Gaius Paulinus Maximus

I know that lustratio was a ceremony of ritual purification that the army performed each year but what I don't know is what exactly was involved in this ceremony. Why and how did the legionaries go about this ritual?

This is a pretty impressive find, according to the city council archaeologist who said "I've not seen a Roman building as well preserved as this. The work we have done has shown we have got a building of quite some importance, with all the features of a high-status Roman site. This was something big and impressive." This LINK contains a model of how the villa could have looked. I can't believe something of this size has stayed hidden all this time, there has been archaeological work going on in this area for over 200 years. Hopefully this will be the first of many more finds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIGGEN!! Hope you have a great day! Enjoy!

What about the slave in HBO's Rome that Atia gave as a present to Servilia? He certainly wasn't lacking in the trouser department!!

When the Roman died at home surrounded by his family, it was the duty of his oldest son to bend over the body and call him by name, as if with the hope of recalling him to life. The formal performance of this act (conclāmātiō) he announced immediately with the words conclāmātum est. The eyes of the dead were then closed, the body was washed with warm water and anointed, the limbs were straightened, and, if the deceased had held a curule office, a wax impression of his features was taken . The body was then dressed in the toga with all the insignia of rank that the dead had been entitled to wear in life, and was placed upon the funeral couch (lectus fūnebris) in the ātrium , with the feet to the door, to lie in state until the time of the funeral. The couch was surrounded with flowers, and incense was burned about it. Before the door of the house were set branches of pine or cypress as a warning that the house was polluted by death. The simple offices that have been described were performed in humble life by the relatives and slaves, in other cases by professional undertakers (libitīnāriī), who also embalmed the body and superintended all the rest of the ceremonies. Reference is made occasionally to the kissing of the dying person as he breathed his last, as if this last breath was to be caught in the mouth of the living; and in very early and very late times it was undoubtedly the custom to put a small coin between the teeth of the dead with which to pay his passage across the Styx in Charon's boat. Neither of these formalities seems to have obtained generally in classical times. For more info on what happened next including the funeral procession and oration and what happened at the tomb etc take a look HERE

Archaeologists have found what they describe as a remarkable Iron Age waterhole on the site of an extension to York University. The waterhole complete with a preserved wickerwork lining was revealed during excavations in Heslington village. The structure also contains fragments of wood giving clues to the landscape of the time, about 2,500 years ago. The university's archaeology department plans more digs at the site, which also contains an important Roman building. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_y...ire/7283859.stm

LW, in regards to the attempted credit card forge, I know where your coming from but at least you've not been funding Al Quieda!!! The other day I recieved a phone call from my bank telling me that they'd just refused a transaction for

Excellent choice NN, you can't beat a bit of Macro and Cato, I've recently got ' Centurion' but have yet to read it but I'm sure when I do it'll be another rip roaring adventure. "Cathryn Cookson for boys"...... I like it

I'm a big stew fan, you can't beat it, quick, easy and it lasts for days and the funny thing is , the longer you leave it the better it tastes. (why is that??) Cheers for the cooking instructions Doc, I think I might rustle up a bit of Gumbo for the family this week end!

Leeds Town Hall 1894, it's still quite an impressive building now, so to see it back then must have been pretty special. I've got pictures of me sat on the lions (four of them at the front of the building) when I was a kid Leeds General Infirmary 1894, this entrance to the hospital is exactly the same today (apart from the cobbles!) . Leeds Post Office 1897, this is now a very trendy and expensive restaraunt/bar. Rounday Park 1897. These next pictures are from my home town of Bramley, which is a suburb of Leeds. This is the Bramley Carnival in 1911. This happened every year up until about 15 years ago, I used to love going to the carnival when I was a kid, there was always a fair, parade's and the legendry "Pram Race" Which involved teams of grown men dressing up in fancy dress and pushing each other in some sort of contraption formed from a pram through a circuit of Bramley stopping of at every pub along the way for a quick pint, I was gutted they stopped this before I was old enough to take part ( Damned Health and Safety!) This is one of my locals "The Olde Unicorn Inn". The cobbles have now gone but the drinking troughs (for the horses) in the wall still remain. Bramley town street early 1900's Another local "The Daisy" Bramley station bus stop.

I'll hold judgement on the "Hadrian" film until we have a bit more info on it but as for the remake of "I Claudius"............... Please God NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

My top Five.... #1 Caesar #2 Augustus #3 Cato Major #4 Hadrianus #5 Scipio Africanus Not a bad little game really but a little bit more info on the selections would have been nice.

Here it is in it's full glory..... http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...si&img=1659. Thanks for the translation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CECIL !! Have a good one mate!

I found this in Johnston's Private Life of the Romans

Tribuni Cohortium.

Yah, you wouldn't know whether some perve might've just wandered into the theater and was now sitting in the shadows behind you, about to shoot spunk on the back of your head. (There's a nice Valentine's Day mental image for your dreams nightmares.) -- Nephele Classy Neph very classy!

I think you might appreciate then Ursus. Enjoy!!

What did they do on the battlefield then?????......... Prod the enemy to death!!!

I agree that would be a great film and a great title. I don't know about that, if they used Colleen Mcullough's potrayal of Sulla in the "Masters of Rome" series then I think the viewers would warm to him, he was my favorite character in the first few books. I'd also like to see a movie about Quintus Sertorius and his rebellion against Rome. Also a movie about the Catilline Conspiracy (probably with that as the title) would make good viewing too.

I came across THIS but remember to take into account the NOTE that is posted at the bottom of the screen........

I suppose there could be a very minimal chance of Gaulish descent but I doubt it very much (and I suppose we'll never know either) , Picenum had been a colony of Rome since it was conquered by them in 286 B.C. So by the time the Pompeia gens came to prominance they were most cetainly Italian. HERE'S a family tree of Pompey, it only goes back two generations but I suspect thats as far as anybody knows, Plutarch's Life of Pompey also gives no mention of his descent either.

You could always chop their thumbs off so the were unable to hold a gladius! Making them pretty useless as soldiers. Roman fathers had been known to do this to stop their son's having to serve in the legions. Might be a little bit to drastic for your story though

Just out of interest, How big a problem was rainfall in ancient Rome? I know the Mediterranean is usually a dry, warm climate in the summer months but what about the winter months, was rain a regular occurrence back then or not. Is there any statistics or sources mentioning rainfall in ancient Rome?

When not in my house on the palatine hill I'd probably spend most of my time at my villa in Stabiae over looking the bay of Naples. (pre Vesuvius obviously!!)