Nephele

"Is it true that if I do something wrong, Gramps will go loco?" -- Louis Theroux "You're gonna eat your babies!!" -- Rev. Fred "Gramps" Phelps I figure that's why Gramps kept avoiding Louis' question regarding how many inbred children he had. Gramps ATE most of them. -- Nephele

The stolen pharoah hair was kind of funny, but this stuff makes me furious. As a U.S. tax-payer, those were MY National Archive documents! This guy stole from ME! I want to kick his heinie. -- Nephele

I didn't know that the Romans buried two virgins alive every year. I'm aware of the penalty for an erring Vestal, though, which involved being buried alive. G.O., can you direct me to more info on the sort of Roman virgin sacrifice you're talking about here? Thanks. -- Nephele

I did it in PM. Moonlapse took into consideration a suggestion I made, and fixed (within minutes!) a small bug I found. Just felt a need to say publicly: Moonlapse, your coolness is exceeded only by your brilliance. -- Nephele

AncientLibrary.com is back online again. -- Nephele

Dreary. Oh, wait. I'm in NY, too! -- Nephele

Yes, it was rather over the top -- to the extent where it was almost comical. (As far as Servilia was concerned.) -- Nephele

I have Graf

I wondered about those Google results, too. Is Leapfish.com a legitimate "domain name appraiser" (I'd never heard of such a thing before) -- or is it merely a company that's come up with a clever way of collecting domain names (as folks unwittingly enter them on the site) so that this company will know which active domain names to buy up quickly the moment they're due to expire, in order to sell back to the original owner at a jacked-up price? (I'm an awfully suspicious individual...) -- Nephele

Yes, about 70 miles from its Western end. Look on a map of England for a town on the North West coast called Barrow - In- Furness. My home, for better or worse! Found you on my road atlas! Oh, you're by the sea! It must be lovely. Your Isle of Walney looks like a mini-Long Island! -- Nephele

Thank you, NN. Actually, you can request a screen name change by sending a PM to Primus Pilus. I did, when I first signed on here, and I think a couple of others have made changes, as well. Heheh, I was pleased to work your blanagram so that you'd wind up in the gens Cornelii, as the name "Neil" is sometimes taken for a diminutive of "Cornelius". Also, your cognomen of "Hadrianus" pays tribute to the Emperor Hadrian who built that famous wall in the north of your country. Do you happen to live near Hadrian's Wall? -- Nephele

Perhaps they were hoping to clone Ramses as a living attraction for a Dynastic Park. Go figure the French. -- Nephele

No doubt a winning formula for the person in need of a free ride to paradise -- but a perversion of justice for those who might have been injured in life by the unconditionally forgiven (and perhaps a bit smug) adherent of Chrestus. I can imagine how such might have rankled those who chose to remain loyal to the deities they had always known and believed to govern the natural order. In fact, I can also imagine how ancient, god-fearing polytheists might have viewed the followers of Chrestus as being immoral -- having no fear of punishment in the afterlife for any wrong-doings on their part. Again, drawing an ironic parallel between the ancient world and the modern, atheists are mistakenly viewed by Christians today as being immoral for that very same reason. -- Nephele

Back again, Northern Neil, and I noticed that I'd already done your name in this thread awhile back. Though at the time, you'd only given me your middle and last names to work with, and I wasn't too happy with the results. Using your full name, however, you get a glorious Roman name! Your praenomen of Rufus (abbreviated with an "R") is often seen as a cognomen, and more rarely as a praenomen. You belong to the noble gens Cornelii, which fathered over 30% of all the consuls of the grand old Republic. Your cognomen of Hadrianus indicates that your family originally came from the ancient city of Hadria, in the region of Picenum in Italia, the same region that gave birth to the illustrious Pompey the Great. Your full Roman name is... R. Cornelius Hadrianus (Richard Neil Harrison -hnr +uus) -- Nephele

Zeke, you belong to the gens Babrinii, a family who helped to found the ancient town of Aquileia in northern Italia (two Babrinii, a Lucius and a Publius, are recorded on epitaphs found there). Your first name is Gnaeus (abbreviated with a "Cn."). Your cognomen of "Athictus" also belonged to the owner of a bar in Pompeii, noted for a humorously off-color graffito found to the right of the door. Your full Roman name is... Cn. Babrinius Athictus (Mrniat Cnyucha Sbustb -my +ii) ********************************************* Then have another! *************************************** Hi, Northern Neil! I'll be back later today with yours. -- Nephele

