Gaius Paulinus Maximus

Hi Lady Jemima and welcome to UNRV. HERE would be a good place to start. There is a wealth of information right here on this site, I'm sure you'll find answers to most of questions. Happy reading.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOC!!! All the best for 2009

Did I hear somebody say lot's of drink?????? I've brought along a case of my best Falernian wine and a troop of my favorite dancing girls! Last night my good friend Catullus spoke of his love of Falernian, it went something like this........... Come, boy, you who serve out the old Falernian, fill up stronger cups for me, as the law of Postumia, mistress of the revels, ordains, Postumia more tipsy than the tipsy grape. But water, begone, away with you, water, destruction of wine, and take up abode with scrupulous folk. This is the pure Thyonian god. In the words of another famous poet ......... Let's get this party started!!!! (p!nk)

I think in just two words Horace sums up optimism perfectly.... Carpe Diem..................Rejoice while you are alive; seize the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have.It is later than you think.

Congratulations on your nomination Lanista, that's a fantastic achievement on your very first novel.

Keep paddling Caldrail, pretty soon a great big wave's gonna come along and wash you up onto the great big island of Employment! Thanks for the entertaining blogs Hope you have a very Happy New Year!!!!

16 strikes!!!

One of the most notable and well documented existence of gangs in ancient Rome was during the rivalry between Publius Clodius Pulcher and Titus Annius Milo. In 53BC Milo was a candidate for the consulship and Clodius for the Praetorship, they both surround themselves with a small armed band of thugs and rampaged the streets of Rome, terrorizing the citizens and showing no regard for the city and it's laws. This all came to a head later that year when the two rival gangs accidently bumped into each other on the Appian Way, a fight ensued resulting in the death of Clodius. Some historians go as far as to say that it wasn't infact an accident but an organized assasination attempt. After Clodius' death riots raged through Rome and the Senate house was was burned to the ground with the body of Clodius inside.

They came. They saw. They slaughtered. And now, almost 2,000 years after fighters and wild animals last entertained the rabble, gladiators are set to return to the Colosseum. Umberto Broccoli, the head of archaeology at Rome city council, said it was time that the five million people who visited the Colosseum annually saw the kind of shows originally staged there. They should also experience "the sights, sounds and smells" of Ancient Rome. Mauro Cutrufo, the deputy mayor, said that a series of events would be held next year to mark the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Emperor Vespasian, who began the construction of the Colosseum. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle5369754.ece This I would love to see.

If you happen to come across that book, falkor, then please point me in the right direction. If a book like that does exist then it would be worth it's weight in gold!

I always make sure my balls are tightly screwed on every day too!! Sorry LW, couldn't resist!!

Researchers at Cambridge University have recreated the face of the Egyptian leader, who reigned from 69-30 BC, on a computer. The boffins based their model on 2,000-year-old drawings and images on coins. Her skin was darker than modern portrayals of her, most famously by Hollywood actress Liz Taylor in the film 'Cleopatra' (1963), because of her Egyptian heritage. Is THIS what the legendary queen really looked like??? What do you think??

In the article it mentions that "There is sketchy evidence in the histories for some sort of Roman push into German territory in the 3rd century. Historians like Herodian say the Emperor Maximinus Thrax declared war on the Germans, but this is the first evidence he may have actually carried out his threats. "From what sources say, he did push into Germany," says Eric de Sena, an archaeologist at John Cabot University in Rome. "In a way it seems to correspond with the histories." From what I can gather the Romans were already in Upper Germany before Maximus Thrax. In 234 AD the Emperor Alexander Severus had based himself in the Moguntiacum (Mainz) which at the time was the capital of Upper Germany. From here he planned an ambitious offensive campaign but in the end decided negotiate for peace which enraged the legions causing a mutiny which unded up with the death of Severus and his family. From this catastrophe Maximus Thrax who at the time had been placed in charge of raising and training troops for the war against the Germans was declared Emperor by the troops. Wether Thrax did actually push even further into Upper Germany is unclear, he was based in Moguntiacum, which is still some 240km south of recently found battlefield, and the fact that the layout of the battlefield leads the archaeologists to believe that "the Romans attacked the hill from the North suggesting that they were on their way home from a mission even further into German territory" Really does make this a seriously interesting historical riddle. Apparently full scale excavations will commence in March so hopefully we might find something else out about the battle of Harzorn Hill.

WOW!!! I'm shocked!!! I can't believe you guy's in the States don't have Christmas crackers!! You can't celebrate Christmas in the U.K. without crackers! It just wouldn't be the same. All sat round the dinner table, pulling crackers, telling the crappy jokes that you get and wearing the paper crown and not to mention showing off your prize or puzzle. You know what you have to do now Ursus!!!!! Go out and treat your family to some good old English Christmas crackers!

Thanks for your reply Neph. Indeed, a genealogy for Boethius would be very interesting but I think we're clutching at straws with that one, there's a few sites, biographies and things like that out there but I've been unable to find any thing substantial on the net. But surely the Manilus and Torquatus link has got to be more than just a coincidence hasn't it???

