Ursus

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story....jectid=10483630

Very interesting. Thanks.

Pecunia non olet!

I reviewed the Adkins book here: http://www.unrv.com/book-review/handbook-ancient-rome.php They also have a companion volume on Ancient Greece.

Oops. Corrected the gender of said deity. Don't know how I missed that. I think I'm working too hard this holiday season.

Ok. According to Adkins and Adkins, Larentalia was held on Dec 23rd, being the funerary rites to the aformentioned obscure god in my rough draft. So I included Larentalia, but placed it on the 23rd. Adkins always has a very brief mention on Portunalia, so I did it include it on the referenced date. As far as Mamuralia .... The Adkins don't mention the goatskins festivals. They think it's another name for the horse racing festival, or possibly to honor the sacred shields. Since that additional article you referenced mentions the sacred shields, we will go with that. Frazer's interpretations of ancient religions can be a bit off, so I really don't trust his views. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hmmm, I'll cross reference other sources for those two festivals. Are we sure of the validity of Frazer's scholarship, I hear he could be off on a few things.

I added some detail as well as sources.

Cool. Let me beef it up a bit and cite sources.

In the bargain bin of the bookstore, I discovered The Collected What If? Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been A collection of essays by various historians of what might have happened had some bit of politico-military history gone differently. I have already read through the ancient history section 1) What if the Assyrians had managed to destroy Judea? There would be no Judaic religion as we now know it, and consequently no Christian or Islamic religions as we know them. 2) Had the Persians won at Salamis, Western Civilization as we know it would not have happened 3) Had Alexander the Great died in his first battle, there would be no Hellenistic world as we understand it. The Persians would rule the East, the Romans would eventually inherent the West, and no Hellenism in between. Christianity and Islam as we know it would not have developed. 4) Had Romans conquered Germania, Moscow would be an integral part of Western Europe, the Mongols would not have invaded Europe. There would be no Protestantism, no English language and no Hitler. Entertaining reading. The rest of the books seems to span the Middle Ages, European monarchies, and American history. A lot of people here would get a kick out of it.

Well, in any event, good luck. Thread locked.

