sale several times a year. Only buy the courses on sale, however.

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.

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.

On the subject of courtesans, I enjoy the relationship between the Athenian ruler Pericles and his mistress Aspasia. (Don