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Romans Lend Me Your Ears


Arvioustus

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  • 2 weeks later...

There are many people I'd like to meet. But I would have to say based on the time-frame of th empire and what life was at that time, I would love to meet and talk with the following people.

They are:

 

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major - Who was around the time of Hannibal and Carthage.

 

LUCIUS CORNELIUS SULLA - during the time of his conflict with Marius and Rome's dictator

 

Gaius Julius Caesar - To learn and Understand from Ceasar his account of his Gual and Britain campaigns

 

Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus - Just to be able travel around the empire with him to learn and see first hand the many lands Rome ruled and the culture back in those days.

 

Flavius Valerius Constantinus - To talk with him to learn and have a better understanding on what he felt the role of christianity played in the empire and what his thoughts were at the time.

 

Finally, the last person I would love to meet is Flavius Aetius

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  • 2 weeks later...

I agree, if its one person in history i dont like, its Hannibal.

Well, in the end Rome won the war and hannibal lost it. Although Carthage was an empire and rome wasnt. Although he was allied with pretty much everybody that could seriously help him and Rome was alone. Although he was in italy for 14 years he never managed to sack a single city. The Romans that fell in that war were all revanged in the 3 battles of Nola, The battle of Zama, the sack of Carthago Nova etc.

 

He was the bigger opponent, he started the war, and he lost it. But yet hannibal is being praised as the hero of the second punic war.

 

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/...arthage_218.jpg

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I would like to meet Hannibal, shake his hand, and kill him again. I hate him, not just he massacred 50000 legionaries at Cannae, but I just hate him, because he fought for the wrong side.

 

 

I will somewhat agree with you that Hannibal fought for the wrong side. But come on, shake his hand and then kill him again.

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I will somewhat agree with you that Hannibal fought for the wrong side.

Hannibal in my opinion was a great commander, in the sense that he brought the find right into Rome's back-yard. Yes, he was in Italy for a good 14 years, and yes he gave the Romans a run for thier money. But if you think about, it was inevitable that Rome and Carthage could have avoided one another. You had two super powers trying to compete for control and influence over southern Italy and Sicily. Not too mention the fact that Carthage and Rome, were litterly distance wise both located near one another.

 

The Punic wars could have gone either way strategy wise. In the first punic war Carthage in my opinion had a better advantage compared to their situation during the second punic war. But, Carthage was a city state that was not in my opionion as united as Rome politically and militarly was. Not to mention that Cathage's allies were not as reliable as Rome's allies were.

 

Anyways my point is, What hurt Hannibal during the second punic war in my opinion was that he didn't have the support mechanism from Carthage as the Romans had from Rome. Carthagian politics in my mind doomed his expedition in Italy from the start. If Hannibal had the political and military support that he needed, Hannibal could have achieved his knock out punch against Rome to win the war for Carthage. And further more he could have graetly altered the course of the war in Carthage's favor. Now being that Romans were studburn and known for recovering, Hannibal's knock-out punch may or may not have been long lasting, but long enough to greatly strengthen Cathage's position in the area in preparation for another conflict with Rome.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Augustus' daughter Julia might have been a wonderful person to meet...

 

Unless you were named Tiberius :D

 

Or Ovid...

 

Hey, Ovid's actually my REAL NAME.

 

Hmmm, I would have liked to meet Virgil and Ovid. Maybe they could teach me Latin poetry.

Edited by Ovidius
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  • 4 weeks later...

I would most like to meet:

 

Julian 'Apostate'

He seems like someone that is approachable even though he's an Emperor and I'm sure he would be quite an interesting character to talk to. And he probably wouldn't kill me if I gave a differing opinion or accidently insulted him.

Edited by Lex
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  • 4 weeks later...

i would have liked to have met boudica and vercingetorix, just to find out what it was like to massively out-number the roman army and still be defeated, it would be interesting to get the enemys point of view and to find out what it was like to face such a ruthless killing machine like the legions of rome

 

 

i'd also like to meet caligula, just to see if he was as potty as they all say :ph34r:

i think tiberius was quite an interesting fellow too

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It does, as Phil says, depend to an extent on the terms under which we meet, but also I think at what point in their life we meet them...

 

On my terms: maybe one of P. Clodius' sisters...

 

But if merely for a polite discussion then I'd pick Pompey on the eve of the Civil War. we have a fair idea of Caesar, Cicero and Cato's personalities but Pompey's always seemed a bit more of an enigma.

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I'd like to meet two people.

 

First, I'd talk with Cicero in his advanced age. This was a man that has seen it all - from Sulla to Caesar and everything in-between. A man so cultured in Greek philosophy, I would be able to learn much from him that is now lost. And the trials! Who was at fault on the Appian Way? What was Cataline all about? His knowledge spanned the entire Late Republic, and for that, he is the person I'd love to speak with.

 

Next, I'd talk to Constantine before his "conversion" to Christianity. I would suffer a lie by telling him that he would fail if he converts to Christianity, and would, from future experience, show him what he needs to do to become the greatest emporer without the help of the superstition of Christ.

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