Divi Filius

I would say no. Even if they did it would mostly be mythical, but they do not seem to see any connection. Vitellius' family seems to have come from low background. His grandfather was a questor under Augustus while his father managed to reach the consulship and fame under Claudius. Nevertheless, Gwyn Morgan, in his Year of the Four Emperors, makes the connection to show the of unorthodoxy in the family(the Vitelli brothers were pro-monarchy while their sister was married to Brutus).

If Gruen is still at U Berkley by the time Im ready to do grad school, I may seriously consider that school. At the moment my focus seems to be headed towards Late Empire/Antiquity... but if I should get the chance to work with a mind like Gruen then I am more then happy to reconsider.

Galba was pretty much the last emperor to claim any noble lineage. It should be noted that even prior, under the second Triumvirate, the ruling class of Rome was largely people of non-Patrician origin. In fact thats when the old order really begins to suffer. The emperors that followed Galba (Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian) were not of any noble origin, although Vitellius achieved noble status through the rise of his father. Vespasian signaled the end of it all, and he made no pretense of nobility.

With the exception of a few, the majority of the old Patrician order died out under the late Republic and early Empire. Some, like the Valerii, continued into the middle empire; however, by the time of the third-century crisis pretty much all of the old Patricii were gone. Under the later Empire the title "Patrician" became more of an honorary thing the emperor bestowed on a person.

It think it has a lot to do with fact the centrist stance on many subjects. They have been most willing to discuss the Cyprus issue, they favor EU etc., not hard-line enough to please the nationalists.

You also might want to collect some commentaries on the articular sources for better understanding and use. F. W. WALBANK published a major three-volume study on Polybius that is used very often. As for Livy, I dont know of any for books XXI-XXX. There are a number of other fragments that you might wish to use. Most of them are in the bibliographies of books and studies on this period: check out Adrian Goldworthy's Punic Wars/Fall of Carthage and J. F. Lazenby, the two scholars I have the most liking for. You might also wish to look up Hannibal's Legacy by Arnold Joseph Toynbee for a look at the psychological effects of the Punic Wars. This is a massive two-volume piece but I think it can be very helpful. Unfortunately there are not many bio's of Scipio available right now, Lindell Hart's Greater then Napoleon is the most popular one, but its also rather antiquated. If you look around certain libraries you might find Scipio Africanus: soldier and politician by Scullard.

This is probably something an adviser would handle far better. I too will eventually be looking for a good school for grad studies. Right now Im eyeing some UK universities, Edinburgh being in the center at the moment... but time will tell.... I know a couple of Professors who have graduated from Toronto U, but most of them seem to be centered around late Roman studies. I dont know much about the school or why this is so. As for America: Michigan at Ann Arbor is a good choice. Texas at Austin has a strong classical studies program. There is also Bryn Mawr Then there are also the top choices: UC Berkeley, Chicago U etc.

Keeping in mind that I have yet to study city management or the city of Rome itself: A lot of starvation and deaths must be imagined. Rome is actually a terrible city to live in, especially in the summer; without the proper services very few could survive in those humid and sickening months of July and August. The city is also prone to diseases and infestations through the bad water and bugs. As the sewers systems began to corrode, and, especially, as the water supply dwindled during the terrible wars, the population of Rome died out. The birthrates lowered and lowered until finally reaching the appalling levels. Plus, much of the population probably did not feel safe within the city anymore, or left as the jobs disappeared. As the city ceased to be an economic or social heart, it faded away. We are given a glimpse into the eye of the contemporary with the writings of Pope Gregory(I believe) who writes about the appalling conditions of the classical buildings. He mentions how everyday new buildings are collapsing left and right as there was no wealth there to restore it, or interest. As Belisarius entered Rome he was horrified to find the city looking more like a rural zone then a urban metropolis. The giant mash of the population had taken over the center of the city(near the Colosseum) while all the other houses stood abandoned and collapsing. The Colosseum itself had faded away as a center of entertainment and found itself becoming a cemetery(eventually it would become a fortification). Through the eighth-century various structures were taken down to be reused as churches, since the people lacked the knowledge to recreate old Roman structures. Various statues were melted down(eventually the bronze ceiling of the Pantheon was melted down, leading to the famous phrase: "What the barbarians did not do, the Barberinis did.")

The classical "Polybian Legions", as they are often called, died under the late Republic. There were no Hastati, Principes, Triarii divisions. In their stead the new legions were rather uniform: all carrying the same weapons. This, however, was not always so. In Tacitus we read that the Rhine legions had adopted Germanic styles of warfare, and wore similar clothing. Also, auxiliaries usually gave the imperial legion their own share diversity. The legions themselves, however, had a great amount of diversity as they often molded to the environment they were placed in. The Principes and the Triarii wore chain mail, while the hastati(the first line) wore a small breast plate. Yes, under varying periods. It wasnt exclusive tho, and nor was it universal. I believe the Romans did retain their traditional three line formation. However the imperial legions were not uniform and so could be more flexible.

I dont think we should just look at the Top 10, not all students are going to rush for that. Look at a Top 100 list and youll see just how far that margin widens. At the same time, American universities with ranks from all over the world: history departments dominated by UK professors or those from the rest of the EU; same with many other departments. Nevertheless, I still think that for Cambridge and Berkley to have such a huge price difference while being right next to each other in quality means something bad for the latter.

I would pay about the same amount. Toronto U's international fee is about 20,000 dollars.

Thanks guys. Unfortunately my Birthday has been rather uneventful since I could not escape work and terrible weather.

Wow, since I opened it the topic has went through so many shifts and turns... I dont know where to reply...

