Ludovicus

The same motivation is to be seen in school maps that show the pseudo-greater Macedonia, stretching from Skopje to Mt. Olympus and labeled in Slavic. The same map and its claims are in calendars, bumper stickers, bank notes, etc., that have been circulating in the new state ever since it declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Why would a poor land-locked new state attempt such historical nonsense? Why would it brazenly mock and provoke its neighbor? I agree that the aim of a "greater Macedonia" is quite reckless.

The Romans used glass extensively, so much so that you could call it their Tupperware

Headaches in my Italian family were also associated with the evil eye.

That's it. My parents had one that was jewel-encrusted--fake stones.

Here's a video in which you see the interior of the House of the Wooden Partition. The narration describes the use of the room divider in this ancient Roman house:

Good for you! The Late Empire isn't covered often enough, in my opinion. Now here goes for Roman window glass: http://www.metmuseum...gls/hd_rgls.htm Glass windowpanes were first made in the early imperial period, and used most prominently in the public baths to prevent drafts. Because window glass in Rome was intended to provide insulation and security, rather than illumination or as a way of viewing the world outside, little, if any, attention was paid to making it perfectly transparent or of even thickness. Window glass could be either cast or blown. Cast panes were poured and rolled over flat, usually wooden molds laden with a layer of sand, and then ground or polished on one side. Blown panes were created by cutting and flattening a long cylinder of blown glass. Here's a site with photos of Roman window glass: http://www.romanglas...articles.htm#No Bona Fortuna!

My family's roots are from the region of Molise, next to Abruzzo. My mother, on a visit to my aunt and uncle's, once cautioned me against praising the beauty of my newborn cousin. She said it would bring the malocch'. When I got to see the baby I noticed an amulet pinned to his shirt. If I remember correctly, it was a forearm ending in a hand making a fist. Later, I found the same charm around our house. There was always a caution against bragging or predicting a good future. That would be testing the malocch'. As a teenager, my aunt's father wanted to teach me how to cure the malocch'. We would need oil and water. It had to be done on Christmas eve. The class never took place.

Good point about the possible switch from author to authorized scribe.

"Se trata de c

"Trump Demands to See Bin Laden's Death Certificate; Becomes Leader of 'Deathers' Movement. " Twitter/ Andy Borowitz

What an interesting subject. Hadrian was quite open about the relationship. Thanks for sharing.

If your novel's setting is the late empire, it's possible that the traditional names for the hours were no longer used. Didn't the Christianized empire institute the 7-day week with one named for the Sabbath and another for The Lord?

"Sleep" and "dream" can be nouns or verbs. As verbs: To sleep is "dormire." To dream is "somniare" As nouns: the noun sleep is "somnus." the noun dream is "somnium".

"Somniate in voce alta," if you are speaking to more than one person. Otherwise "Somnia in voce alta." Latin has an economy of words. Especially for proverbs and adages.

http://news.national...man-christians/ From the National Geographic Society News Ancient bones found in an Italian cathedral may be those of Saints Chrysanthus (foreground) and Daria. It appears that the extensive study confirmed the couple's social class via evidence of significant lead poisoning. Only the rich had home access to the municipal plumbing system.

Yesterday, Newsweek published an article by Peter Der Manuelian providing an Egyptologist

I agree with you, Bryaxis. In addition, one could make the argument that tolerance of homosexuality was a feature of Roman and Greek societies not on their way to decline, but when at they were at their peak. Let's be fair. Same sex attraction is a feature of most mammalian species. Homophobia, on the other hand, seems to be a political ploy, from the Theodosian prohibitions against homosexuality to Berlusconi's anti-gay barbs and the current push within the US Republican party to garner votes by using the red flag of gay marriage.

Il Paese d'ombre--the story of one Sardinian town in post-unification Italy. This is good historical fiction by award winning Italian author Giuseppe Dess

Fascinating post, Melvadius! Don't miss the link to the report. Love the work of Pistillus. How beautiful his signature on the clay figurines.

Archaeologists hope a major find in a spring an hour and a half south of Tampa helps piece together how Florida's (USA) earliest inhabitants lived. Dive teams from the Florida Aquarium and the University of Miami exploring and excavating Little Salt Spring in southern Sarasota County carried to the surface a spear that dates back about 10,000 years, which led archaeologists believe they have found the remains of camp sites or prehistoric garbage dumps. For more: http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/004286.html

Interesting titles. The first has a bad link.

The Romans certainly were driven by material acquisitions and money, but other things drove them, too. Perhaps in addition to picking up properties: villas, ships, mines, tax concessions, etc. there would be a way for the players to also acquire clientes. Sometimes your money wouldn't save you, but your connections would.

From Canada.Com News: For the complete article and an interesting photo of the mosaic floor: http://www.canada.co...2146/story.html A group of grave robbers led to the discovery of the burial place of the biblical prophet Zechariah. Israeli Archaeologist with the Israeli Antiquity Authority Amir Ganor, shows a Byzantine period church decorated with an impressive mosaic floor.

Cheers! Salud! Cent'anni! and many happy returns.