Ursus

According to Oxford Classical Dictionary that's a widely accepted theory. I'm not a scholar, doc, but here are my own observations 1) Athena is very much the martial goddess, connected with (defensive) war and such. In Rome, this aspect was de-emphasized. They had Mars and Bellona as war deities. 2) Athena is the goddess of artisans and craftsmen. In Rome, this is taken to the next level where Minerva becomes the goddess of many guilds of organized labor, thus having a hand in trade. 3) One of Minerva's aspects is Minerva Medica - Minerva patron of healers and doctors. This really wasn't part of her cult in Athens as far as I know. Here is website that may further help you: http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html

i think there should be a contest. They must videotape themselves standing on their heads while reciting The Aeneid in Latin, and post it to youtube. Those who survive the longest win.

In the title of that book it lists Minerva as a triple goddess? She was never a triple goddess. Sounds like New Age garbage. Don't waste your money.

I'm a cynic, so take my views with a grain of salt, but I think education in general is slanted to the prejudices and biases of whomever happens to control the local institutions. Here in the states, public schooling at the primary and secondary levels are largely under the control of locally elected school boards. These school boards have wide latitude to decide what is taught and how it should be taught. And thus, among other things, you have constant battles between secularists and fundamentalists over things like evolution, sex education, etc. At a higher level, state legislatures can mandate certain minimum requirements. Various interest groups can lobby the state legislatures to teach whatever it is they feel is necessary. Many states require their local districts to teach "African-American history" for instance, though there are usually no such requirements for Asian-American, Latino-American, Italian-American or (especially) German-American histories. Finally, tertiary education not controlled by a specific religion (such as Catholic or Mormon)is infamous for being slanted to a leftist interpretation of the social sciences and humanities, and those who feel otherwise find it in their best academic interests not to challenge the prevailing academic orthodoxy.

I've spent the last 2 weeks watching a DVD collection of Farscape. Farscape was a cult Sci-Fi hit 10 years ago. I caught episodes here and there and thought it was ok. But watching all the episodes back to back on DVD has really made me appreciate it.

.... I haven't the slightest idea what is going on ....

Hey, that's cool. It's like Halloween and Christmas rolled into one.

Congratulations.

Whatever history it had with our Puritan settlers and native Americans is lost on most people. Most people simply get a paid day off from work where they can feast with their family , and watch TV (particularly football). A paid day off work is enough for most Americans to be thankful for, trust me. For some reason, turkey has become the "traditional" dinner even though the original Puritans and Natives ate venison.

I agree governments can't preserve every little historical site, especially in these cash strapped times. However, Pompeii always seemed to be special given its nature. Isn't it usually in the top 10 lists of preserved archaeological sites? Oh, well. Not any more, I guess ....

Anyone we would know?

http://io9.com/5855860/the-secret-of-ancient-viking-navigation-was-transparent-crystals?tag=archaeology Researchers at the University of Rennes in France have put together all the experimental and theoretical evidence they could muster, and they're pretty sure they know exactly what this sunstone was. It was, in fact, a transparent calcite crystal known as Iceland spar. It's found all over its namesake country, and Vikings could have used it to depolarize light, which means the crystal is able to split light along different axes.

I believe it was "luppiter" originally. No "J." I only know this because of my studies on Roman religion. I have no facility with Latin.

Warum? Werden Sie ein Vater?

I was briefly a member years and years ago. Got tired very quickly of all the "micronation" stuff and left. I think you'll like us a lot better. We're just a friendly circle of acquaintances discussing all aspects of Roman history.

So I am reading "The Viking World" by Routledge (which isn't bad, by the way). It's a scholarly anthology of various topics written by scholars over the world. Routledge has done this with other cultures, including Greece and Rome. I began wondering why I never heard of these books? Well, it seems they are over a decade old. Also, they are enormously expensive. http://www.amazon.com/Roman-World-Routledge-Worlds/dp/041526314X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319895607&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Greek-World-Routledge-Worlds/dp/0415170427/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319895693&sr=1-1 The one on Greece looks like it is too beholden to specialized topics, such as women in Greece or archaic poetry. The one on Rome looks a little more generalized. Still, I wouldn't buy it for $93.03!

Thank you. I thought I was having deja vu.

So I got the one on early Germanic goddesses. Here is my micro-review for Amazon: Yeah, I wish had my $20 back. I did end up ordering the Viking tome. I have higher hopes for it.

Old school rapper MC hammer announces launch of a new search engine which he claims is more powerful than Google: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/10/mc-hammer-wiredoo-deep-search-engine.html Ok, then ....

I think in the case of Egypt and Libya, the people have simply traded secular dictators for what will eventually be Islamo-fascists.

(chiming in from his work computer) Do any of the Marines speak Latin? If not, communication between the invaders and the conquered would be problematic. Also, the empire was subject to attack from people who were not completely rational. Unless the marines found a way to replenish their ammunition supply, I wonder if they would eventually fall subject to the same fate that befell the Romans during the Migration Era.

I don't know. It just seemed long and monotonous. Cu Chulain meets opponent. They exchange boasts and insults. They fight.. Cu Chulain wins. Repeat formula about 30 more times before the end. Mind you, I thought The Iliad was getting monotonous with the battle scenes, and I am someone who is otherwise fond of Greco-Roman mythology.

Are you English? Blimey! Poppycock and Codswallop! No. I'm a Yank who counts a few Irish as his ancestors. But I'm completely bored by the tale of an invincible man who can hold off an army all by his lonesome self.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140301823/amazon-agrees-to-collect-state-tax-in-california Cash strapped states going after Amazon for sales tax. Other states like Connecticut are pursuing this, even if Amazon doesn't have any physical presence in their state. I know one of the major draws to me for Amazon was the fact I didn't have to pay any sales tax on books. Once other states catch on and force Amazon to pay taxes, Amazon will be less attractive to consumers.