Hi, Zeke. While I understand what you're saying, I'm afraid I don't really see any concrete examples in what you wrote of Roman "atheists" adopting Christianity due to their finding that religion more appealing than atheism. Can you quote any ancient sources for me? And, yes, the bit of Tacitus that I quoted "doesn't record the sentiments of the country people towards Christianity" -- but then, I was responding only to your statement that the early Christians somehow found the cities "friendlier" to them. Not wishing to take this topic into a discussion of how modern-day atheists cope, as an atheist, myself, I do feel a need to respond to your statement that "even non-believers need something to feel like they are not alone in this universe." A disbelief in supernatural beings does not necessarily mean that the disbeliever feels that he or she is "alone in the universe". With no disrespect intended towards believers on this board, I can say that atheists find their contentment and fulfillment with real people in their lives. I'm also not really convinced that all of the pagan deities were entirely "the selfish human ones" (as contrasted to Christ) that you described. The Roman goddess Bona Dea (the Good Goddess) was (at least from my readings) a kindly and nurturing goddess, and also a patroness of slaves praying for their freedom. The fact that Rome's Christians did not believe in the existence of Bona Dea (or in any other deities of the State Religion), and instead found their solace in their Christ (which the Romans did not accept), contributed to the reasons why the early Christians were called "atheist" by the Romans. In an ironic parallel, today in the United States Christianity might be viewed as the State Religion, with atheists being generally regarded with the same suspicion and abhorrence with which Rome's early Christians were once regarded. To quote our President, G.W. Bush: "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." -- Nephele

If any UNRV members within a train's ride of Penn Station should decide to come to Manhattan for a day, there's a GREAT pub right in the terminal to have a meal and pint, then we could zip straight out on the subway and be at the Metropolitan Museum of Art within minutes. I HIGHLY recommend The Met as our venue, as April 20th the big event at the Met will be the reopening of the long-awaited, finally completed New Greek and Roman Galleries! From The Met website: "Essentially a "museum within the museum" for the Metropolitan's world-renowned collection of Hellenistic, Etruscan, South Italian, and Roman art, the new galleries will completely transform a space that was used for decades as the Museum's restaurant, but that was originally designed by the renowned architects McKim, Mead and White in 1912 as galleries for Roman art. "Its centerpiece is the spectacular Leon Levy and Shelby White Court, a monumental peristyle area for the display of Hellenistic and Roman art with a soaring two-story atrium. This colossal statue of the young Hercules, a lion skin draped over his arm, will be there, along with many other works, including our great Badminton sarcophagus, decorated with more than 40 figures

You're very welcome -- and, I guess this makes you a gladiator, too! -- Nephele

You nailed it. -- Nephele

Hi, Zeke. I'm curious -- do you have any examples to show how early Christianity might have been more appealing in some way to those who rejected all belief in gods, than to those who believed in some gods? By that reasoning, Judaism, another monotheistic faith, should have been equally appealing to Rome's "atheists". Additionally, while I don't debate that Christianity may have had its appeal for some "questing intellectuals" and even more "poverty stricken slaves", I find it difficult to accept that the cities prior to the 4th century C.E. presented "a more friendly" breeding environment for Christianity. A breeding environment, yes, I won't dispute that, as Rome was a breeding environment for a number of foreign cults. But if Tacitus, writing during the early 2nd century C.E., is to be taken into account, then Christianity appears to have endured a less than friendly "breeding environment" in Rome: "The deadly superstition having been checked for a while, began to break out again not only throughout Judea, where this mischief first arose but also at Rome, where from all sides all things scandalous and shameful meet and become fashionable." The fact that Tacitus said that Christianity was becoming "fashionable" doesn't necessarily indicate that it was also socially acceptable or viewed with friendliness by fashion-disdaining Romans. As for actual atheism in ancient Rome... I tend to think of atheism as more of a modern-day system of thought. Those writers quoted above didn't necessarily deny the existence of their gods, and quotes may be found showing that their disdain for religion was not inspired by actual disbelief. ("Temples and statues of the gods go to ruin, nor can the gods themselves prolong their date or get reprieve from fate." -- Lucretius) But a nice collection of quotes, nevertheless, Marcus Apathicus. -- Nephele

I've pretty much committed myself eventually to doing a review of Professor Davis' A Day in Old Rome, a long-time favorite book of mine which describes "what an intelligent person would have witnessed in Ancient Rome if by some legerdemain he had been translated to... the year 134." So, put me down as a Principate lover. -- Nephele

Under "Translations", I think spuckt

May 2nd is a full moon date -- an auspicious day! Okay, so I don't actually believe in auspicious days, but I persist in noting them as a harmless affectation. Cheers for our future PhD! -- Nephele

GJC, your third scramble worked best -- thanks for giving me three choices! And, again, welcome to UNRV! Your hidden Roman name reveals that you are related to a famous satirist, although your particular branch of the family was noted for being a bit squint-eyed. Your praenomen is "Marcus", abbreviated with an M., and your full Roman name is... M. Petronius Strabo (nbsptanrotebomsr -bn +iu) -- Nephele

Nephele takes a sniff of Zeke... Hrm.... Doesn't smell too simian, to me. In which case, I can bring on the dancing slave girls! Nephele claps her hands and the usual troupe appears, bearing a huge birthday cake that was hastily baked by Ursus. Like the mighty Aquilo, the North Wind, Zeke blows out his XVII candles with a single blast. Everybody applauds, discreetly wiping cake icing from their faces. Have a cool day, Zeke! -- Nephele