Just finished "Roman Britain and the English Settlements by Collingwood and Myres, It's a 1936 first edition that I picked up a while ago in my local secondhand book store for the ridiculous price of

I'm sure many of the other ancient civilizations had tracks or pathways that were known and used by people far and wide and that these people considered them to be roads of a kind. But what set the Roman roads apart from the "barbarian roads" was the sheer, skill and precision in how the roads were built. The Roman roads were designed to get from A to B in the fastest, safest and most comfortable way possible, and the one thing that that sets them head and shoulders above any other "road" is that they were designed and built to last. If a "barbarian road" went unused for a few years then it would more than likely become over-grown and then eventually disappear where as the Roman road.......Well, take a trip to Rome and check out the Appian Way!!! P.S. I've just thought of another amazing thing the Romans gave us......Wolf's Nipple Chips! Got to be the best snack ever!!!!

Great work again Neph! One of the things I love about your "Surnames......" is that it always inspires me to try and do a bit of my own research on the families and names that you list, not in anyway to try and prove you wrong or come up with something that you may have over looked or any thing like that, because knowing you for as long as I have now on UNRV it's clear that everything that you post is of the highest order. It's just something that I've developed a great interest in as well. While sniffing around the Manlius name I did come across a certain Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, now I know this guy probably wouldn't have made your compilation because yours are all, or mostly taken from Republican times, right? But I just found it strange that a man who was born in 475-7 CE and died in 526 CE? carried the name of the Manlii gens. This man has quite an illustrious history, he has long been recognized as one of the most important intermediaries between ancient philosophy and the Latin Middle Ages with his Consolation of Philosophy, which was just one of his many well respected literary works. It does appear that he was born into the Roman aristocracy so is their any chance that he could trace his line all the way back to those illustrious men of the Republic mentioned in your list? Also Neph, the cognomen Boethius, what did that mean? Cheers.

Archaeologists in Germany say they have found an ancient battlefield strewn with Roman weapons. The find is significant because it indicates that Romans were fighting battles in north Germany at a far later stage than previously assumed. The wilds of Germany may not have been off-limits to Roman legions, archaeologists announced on Monday. At a press conference in the woods near the town of Kalefeld, about 100 kilometers south of Hanover, researchers announced the discovery of a battlefield strewn with hundreds of Roman artifacts dating from the 3rd century A.D. http://www.spiegel.de/international/german...,596720,00.html

Shhh...! We're hiding from the Optio. PP, deal me another card. GPM, I'll meet you and raise you ten. -- Nephele Uh oh, I found a cask of wine in here.... Oh dear Oh dear!!!!! There's only one thing for it.........PARTY!!! PARTY!!! PARTY!!!!

"Meh!!!!"That's pretty much what I thought at first, Augusta! I read Saylor's 'Roma' a few months back, and I myself very nearly jacked it in after the first few chapters but I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did. I found myself warming to the book more and more and come the end I was pleasantly pleased with it. It's not Saylor's best work, The 'Roma Sub Rosa' is head and shoulders above. But after a slow start I found Roma to be an entertaing and at sometimes educational journey through Rome from it's founding right through to the last days of the republic. Stick with Augusta.

I have to side with Lanista and NN on this one, I'm a big fan of the Eagle series too. Macro and Cato are great characters, they are always involved in some sort of rip roaring, life threatening adventure in the Roman world, it's good to see how their lives and friendship evolves throughout the series of novels. For me it's a bit of light hearted release from some of the more heavy in depth factual books I like to read, but still focusing on the topic I love. I totally see where The Augusta and others are coming from but like I've said many times before, I don't read these kind of novels to learn new things about Rome and it's people, I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the subject already, I read them because I enjoy the characters, the fast paced action, the entertainment and most of all because it's about Rome and all things concerning the Roman world. No historical fiction author can write these kind of novels with out thoroughly researching the period it's set in first, if they did then it would just get laughed of the shelves. Yes it's true that the truth is sometimes stretched a little bit, sometimes a lot in Igguldens case, but at the end of the day it's still based (if sometimes loosely) on fact. And if after reading these books it makes even just one person want to get a little bit more knowledgeable about Ancient Rome and maybe even study it as we do then surely it's got to be a good thing. Simon Scarrow's books are a good, well written, light hearted Roman read but remember at the end of the day it is just a novel.

I too ended up in the storeroom with no other options!! But at least I'm in good company.

I always look forward to your "Surnames" Neph and this one is as good as the rest, I have to agree with Caesar though, Stolo (useless sucker) has to be the best one yet. I know quite a few people I could attach that cognomen to, male and female!!! Quality as always Neph!

I suppose anything that brings Roman history into the spotlight has to be a good thing right??? It may not be the kind of thing that us die hard Roman lovers would happily sit down and watch without immediately ripping it's inaccuracies to shreds, but if it get's the younger generation interested enough to want to learn a bit about more about the amazing race of people that we read and learn about daily then surely it's has got to be a good thing. I'll give it a go anyway!