Republican era State festivals These were festivals where religious officials employed by the State conducted public rites. Citizens were required to suspend business on such dates, but they were not required to attend religious ceremonies (many did so, however, as sacrificial meat was often given in such festivals). Because the ancient Romans did not observe a "weekend" as moderns do, these festivals would have constituted the days of rest for the populace. By the late Republic, many of the ancient festivals listed below had fallen into disuse, with the meaning of the festival and/or the deitiy to whom it was dedicated obscured. January 1. Festival of Janus, the two faced god of beginnings. Exchanging of lamps to furnish light for the coming year 3-5. Compitalia. Observance day could be moved by order of the praetor urbanis. Celebrated the lares, or local guardian spirits, of the crossroads. Shrines were set up where crossroads met. Marked the end of the agricultural year. 5. Birthday of the shrine of Vica Pota, ancient goddess of victory. 9. Agonalia. Sacrifice of ram by rex sacrorum to uncertain god, possibly Janus. 11. Juturnalia. Festival of Juturna, river nymph and goddess of healing. 15. Carmentalia. Festival to honor Carementis, river nymph and goddess of prophecy. 24-26. Sementivae. Offerings to Tellus and Cerus (agricultural goddesses) to protect the spring sowing. 27. Festival of Castor and Pollux, Greek demigods who were patrons of cavalry, athletes and sailors February 1. Festival of Juno Sospita 5-17. Fornacalia. Celebration of grain ovens. 13. Festival to honor Faunus the rustic god. 13-21. Parentalia. Private and public ceremonies for the spirits of the familial dead. The 21st was the Feralia, when food was carried to tombs of the dead. 15. Lupercalia. Purification and fertility festival. Romans not certain to which god holiday was dedicated. Citizens gathered before the cave where Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf. A goat and dog was sacrificed. Two noble youths were smeared with the blood and ran through the streets. They whipped passers-by with strips of goat skin, imparting fertility. 17. Quirinalia. Festival of the ancient god Quirinius, a sabine war god. 22. Carista. Renewal of family ties, offerings to familial lares. 23. Terminalia. Honoring the boundary god Terminus. 25. Regifugium. Celebrated in honor of expulsion of the last king and founding of the Republic. 27. Equirria. Horse racing in honor of Mars. March 1. Festival of Mars 7. Festival of Vediovis, an underworld version of Jupiter. 9. Sacred shield of Mars carried by his priests, the salii. 14: Equirria. Another horse racing festival to Mars. Also the Mamuralia, which was a seperate festival in honor of the sacred shields of Mars. 15. Festival to Anna Perenna, goddess of the new year. 17. Liberalia, festival to Liber Pater, a god sometimes identified with the Greek Bacchus 19. Quinquatra. Five day festival in honor of Mars and Minerva. On 23 March the trumpets of Mars were purified. 31. Festival of Luna, goddess of the moon. April 1. Veneralia,festival of Venus Verticordia 4-10. Megalesia. Games held in honor of Cybele, the Phyrgian mother earth goddess whose cult was brought to Rome during the 2nd Punic War. 5. Festival of Fortuna Publica, "luck of the people." 12-19. Ceriala. In honor of Ceres. 13. Festival to Jupiter of Victory and Jupiter of Liberty. 15. Fordicida. Pregnant cow sacrificed to Tellus to promote fertility. 21. Parilia. Purification of sheep for fertility. 23. Vinalia Priora. Festival of wine production in honor of Jupiter 25. Robigalia. Rust colored dog sacrificed to appease the god of grain rust. 28 April - 3 May. Floralia. Flower festival connected with Spring fertility. May 1. Festival of Lares. 9. Lemuria. Festival to appease the spirits of the wandering household dead. 11. Sacrifice to Mania, a goddess of death. 14. Festival to Mars Invictus. 15. Festival to Jupiter and Mercury. 21. Agonalia. Sacrifice of ram by rex sacrorum to uncertain god, possibly Janus. 23. Festival to Vulcan. 25. Festival to Fortuna. 29. Ambarvalia. Sacrifices offered to agricultural deities to purify crops. June 1. Festival of Juno and Mars 3. Festival of Bellona, the war goddess. 4, Festival of Hercules. 5. Festival of Dius Fidius, Roman god of oaths sometimes identified with Jupiter. 8. Festival of Mens, personification of mental activity. 9. Vestalia, festival of Vesta. 11. Matralia. Festival of Mater Matuta, goddess of growth and childbirth. 13. Festival of Jupiter Invictus. 19. Festival of Minerva. 20. Festival of Summanus, a god of thunderbolts associated with Jupiter. 24. Festival of Fors Fortuna, bringer of providence. 25. Turian games held every four years to underworld gods. 27. Festival to lares and Jupiter. July 1. Festival of Juno. 5. Poplifugia. Flight of the People. Meaning now lost. 6-13. Games to honor Apollo 7. Festival of Pales. Juno worshipped on this day in honor of serving women. 17. Festivals of Honos (honor), Virtus (physical and moral excellence) and Victoria (victory) 19. Lucaria. Festival in a sacred grovde near the Tiber. Meaning lost. 20. Games held to honor victories of Caesar and goddess Victoria. 22. Festival of Concordia, goddess of concord. 23. Neptunalia. Festival for Neptune 25. Festival for Furrina, goddess of springs. 30. Festival to Fortuna August 1. Festivals of Spes (Hope) and Victoria. 5. festivals of Salus, goddess of health 9. Festival of Sol, god of the sun. 12. Festival to Hercules and Venus 13. Festivals to Diana, Hercules, Castor and Pollux. 17. Portunalia. Festival to Portunus, god of doors and harbors. Involved a ritual connected with keys. 19. Vinalia Rustica. Another wine production festival 21. Festival to Consus , an agricultural god also associated with horses. 23. Festival to Vulcan 24. Festival to Luna 25. Festival to Ops, goddess of abundance and partner to Saturn. 27. Festival of Volturnus, an Etruscan river god. 28. Festival of Sol and Luna September 1. Festival to Jupiter and Juno 5. Festival to Jupiter 5-19. Games for Jupiter Optimus Maximus. 13. Festival of Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) 23. Festival to Apollo 26. Festival of Venus Genetrix, Venus as mother of Roman people October 1. Festival to Fides (fidelity) and Juno 4. Fast day for Ceres 7. Festival of Jupiter and Juno 9. Festival to the public genius, Faunus and Venus. 10. Festival to Juno 11. Meditrinalia. Another wine festival to Jupiter 13. Fontinalia. In honor the god of springs 14. Festival of the Penates, domestic patron gods 15. Capitoline games in honor of Jupiter 19. Armilustrium. Festival of purification of arms in honor of Mars. 26 October -1 November. Sulla's Victory Games in honor of Victoria. November 4-17. Plebian games in honor of Jupiter. The 13th was the great festival day and highpoint of the games December 1. Festivals of Neptune and Pietas (Piety). 3. Festival of Bona Dea, the women's goddess. Celebrated only by women and Vestal Virgins in the house of a Consul or Praetor 5. Festival of Faunus held in countryside. 8. Festival of Tiberinius, personification of Tiber river. 11. Agonalia. Sacrifice of ram by rex sacrorum to uncertain god, possibly Janus. 12. Festival of Consus 13. Festival of Tellus. 15. 2nd festival to Consus. 17-23. Saturnalia. Merry making festival ot Saturn, the rustic god of seed sowing, later identified with the Greek Chronus. Sacrifice at the temple of Saturn followed by public feast and gift giving. Public gambling allowed. Holiday costumes and caps adorned. Candles lit. Slaves were temporarily absolved of duties. Master may have switched roles with slaves. 18. Festival of Epona, a Gallic horse goddess. 19. Festival to Ops 21. Festival to honor Diva Angeronae, goddess of secrecy. 22. Festival of the Lares 23. Larentalia, A funeral festival to an obscure goddess by name of Acca Larentia. 25. Midwinter solstice. Became prominent only in the third century when Aurelian consecrated his temple to Sol Invictus on this date. Sources. Adkins and Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press. London, England, 1994. Adkins and Adkins. Dictionary of Roman Religion. Oxford University Press. London, England, 1996.

