Nephele

If he was anything like his namesake... I'm sure he bribed plenty of people to vote for him Speaking of bribes...Here's one... Ingsoc recently posted those pics in this thread: Roman Campaign Slogans. What an odd choice of name for a modern-day politician. To quote Gertrude Stein: "Affectations can be dangerous." -- Nephele

Seems to me that Scott took the name and made up the bulk of the story. I managed to find this: What do we know about Marcus Nonius Macrinus? Basically, the article states that not that much is known about Macrinus, and the little that is known comes from epigraphic sources. Which would explain why the movie Gladiator (which I thought was maudlin) was such a stretch. -- Nephele

It's a pretty comprehensive collection, including not only short stories by well-known Roman-mystery writers, but also one anonymously written short story ("The Missing Centurion") dug out of the February 1966 issue of the Edgar Wallace Mystery Magazine, and purported to have first been published in 1862. All in all, the anthology serves as an excellent introduction to various writers of the genre. Caroline Lawrence has a short story in this anthology, as well. -- Nephele

Chalk up yet another book I've just added to my Amazon preorder list. Maty, can you give us a few more quick peeks into this latest one of yours? -- Nephele

In the very first chapter you have the shockingly violent scene of Cicero's head and hands being nailed to the Rostra? (Or, now, the head impaled with the hands affixed.) What a clever way to draw in those readers who will be wondering "Why was such a horrible thing done to Cicero?" -- and keep them turning those pages for more. -- Nephele

This reminds me of a short story I read -- "Caveat Emptor" by Rosemary Rowe, in the anthology The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits. The fact that the Roman hours varied according to the time of year was a key plot point in this mystery solved by Rowe's ancient-day detective, Libertus the freedman. -- Nephele

I'm sure our German-speaking members will get a better sense of the website, but going through the Google translation into English was entertaining: Dear Lipper and Lipper, as your MP for lip in the German Bundestag, I am pleased about my new job and see it as a challenge, to support you and your interests in Berlin to represent the best possible way. But first a warm welcome to my web pages. Here you will be continuously on my work as a Bundestag deputy, federal policy on regional issues and informed. I am happy to take your suggestions and desires and you also stand for personal interviews available. I would be delighted if you made use of them. In conflict with the many interests that we human beings in different areas of life and work nowadays, it is not always easy for all to make everything right. This is certainly not the goal of policy. Be sure always sure that the man at the center of my thinking and action is. On a good togetherness pleased connected with my best regards Their [signature of Cajus Caesar] Cajus Caesar Member of the German Bundestag. Also, from other Google-translated pages, I was able to ascertain that Mr. Caesar, a true Romanophile, was somehow connected with sponsoring a special postage stamp, to be released next year, commemorating the anniversary of the Varus Battle. Caesar also appears to be in favor of government-funded day care for mothers of small children. -- Nephele

Some of these were great, and this one's my favorite: I ask you to elect Marcus Cerrinius Vatia the aedileship. All the late drinkers support him. Florus and Fructus wrote this. Debates, shmebates. Give me a candidate that the late drinkers like! -- Nephele

I'm assuming you referring to page 399 in Broughton's The magistrates of the Roman Republic, if so please note that you listed the consuls of 36 BC while the mysterious M. Porcius Cato was a consul suffectus in 36 AD. D'uh! Oops and sorry! *blushes* -- Nephele

That's rather surprising. I checked my copy of Broughton's Magistrates and Broughton gives for the year 36 the two Consuls L. Gellius Publicola and M. Cocceius Nerva, and the two Consules Suffecti L. Nonius Asprenas and a Marcius (no praenomen or cognomen given). Broughton cites (for the Consules Suffecti) three different fasti as references. Ingsoc, confirming your own research on the Porcii, Broughton also lists (with accompanying source references) that same M. Porcius Cato, whom you found, who served in 42 BCE as "an officer under Brutus and Cassius who perished at Philippi." -- Nephele

Thanks for those pics, Ingsoc! So... Catchy political slogans weren't really used to persuade voters, but rather gifts were of the essence. This reminds me of the gift food baskets that modern-day businesses send to potential clients, especially around the holidays. And, considering that the ancient Romans made great use of their patronage system, I can see the parallel here. -- Nephele

With the U.S. Presidential election approaching, I started wondering whether the Republican era Romans used campaign slogans to the extent that our politicians do? Can anyone here provide any ancient graffiti depicting ancient Roman campaign slogans? I presume that the ancient Romans might have been puzzled by the emphasis that our modern-day politicians place on certain issues, such as George W. Bush's campaign slogan of 2000: "Leave No Child Behind." So I'm particularly interested in what issues might have been of relevance to the ancient Romans -- and if a use for campaign slogans even factored into these ancient elections at all. -- Nephele

Hahahaha! Yah, long before becoming a Pastafarian, I was a proselytizer for the Church of the SubGenius and dedicated to the enlightened pursuit of Total Slack. -- Nephele

