Ursus

I again think you're aptly describing many of my female co-workers, Flavius. Although many are conspicuously imbued with more bodily hair than you suggest.

Most interesting.

Big elephant thingies? You mean my female co-workers from my miserable company? How did they end up in Greece? Someone must have dropped a bon-bon.

What about his sense of history, though? If the movie follows the novel, than Fast either ignored or embellished several things: Spartacus was not born into a life of slavery, but attained it after deserting the Roman armies Spartacus was not crucified, but presumed dead in battle. Spartacus was not an idealist, merely a capable brigand The Gracchi were dead by this time The Gracchi served as Tribunes, not Senators Crassus was not an arch conservative Caesar could not have commanded the Urban Cohors, as they did not exist until Augustus Pompei did not participate in the major battle that defeated Spartacus, he merely mopped up some survivors

I have enjoyed several Sam Adams specimens, but not that particular one. Let me know how it turns out.

Why should the reborn Caliphate have to resort to military invasion for conquest? Their citizens happily and lawfully emigrate into one's backyard. There they sneer and deride the very open societies which gave them the freedom to emigrate in the first place. They come not to adopt their new country's culture, but to impose their Theocracy on their neighbors. Right now they don't have the numbers, but that could change later century. They just bide their time. Until then, to keep things interesting, they murder the occasional filmmaker that dares to say the slightest negative thing about their home cultures.

Seriously, I recommend the movie, especially to a younger audience (I have no idea how old Claudia Octavia is, I'm just saying). The acting is generally superb, and the action is engrossing. I'm not a military buff, but the site of the Spanish army mimicking a Roman legion as they descend into battle was mesmerizing. But historically there are many things dead wrong. The moralizing of the movie is also over-the-top at best. It's another entry in Pagan Rome as an Evil Empire, which Judeo-Christian morality shall happily remedy.

I think it was because Ben-Hur, whose title character was a Jewish noble, came out the year previous to Spartacus. Everything I've read about the movie suggests Douglas was mad he lost the title role in Ben-Hur to Heston, and he made Spartacus as his little revenge. So, to place as much distance between Ben-Hur and Spartacus as possible, the Jewish character was probably cut. Also, I have no idea what the Jewish character was like, but Curtis' educated Greek slave did provide a nice foil to Douglas' illiterate character.

Expect a full length review of the Douglas-Kubrick version of Spartacus to come to a Romanophile site near you! Short version: bad on history, good on acting.

Gnomes should be deported. Where did they come from, the Nordic countries?

It's hard to believe that Nietzche proclaimed the death of god in the last century, or that people who take Gene Roddenberry science fiction too seriously still stick their heads in the sand and proclaim it. In any event, I was always skeptical of the EU's "advance to the Urals at all costs" mentality....

"Lord of the Flies" as he liked stabbing flies.

I'm honestly more worried about fanatical Islamic emigrants in my country right now as opposed to what happens in Turkey (or Egypt, or Iran). If a country wants to subject itself to a Medieval theocracy, it may do so all it wants as far as I am concerned. Its when people from those areas immigrate to Western Countries and expect our countries to play by the same rules that we have problems. When I see Muslims in America or UK with signs such as "Democracy go to hell!", I think its time to consider deportation. Democracy should be under no obligation to respect individuals or groups who don't respect democracy. It also must be said there are certain Christian groups in America that would establish their Christian sharia if given half a chance. They can be deported to the Holy Land too as far as I am concerned.

Constantine did pass an edict making the The Day of the Sun a day of rest. Constantine did seem to be involved in late imperial Solar worship before finding Christianity. As for Christianity losing its Jewishness, the Jews like Saul of Tarsus who brought Christianity to Gentiles were themselves very Hellenized.

Remind me not to drink at your house if you're in a bad mood. Gods know what you could slip in someone's drink.

Happy blogging.

But those are stories, and myth is not quite on the same level as cultic practices and understandings. The myths do suggest indeed the gods frowned on certain things - parricide, disrespect of the dead, violating the laws of hospitality. All three of these come to play in Trojan War cycle, for instance. However, mainstream Greco-Roman religion did not codify these taboos into a detailed law, such as the one Moses bequeathed to the Judaic peoples. If we talk about "sin" in the sense of transgressing a detailed law code written on stone tablets by the hand of god, it doesn't exist in normative Greco-Roman religion. Even the maxims of the god Apollo written at Delphi were not commandments. I suppose it all depends on how one defines "sin." Personally I can't divorce it from its Judeo-Christian connotations.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.a...mp;provider=top These innovative business ideas are the foundation of US economic might and culture. This day I am proud to be part of the American hegemony. I also have a new appreciation of the South.

Sickos.

With the Greeks, athletics was another manifestation of their cultural ideal of arete, of striving to be the best in everything, the great Homeric ideal that infused every other aspect of life as well. It was another forum of competition and excellence (which implied you might have to trounce your competition to win). From that sense, Greek athletics was different than the Roman spectacles which existed for entertainment and commercialism rather than excellence.

In mainstream Greco-Roman religion, no. The idea was you keep the gods happy with offerings and sacrifices, and if you didn't, you would lose their favor. But not sin in the Judaic sense of arousing the wrath of one's chosen deity by transgressing one of his many laws... There were, however, off-color mystery cults that had beliefs akin to Original Sin. The Orphics come to mind. The basic idea was that that the material world was tainted or fallen or impure, and so was everything born to the world. (This was explained by a colorful myth involving Dionysus and the Titans) . The soul had to be released from the prison of one's body by whatever means, usually a combination of faith, asceticism and magic rites. The parallels with Christianity are obvious. I daresay this particular branch of Hellenic mysticism + Judaic tribal law = Christianity.

Banking? That's a new one. Welcome to UNRV.

I'm glad you have returned and are content. I have come to the opposite conclusion of you: I tire of Pennsylvania, or at least the southwest part of it. No jobs, no culture, no one worth knowing (aside from immediate relatives). I honestly might move West or South in the coming years. Congratulations on your dedication to Morrighan. I really know little about those shadowy Irish deities, but if you're happy then I'm happy for you.

Bumping topic and moving it to the general history folder.

I too have found a home in the past three years. I appreciate the hard work done by everybody, from the Imperator and his two colleagues, all the way down to loyal equestrians. If I knew anything about site programming, I would certainly offer to help with reviews and such. As I don't, I guess I shall happily remain the enforcing Praetor.