Cassius, I think the world has always been a violent place, and most likely always will be despite modernism's humanitarian pretensions. Even today in India, the world's largest democracy, a political election can lead to bloody riots. As Cato points out, 20th century Europeans were also incredibly violent. (And Cato could even have added Mao from China, whose deaths dwarf even Stalin). Admittedly though, 20th century totalitarians had access to 20th century technology. A Sulla armed with machine guns and cyanide gas might have done more damage, who knows.

Meh. I'm glad the new Aliens vs Predator movie is coming out. That's my idea of holiday cinema.

Sounds intriguing. I would be very interested in reading a review of this book, and possibly the book itself. Edit: $55? I think I'll skip buying the book.

Welcome back, indeed.

Archaeology magazine rates top 10 discoveries for 2007. http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/

An intereting tie-in to the review ... http://www.archaeology.org/0801/abstracts/homer.html An archaeologist and his students are spearheading attempts to uncover urban centers in Mycenaean areas. They have entire areas mapped out using the latest technology, and as little as five years could unearth some major finds. The next decade should see some major discoveries of Homer's world. As a side note, the lead archaeologist is from my Alma Mater, Dickinson College. I don't say many good things about my old college, but here I have to give them credit for helping fund the project.

First of all, "bah humbug" to holiday viewing in general and to "It's a Wonderful Life" in particular. Second of all, where exactly are all these smokin' hawt librarians, Nephele?

I find it interesting. :-) But I know too little about early Catholicism to comment intelligently. Thanks for sharing the article, I learned something today.

I did mention I'd like to see what went on in the break-away empires of the Third Century .... the so-called Gallic and Palmyrene Empires. They were interesting experiments.

An interesting list. Some are too pricey, though.

Glad you liked it. Adding a few Hellenic touches is one of my long term goals.

Interesting. I guess I should read more primary sources. I wonder how Manfred Claus missed that in his study of Mithraism, or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring it because he couldn't find material evidence to back up the literary assertions. But I think the real question is, even if Julian was involved with Mithraism, what did Mithraism really mean? Or at least, what did it mean specifically to Julian?

I think everyone has had their say on the issue. I don't see any productivity from letting this thread continue, so as moderator I am declaring it closed. Those who wish to continue the debate may do so on private channels, or on forums actually dedicated to debating current events. Or you could all get back to making UNRV a great place by contributing to Romanophile discussions. Cheers.