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Auris Arrectibus

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Posts posted by Auris Arrectibus

  3. Guess the ancient city!

    in Vacatio

    Posted

    One of the last three replies is correct, but which one? :naughty:

     

    Yeah, well.

    Maybe it's better to give us a historical clue.

     

    Let's do some elimination, then.

    Since only two members posted guesses, you could have appointed one of the two.

    One of the two posted one answer, but you didn't point him out. Therefore I rule him out.

    The other one (me) posted two answers and just one of those is a city.

    So it must be Pergamon.

     

    Auris

  9. Goals for study of Ancient Rome in 2014?

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    My goal for 2014 is:

     

    Translate book 7, chapters 25-43 of "Historiarum adversum paganos" from Paulus Orosios (417 AD), a historian who discribes the roman history until his age from a christian point of view. He tries to explain that this was not his relegion to blame. Despite of his preconceived opinion, he discribes the history of the sack of Rome (410 AD) as a contemporary.

     

    I'm very interested in Late Antiquity especially the period of Theodosius until Galla Placidia. Chapter 25 starts with Constantine, chapter 43 ends with Honorius, the western emperor.
    In fact, when I was wandering through the streets of Istanbul last spring, all I could see when I entered the Blue Mosk was that I was walking around on the marble of the emperial palace, where Theodosius lived and Galla Placidia grew up. Fascinating.

     

    Jeroen DeLange,
    Amsterdam

  10. Latin for Dummies

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    Translating Latin is a matter of putting in a lot of practice. Just like it is hard for a non-native speaker to get the syntaxis right.

    Start with prose and save writers like Tacitus for last. The latter produced sentences of more than a page long.

    My advice is to start with Caesar (De bello gallico) or the bible.

     

    In poetry almost every order of words is possible in Latin. Proverbs too. So the statistics in the post of Guy must include those.

    But in prose there are some basic rules of the sequence of type of words in a sentence structure. This common practice could
    be just a little bit different due to what was costumary in a region (foreign or dialectic differences) or for contemporary reasons.
    Still, the structure didn't vary that much. Amazing if you think what the diffences are in the use of the English language in e.g.
    Ireland, USA, Australia and GB.

     

    Latin is a so called SOV-language: Subject, Object, Verb.

    In the main clause: Temporis (clause of time), Subject, Object, (suburdanite clauses, indirect object or possesives) and Verb.

    Adiectiva are always next to the nouns they relate to. Adverbs are always next or close to the verbs they relate to.

    In the subordinate clause: Relative pronoun, Subject, (adverbs, indirect object or possesives) and verbs.

     

    So try to focus on the structure of a sentence. Still, it takes a lot of practise to read Latin.

     

    Practice makes perfect!
    Or: Fabricando fit faber

    (nice gerundium construction, like "agenda" = things that must be done)

     

    Auris

  11. Eris

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    Eris =

     

    1. Goddess of Discordia, she tossed the golden apple "kallistei" as the only not-invited guest at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis.

            => Never red any epitheton ornans like hedghogs of any kind. We have to ask Paris at this point. He was definitely not very hedgy.

            => Planet in our solar-systeem, discovered in 2003, don't you will find a hedgehog overthere.

     

    2. Second person singularis, indicativus futurum (activum) : "you will be"

            => the verb "esse" could mean a lot of things, depends on conjugation, as a verbum substantivum for persons it means "exist".

            => like "cogito ergo sum" = I think so I exist (Descartes)

            => also used as a link-verb for indicativus futurum exactum passivum: auditus eris = "you will be heard".

     

    auditus ero

    auditus eris

    auditus erit

    auditi erimus

    auditi eritis
    auditi erint
     

    3. Name of genus of some spooky looking spiders. No hogs here. Incarnation of the goddess?

     

    By the way, Erinaceus is a hedgehog. Maybe it's nickname is Eris.

    Well, I know a cat named Eris. She quarrels a lot.

     

     

    Auris
     

  13. What was the daily routine in the roman world after sunset?

    in Romana Humanitas

    Posted · Edited by Auris Arrectibus

    What was the daily routine for romans after sunset?


    From our modern 21-st century point of view they would lengthen their day by putting lights on when daylight shortened,
    so they could have the same acivity routine in every period of the year, with different activities depending on the season.

     

    We recognize the purpose of e.g. oil lamps and fire-places found in every part of the ancient world as how we use electricity
    in our time.

     

    Never thought of any other sleeping- and activity patterns, untill I came across this article explaining how regular sleeping
    patterns were in pre-electricity era: People slept for about four hours, got up for a few hours en then went back to sleep
    again for four hours. So called "first- and second sleep".

     

    "Imagine you are a citizen of the 18th century. It

  15. Guess the vacation site

    in Vacatio

    Posted

     

    Auris Arrectibus, on 29 Sept 2013 - 04:08, said:

    Abduction of the Sabine women?

     

    Auris

    I hadn't thought of that, but could be.

     

    Any thoughts where this site of Romanesque art is?

     

     

    guy also known as gaius

     

     

    P.S. I see you have Amsterdam listed as your home. Are you Dutch? Ik hou van Amsterdam.

     

    And yes, I'm Dutch and live in Amsterdam...

     

    Ik hou ook van Amsterdam,

    Auris

  16. Guess the vacation site

    in Vacatio

    Posted

    Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
    Made from artificial marble.

     

    I don't think they are replicas of a roman bas-relief.

    The one with the sabine women capture scene (raptio), one of the sculptures depicted looks like the one you can find at the base

    of the raptio-sculpture in the Loggia delle Signotia (dei Lanzi) in Firenze, Italy. Made by Giambologna in 16th century and commissioned

    by the Medici-family.

