Ursus

Wowotius has an excellent prose, which many of us commented on. The essay would have benefited from a more focused thesis and research, but I do hope Wotwotius gives it another go when we do this again. Very enjoyable read!

Seems like a wonderful book, just waiting for an articulate person to review. (*hint*)

Thanks to everyone who participated and made this a success. A special thanks to Augusta for an enjoyable read on an interesting topic. Spend your prize money wisely!

What? Religion operated at all levels of society, from the the household to the state. The main idea was to propitiate various supernatural forces with the relevant offerings and festivals. The State funded and oversaw various temples, cults, and religious officials to this end. Roman religion did not however have a long list of prohibitions like the Hebraic. It was concerned more with ritual than with morality. There was a broad sense of religious freedom as long the established socio-political scheme was not challenged. Did Roman politicians cynically use religion at times for political ends? Sure. One example: All the warlords of the Late Republic claimed a relationship with Venus, the divine ancestress of the Roman people. But as long as one was not actively challenging the State gods, Roman religion made a poor tool of oppression and control as it did not really demand anything except certain offerings to certain deities on certain days. Christianity changed the tone of Roman state religion considerably, but I'm not quite the expert on that area. From what I have read though the establishment was still more interested in lip service than in micromanaging the lives of its people. It was the crazy footsoldiers of Christianity, more than the Caesars, that were interested in complete subordination to the new scheme.

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/ The above contains a link to "bargains, sales and special offers." Some hard to find items on Ancient History for cheap prices. I didn't know if I could post this anywhere else because you give preference to Amazon.com, but I thought you guys at least would like to know.

Interesting. The Principate just edged out the early and middle Republic. And the Late Empire is not far behind The only thing that is negligible so far is the early monarchy.

I deleted the section of this thread where there was a useless semantic quibble over "Hellenism." Perhaps we can revisit the original question.

A treacherous little polis if there ever was one.

Basketball is the only organized sport I can begin to relate to - because I played a little in high school. When I was younger I did watch NCAA - and yes, I was a Duke fan! Nowadays I just can't get into that stuff. I agree with JR that March should be about Guinness.

Absolutely. Terrorism has been defined as the weapon of the weak. Those groups lacking a powerful state to fund their efforts don't have the means to hit major military-industrial targets. Instead they attack the civilian population in an effort to undermine morale. If the best someone can do is blow up a bus or shopping mall by strapping explosives to themselves, they have revealed their weakness. However, with all those Weapons of Mass Destruction from the former Soviet Empire floating around, the definition of terrorism as the "weapon of the weak" could change. Armed with such devices they would have the capability to do serious damage to military, industrial and political targets. This the gravest threat to Western security. My criticism of Neoconservative foreign policy on invading rogue states is not that it is immoral - it is that it is besides the point. A stateless Al-Queda cell armed with a "dirty bomb" or nerve gas is the main danger, and I don't think all the NATO soldiers in Iraq can really address the problem.

[quote name='Julia C

Was this thread about something relevant to Ancient Rome? Too late now, I suppose. Arena bound.

The very question is a bit American centric insofar as it presupposes the conflict could have been averted with American initiative. While American isolationism did not help matters, Europeans were quite capable with or without American help of starting wars amongst themselves. *snicker* The Versaille Treaty together with the Great Depression basically assured Germany was going to be a powder keg of seething rage fit for extremists groups to manipulate. Also, the question is Eurocentric. Why only European affairs? For East Asians, the Second World War began when the Japanese attacked Manchuria in 1937. There is a whole another theatre of war over there somewhere beyond Poland. I think the question is, even though war was probably fated, could the United States have mitigated matters for the Allies by active and early entry? Most likely. A world where Germany ruled Europe and Japan ruled the Pacific would have put the US in a bad position. American isolationism has always been na

Yo yo yo! Jive turkey, you not down wit' mine? Don't dis the Pat gang! Moonbabie pumps up the jam, and we start kickin' it with Big P Daddy Primus. My homies Pert and Pan start chillin' with the three fly girls, until Cat-O put the smackdown on us. :afro:

Like Augusta I really can't get emotionally invested in this thread, and for the same reasons. If they slept together I hope it was good for the both of them. Maybe Octavian starting referring to Caesar as a god after a particularly satisfying bout.

Hmm. Gratias, Decimus.

It has been suggested the worship of the Lares originated from the deification of deceased ancestors. In archaic Rome the dead might have been buried beneath the floor of the Roman household. Others think they were somehow local spirits of the farmland that were later housed inside. Whatever the ultimate origins, by the beginning of the imperial period, it seems the Lares were the guardian spirits of the place - the guardian spirit of the place especially associated with the family was the Lar Familiaris. The Lares were depicted by figurines of Greek youths dancing around with wine horns (suggesting peace and plenty). The little figurines of the major gods denoting the patron deities of the household were Di Penates, and the families at Pompei seem to have had anywhere from 2-8 at a time.

Wealthy Huns. They are the economic backbone of Italy, and they know it.

The four spoke is much more universal, but in the region of the Alps it seems a 6 spoke wheel was used. It is called "the sun of the Alps." In fact, secessionists in Northern Italy, who promote their Celtic heritage at the expense of Roman heritage, actually use that symbol as a flag for their proposed independent state of "Padania."

Well, before the Amish used it for a hex sign, the Celts were using it as a solar symbol. Given your Celtic interests, I thought you knew.

I just light scented tea candles. Perhaps not the most traditional offering, but with my present living arrangements it is a lot easier to clean up than charcoal and incense. Hey, I've noticed you have been using the Celtic sun wheel for your forum avatar. ANy special story behind that?

This leads into one of these fun but useless "alternate history" scenarios. I would assume without Augustus, the struggle would have been against Antony and the pirate son of Pompey. If Antony had won, and the gravity of the Roman world shifted to Alexandria, the world would be a different place today with mystical Greco-Egyptian ideas of religion and kingship influencing the West far more than they otherwise would have had. And I have always thought such a scenario woud be the perfect setting for an alternate history novel about Rome.

As LW said, Romans had domestic shrines (lararia). Small figurines were used to depict familial/household spirits as well as patron gods. Prayers and offerings were made to them daily. I couldn't tell you what Maximus was doing in "Gladiator." Perhaps it was supposed to be a lararium ritual, but the ritual itself seemed to be more Hollywood than history.

Yes, we have 12 Patricians now, 3 of whom are of the female persuasion. Minerva bless them all.

Pretty much my reason for being here as well. Or to paraphrase Pertinax, to study a culture that may be distant in time but close to the heart.