Which "tv expert psychiatrist" would that be? Dr. Phil? -- Nephele

I don't think people can easily be divided into "four management styles," and I'm suspicious of people who make their living as "key speakers" on "inter-personal dynamics." Pop psychology personality tests can be fun -- when one takes them with friends or for one's own amusement. However, there's something perfidious in one's employer (or school or government) playing around with such tests, with the intention of conveniently labeling the employee (or student or citizen) for future note. But if I have to give up my "management style," then I'll do so on my own terms. And, this is my style: 5) The Skeptic. Suspicious of extraordinary claims. Insists that assertions be backed up with documentation. Contemptuous of time-wasting meetings and self-promotion. Possesses zero tolerance for drama in the workplace. Not interested in others' checklists, long hours, robot-like focus, "nurturing," office pep, or any other personality quirks, as long as the job gets done. Dynamics: Skeptic - Executive. Moderate friction. Being goal-oriented is good, and the Skeptic can appreciate the Executive's desire to get the job done on time. However, Skeptics are naturally suspicious of "over-achievers." Skeptic - Salesman. Major friction. Don't try to "sell" a Skeptic anything -- least of all yourself. Skeptic - Caregiver. Major friction. Skeptics have no patience for the Caregiver's "subjective values." Skeptic - Analyst. Minimal friction. While Skeptics admire an analytical nature and can appreciate the Analyst's desire to get the job done right, Skeptics also know deep down inside that the Analyst's numbers and statistics can be manipulated. -- Nephele

Birthday hails to a grand lady, within whose actual name can (most appropriately!) be found the name of the Muse of History. (Anagramming reveals many truths!) -- Nephele

Hahahaha! I think that must've been the name of Hanius Solo's ship in Bellum Stellae. -- Nephele

Thanks for the heads-up, Kosmo, but.... I registered and excitedly selected one article ("The Marriage Alliance in the Roman Elite," Dixon, Journal of Family History, 1985) that I really, really, really wanted to read, and here is the message I got: "The content you are trying to access was published before 1999 and therefore is not included in the October Free Online Access Period for which you have registered. This item requires a subscription to Journal of Family History Online." Dammit. -- Nephele

You may want to check out Maty's book: Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day. Although the information pertains to Rome in 200 C.E., I don't think that travel by sea would have changed that much from the time in which you're basing your novel. In the first chapter ("Getting There") Maty provides a nifty chart of "Minimum Times for a Sea Voyage," including various destinations (Africa to Ostia, Alexandria to Messina in Sicily, etc.), the miles involved, and the number of days it would take to get from point A to point B via a merchant ship carrying passengers. Maty also mentions the time of year during which such voyages might take place, as well as the time of year during which "no sane captain" would sail. I presume a warship would have been faster and, while I don't remember a comparison between travel by warship and travel by merchant ship in Maty's book, I think you'll nevertheless get a lot of information out of it for your research. -- Nephele

PP, I figured if you couldn't find documentation attributing that quote to Cicero, then it's very likely that was a fake quote. The excerpt I provided from Boller & George's book was just back-up. -- Nephele

As with many things circulating in e-mail, etc., the origins are suspect. The following is taken from the book They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions, by Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George: Cicero, Marcus Tullius (106-43 B.C.) BUDGET-BALANCING QUOTE "The budget should be balanced. The Treasury should be filled. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officials should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest we ourselves should become bankrupt. The people should be forced to work and not depend on government subsistence." In an editorial on January 15, 1986, the Kansas City Star quoted Cicero at length to bolster its own views about government spending. But the editor gave no source for his quotation and, when pressed to do so by skeptics, was unable to come up with any documentation. The Cicero statement sounds more like a disgruntled American critic of the welfare state than the Roman statesman. -- Nephele

Congratulations on the latest book, Maty! I've already signed up for notification from Amazon U.S. for when the book becomes available over here. -- Nephele

Aventijn, you are the son of Publius Orbius who served as Praetor in 65 BCE, and Governor in Asia in 64 BCE. As such, you bear your father's nomen gentilicium of "Orbius." Your victory cognomen of "Belgicus" was earned by you on the battlefield, for you fought the ferocious Belgae in the north of Gaul (Gallia Belgica). Your praenomen is "Tiberius," customarily abbreviated as "Ti." Your full Roman name is: Ti. Orbius Belgicus = ujbtobriskislhge -jkh +icu Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Hahahaha! Nice punning on Mc-cane/McCain! But if you're asking me how I would Latinize his name, you must know I'm going to go for a triple-letter blanagram, such as... John McCain -jhn +ius = "Comicanus" From the moment he chose "Gubernatrix (prope Russia) Palina" as his running mate, I could no longer take him seriously but can now only view him as "Comicanus." -- Nephele

I think the titles "barracuda borealis" and "Ferox Puella" are waaaay too cool for the likes of Sarah Palin. But I thought the rendering of "Troopergate" into "Centurionem-Gate" was clever. -- Nephele