    This scene - a man lifting a sabine women- is the same scene as the sculpture at the base as in the bas-relief. It couldbe inspired by a
    sculpture in the roman era, but I doubt that.

     

    The other one I could not find on the net, maybe the sabine men were murdered here.

     

    Auris

     

    msu1328578488363.png

     

    592px-Enl%C3%A8vement_Sabines_Giambologn

  17. Once more ...

    in Academia

    Posted

    Great link, Auris. Thank you.

     

    There have long been two gaps in my knowledge to the better understanding of Ancient Roman history: Latin and Ancient Roman numismatics.

     

    Over the last several years I've worked hard to learn about Ancient Roman numismatics (although I don't collect coins).

     

    Learning Latin, however, has been a real struggle. I function very well in Spanish, using it nearly daily at work for more than twenty years. My Italian, another Latin-derived language, is more than adequate to communicate with my relatives in Italy on a regular basis.

     

    Learning Latin, however, has been a nearly impossible task. I lose my motivation as soon as I hear Latin,

     

    Maybe my brain has ossified. Maybe Latin is so foreign to my ears. I would much rather review my Dutch (a far more guttural and harsh-sounding language) before my next trip to the Netherlands than review my Latin so I can speak Latin with...no one. At least when I practice my Dutch, I can annoy my Dutch friends and...I can pretend I am speaking the tongue of some Ancient Germanic Batavian tribe.

     

     

    guy also known as gaius

     

    Hi Gaius,

     

    Maybe you could try this one with your Dutch friends. Translate this sentence: "Caesar ad liver aspergus as augurques".

     

    It's made-up Latin. When they don't know the answer, let them read it out loud.

    In dutch it says: "Caesar prefers to eat asparagus rather than pickles."

     

    Auris

  18. Question: Was Eugenius Confirmed by Senate

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    Eugenius was more like a puppet controlled by the Frankisch commander Arbogastes. He put him on the throne after Valentinian II killed himself, or murdered by Arbogastes' men according to Zosimus.

     

    Although originally a christian, Eugenius was instructed by Arbogastes to favour and restore pagan institutes like the Altar of Victory in the Curia and was therefore supported by the pagan faction of the Senate. Sure, they wanted to reinstore the traditions of pagan Rome, remembering the time when the Senate was in charge and Rome was booming.

     

    These developments caused conflits with Theodosius in the East and the powerful bishop Ambrose in Milan. The former could not recognize this usurapator as a colleague, appointed his youngest son Honorius as Augustus of the West and defeated Eugenius and his magister militum Arbogast at Frigidus.

    So, the support of any senator (or even the Senate) was never taken serious by the emperor. Theodosius that is.

     

    Earlier, it was also Theodosius who recognized the usurpator Magnus Maximus as Emperor, not the Senate. When Maximus became a threat, it was Theodosius who took this title away by defeating him. The Senate declared a "damnatio memoriae" on Maximus, not to be remembered anymore. In this also, the power of the Senate was not succesful: We still know him.

     

    Auris, Jeroen de Lange

  19. Question: Was Eugenius Confirmed by Senate

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    Hi Gaius,

     

    I think that the difference between an usurpator and an emperor could be blurry. Depending on the moment and who was in charge to recognize the usurpator, or as a political statement.
    Though, during the forth century, I think the Senate was no longer in power to appoint or recognize an emperor. Since the reforms of Diocletian the succession was to be decided by the ruling Emperors to avoid conflicts and hereditary claims. The emperors (or caesars) each appointed a caesar as a heir to the throne.

    Or in fact, it was supposed to be. It just worked once, when both Dioclation and his fellow Caesar Maximianus abdicated and were succeeded by their appointed heirs Galerius and Constantius. After that there were usurpators and when recognized by the the other court, even for a while, they became emperors. When they were attacked, they would become defeated usurpatores again.

     

    The Dominate period (284-476) that started with Dioclatian is characterized as a period in which the Caesar was in power and ended the fiction of supposed power by the Senate. They tried on several occasions, with no evident success.

     

    Auris also known as Jeroen de Lange

  25. Guide to Ancient Rome

    in Vacatio

    Posted

    Hi Ghost,

     

    I visited Rome a couple of times and I would recommend Hotel Hiberia. Located at the Quirinalis, right in the centre of Rome. Go left and within a few minutes the Trevi Fountain and go right and in no time at the Forum. See if there are any special price offers. For me, the best so far:

    http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/hiberiahotelrome.nl.html  or  http://www.hotelhiberia.it/nl/

     

    - Airport transfer: Ask the hotel if it's possible to pick you up. Easiest way.

    - Hadrians villa: take the subway near the Colosseum and than a public transport bus (so you can experience everyday culture).
      Plan half a day, but maybe you want to combine it with Villa d'Este in Tivoli (16th AD). See what Renaissance did to the reborn of the classical architecture.
      Perfect bookshop at the entrance. Marvellous lemon-sorbet on the other side of the road.

    - Ostia Antica: Plan the whole day. Take the subway and than a train.

    - Capitolinus: Before you visit the museum remember that in the first years of Rome, enemies or convicts were thrown off the Tarpeian Cliff.

        See if you can find in the bushes a cage where until recent times a wolf was held, everytime the animal died they an other one in it. Now it's empty.

    - A few minutes from the Colosseum, you will find the Church of St Clemente, beneath it you find a Mithraeum (worship place of Mithras).

        => and other 'underground' suggestions: http://www.tours-italy.com/rome-about-underground.htm

    - At the forum, see if you could find the 'ara di cesari' (caesars temple, still in flowers) and of course the make sure to stop and think a bit at the Umbilicus or omphalos (navel of the city=world)

     

    And there is more

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