Here is a short comparison: Harvard University tuition(total): $45,620 (not including living expenses) Cambridge tuition:

The Classical Studies program director at my university recommended that I do some self-study during the summer before I enter into the program for this fall. He said to look "around" online and find some books. Im asking some people here if they know any in particular that they found instructive while at the same time fun enough to keep them from snoozing. I have read Ursus' old review so I am keeping that one in mind. Any others, with Greek in particular?

The argument is not whether he had tactical control, but whether he had overall logistic and strategic control over the course of the war(the ability to direct supplies and troops). Hannibal did not need anymore men, as we have discussed, he did not carry the mentality of a total war. Remember, Persia crumbled after three decisive battles; the total casualties of which did not even total suffered by Rome between Trebia and Cannae.

As much as I love the Carmina Burana, I favor the Greek lyric style to the medieval chorus rhymed ones. The former has far more detail, includes a heavy stress and play on words, whereas the latter seems far more simplistic.

"In stirring up tumult and strife the worst men can do the most, but peace and quiet cannot be established without virtue." - TH.IV.i

Under the volunteer army, when at its peak, the average enlistment age was probably between 17-25. I doubt it would have been much younger or older. Scipio Africanus was around that age when he participated at the battle of Trebia; Scipio Africanus the Younger was around that same age at the battle of Pydna. Julius Caesar seems to have joined around the age of 20. Under stressful times younger recruits may be taken. At Cannae the field army probably had a large number of 16 year olds in it. As for an exact age: I think the Roman stress for physicality meant that this was very loose.

I actually have a number of wishlists for a variety of topics. The Three main ones are the Classical History one, followed by: All Things War World Wars But I was just concerned with the classical here. Nevertheless, many of the others on your list are enticing.

What books do you have stored on that wishlist on Amazon? Here is my 'Classical Lovin' list: Emperor in the Roman World by Fergus Millar Roman Military Equipment: From The Punic Wars To The Fall Of Rome by M. C. Bishop (Author), J. C. N. Coulston (Author) Exploratio: Military and Political Intelligence in the Roman World from the Second Punic War to the Battle of Adrianople by N. J. E. Austin (Author) Soldier and Civilian in the Later Roman Empire (Harvard Historical Monographs) by Ramsey MacMullen (Author Auxilia of the Roman Imperial Army by G. L. Cheesman (Author) A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: The Transformation of the Ancient World (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) by Stephen Mitchell (Author) Remus: A Roman Myth by Timothy Peter Wiseman (Author) Agrippina: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early Empire by Anthony A. Barrett (Author) The Late Roman Army by Pat Southern (Author), Karen Ramsey Dixon (Author) Augustus (Roman Imperial Biographies) by Pat Southern (Author) Law and Life of Rome, 90 B.c.a.d. 212 (Aspects of Greek and Roman Life) by J.A. Crook (Author) The Cults of the Roman Empire (Ancient World (Oxford, England).) by Robert Turcan (Author), Antonia Nevill (Translator) The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians by Peter Heather (Author) Caesar: Politician and Statesman by Mattias Gelzer (Author), Peter Needham (Translator) The Beginnings of Rome: Italy From the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (Circa 1,000 to 264 B.C.) (Routledge History of the Ancient World)

My favorite has always been George Carlin. The cynical, goofy,vulgar, perverse, Irish-originated, anti-theist, anti-Government comedian who has lasted for over three decades, albeit his comedy has declined a bit in the last couple of years. (Warning: Vulgarity) On Religion On the Ten Commandments Older comedy: On Losing Stuff Dirty Words I don't agree with everything that he says, he is very opinionated; especially in his later years, however he is still incredibly original and I cant argue with his delivery.

A free image database for anyone who needs to spice up a presentation or a paper: Images of the Ancient World Searchable Databases of the Ancient World

For those who are interested, I just wrote a small comparison of Adrianople and Marathon for my war and warfare class(this guy has been killing me, nearly 4 6-10 page papers in about a 10 day period) . Its nothing special, since I had to do it quite fast, but for those who are interested. I started with the theme of dignitas, but quickly abandoned and will edit it before I hand it in tomorrow: Comparison between the battle of Marathon and battle of Adrianople The ancient world relied heavily on the idea of image and honor, a thing the Romans bundled up in the word dignitas. An attack on an entities dignitas was a cause for war and a proper punishment as a form of reprisal. In the year 480 B.C. and 378 A.D. the rulers Xerxes, Achaemenid King of Kings, and Flavius Iulius Valens, Roman Emperor of the East, respectively, were faced with such a situation. The two autocrats needed to squash an enemy that could very well endanger their hegemony while at the same time do so in a way that could convey dignitas. The Persian King of Kings needed to squash the miniscule Greek peninsula if he was to assert his power in the region and tame the Ionian Greeks, while the Roman Emperor Valens needed to squash the pernicious Goths in order to restore order in the Balkans and to reassert Roman power after a number of embarrassing defeats. In both occasions the campaigns were disastrous for the larger power; both empires would later see their hegemony collapse by the same forces that defeated them at Marathon and Adrianople. In 378 A.D. Emperor Valens stood with a force of about 15,000-20,000 men (Macdowall 59) and faced an army which he believed was no more then 10,000 (Marcellinus 31.12), although in fact far larger since the scouts failed to take into account the cavalry, which was away at the time. Valens

There is obviously bias in Tacitus' description of the Germanic people, that is to be expected. However, the work is also an attack on what he perceives as the decline of morals in his own world(Italian/Roman society). What he describes is generally coined as "the noble barbarian". A simplistic character, savage in its own way, but also full of pride, honor and dignity. Contrary to the modern Roman, the German is an strong monogamist; contrary to Roman society, Germania is "pure" and "unmixed". His work should be considered nothing more then an ethnography of classical standards. His work is not based on any personal experience but, rather, all on secondary sources which are composed of what we would consider the "literary tradition" of Roman world.