Nephele

For a blast from the past: topics which may address some of your questions (and which include links to other sources): Greek Fire, Did It Exist? Greek Fire vs Napalm -- Nephele

- Daughter Tertia (she's the third child, but also the third daughter, as two daughters before her have died as babies or little children) I don't believe your Tertia would still be called "Tertia" if there were no longer any living "Prima" and "Secunda" in the family, particularly if the sisters born before Tertia didn't survive infancy long enough for any distinguishing names for them to have mattered. These feminine numerical names were used to distinguish living sisters by order of birth -- they weren't really formal "given names". - Business man Marcellus Vinicius Marius (who is in love with Tertia) Try changing "Marcellus" to the praenomen "Marcus". Also, "Marius" is a nomen gentilicium -- not a cognomen. I would suggest you change that, too. - His elder brother Primus I suggest you change the elder brother's praenomen as well, from "Primus". Although you could possibly get away with using "Primus" as his praenomen, considering the time period of your story. Just bear in mind that "Primus" was never used as a praenomen until after the time of the Republic, and your story is set only about a century after the time of the Republic. - Their elder half-brother Publius Vinicius Sergius You'll have to supply a plausible reason for why the elder half-brother doesn't possess the same nomen gentilicium and cognomen as his younger half-brother, if they have the same father. Also, Sergius isn't really a cognomen. - Helvia's brother Falcus (or should it be Falco?) Yes, Falco. - Arius' girlfriend A

Birthday hails to you, o noble one! *Nephele scatters rose petals in the path of Viggen's golden chariot (trying not to startle the horses)* Have a cool day! -- Nephele

I enjoyed I, Claudius immensely, too, and have probably watched it now more than a dozen times through. But last year I was introduced to The Caesars, a black & white production that pre-dated I, Claudius, and I found it absolutely outstanding. Tiberius isn't quite the monster in The Caesars as he winds up becoming in I, Claudius and, interestingly, the same actor who plays Tiberius' sidekick astrologer appears in the same role in both productions. The Caligula of The Caesars is a truly frightening, calculating piece of work. (I'm sorry, but John Hurt's Caligula in I, Claudius just seemed nuts, to me.) Freddie Jones, although perhaps not as endearing as Derek Jacobi in his I, Claudius role, nevertheless made a brilliant Claudius in The Caesars. The Caesars definitely gets my recommendation. -- Nephele As a postscript... That wonderful actor who played the role of Thrasyllus, the understandably nervous and rather beleaguered astrologer to Tiberius, in both the 1969 series The Caesars and the 1976 series I, Claudius, died earlier this year. Rest in peace, Kevin Stoney. -- Nephele

Jealous of what? But you've missed your opportunity, Augusta, with that inspiring "Caesar's proclivities" line: I don't want to be Caesar, please, Nor obsessed with his proclivities. For I have gazed (with eyebrow raised) On that sexy black toga of MPC's... I mean the original MPC, of course. I'm not quite certain whether our MPC wears a fetish toga...? -- Nephele

Apologies to any Caesar fans whom I may have offended, but my geekiness could not be contained when presented with the opportunity to add poetry lines with smutty references decipherable by fellow Roman history geeks. -- Nephele

To get, from Nicomedes, STDs Good. Maybe Looking for a Bithynian to tease (It sure wasn't Bacchus, his thyrsus, would grease...) -- Nephele

To get, from Nicomedes, STDs -- Nephele

I'll say. Like... Who the heck is "L. Silvanius Florus"? He was my #2 in this game. Did they intend that to be Annaeus Florus, the historian? Can anybody here identify L. Silvanius Florus for me? -- Nephele

Claudius was my #1, and I take it to mean that no one really knows what the hell I'm thinking. #1 Claudius #2 L. Silvanius Florus (?) #3 Scipio Africanus #4 Cato Maior #5 Gaius Marius #6 Marcus Aurelius #7 Martialis (aw right!) #8 Seneca #9 Augustus #10 General Varus -- Nephele

Mmmm... Guuuumbohhhh. There used to be this Cajun chef on teevee years ago, named Justin Wilson. I was fascinated with his show -- not because I was into Cajun food (and certainly not because I'm any kind of cook), but just because I liked to hear him talk. He cracked me up. -- Nephele

When I see the word "docu-drama" (a lofty descriptive in the entertainment industry, if ever there was one) tacked onto any television presentation, I already know to expect dramatic license, speculation and, often, over-simplification. And so I'm rarely disappointed, as I keep in mind that the "drama" may outweigh the "docu." Yes. Best to derive one's entertainment from tee-vee, and one's history from books. And, historical nit-picking can be frequently entertaining. -- Nephele

Thank you, CS. Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus (consul of 322 BCE) may have been the first of the Fabii to bear the cognomen of "Maximus", as Livy relates in his History of Rome: "...and Fabius, both for the sake of concord, and at the same time to prevent the elections remaining in the hands of the lowest of the people, purged the rest of the tribes of all the rabble of the forum...And this procedure, we are told, gave such universal satisfaction, that...he obtained the surname of Maximus..." (Book IX, Chapter 49, Trans. D. Spillan and Cyrus Edmonds). But then, later on Livy also relates that it was a descendent of this previously named Fabius -- actually Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, five-time consul -- who first bore the cognomen of "Maximus": "The same year [203 BCE, the year of the curule aediles, M. Valerius Falto and M. Fabius Buteo] died Quintus Fabius Maximus [Verrucosus] at an advanced age, if, indeed, it be true that he was augur sixty-two years, which some historians relate. He was a man unquestionably worthy of the high surname which he bore, even had it begun with him." (Book XXX, Chapter 26, Trans. Cyrus Edmonds). Broughton indicates Rullianus rather than Verrucosus as being the first of the Republican-era magisterial Fabii to bear the cognomen of "Maximus." I'm not certain that the Fabii Maximii completely died out, although they did adopt sons from other gentes. The last of the Republican-era magisterial Fabii Maximi was Quintus Fabius Maximus, consul suffectus for a very brief period (three months, ending in his unexpected death) in 45 BCE. As for the "first adopted"... There's really no way to tell, as all we have to go on are the records of those Fabii who were significant enough to be noted down. Quintius Fabius Maximus Aemilianus appears to have been the first Republican-era magisterial Fabius to have been adopted into the Fabii from another gens. -- Nephele

It would be interesting to see the original script for this docu-drama, and how the vision of the scriptwriter (and consulting historians) may have been altered in the process of story development from written page to screen. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that such changes have been made. I have it on very good authority that the second season of Caroline Lawrence's Roman Mysteries (due to air on the BBC this summer) has a number of historical inaccuracies slipped in, which were certainly not Caroline's doing. Regardless, I still expect the next Roman Mysteries season to be entertaining, and likely to instill in young viewers a certain enthusiasm for ancient Rome -- perhaps even inspiring many of them to head to their local public libraries to find out more. And, of course, if there weren't at least a few historical inaccuracies in many of these teevee presentations such as HBO's Rome, BBC2's recent Spartacus, etc... well, then, bang goes your movie nitpickin' fun. -- Nephele

You're very welcome, dianamt54 (and everyone else in this thread). As for whether or not your hidden Roman name indicates that you are married to Lucius Hedius Rufus Lollianus Avitus, or that you are his concubine.... Well, that's up to you and your imagination. But Roman married women did not ordinarily change their names upon marriage as women in modern Western society tend to do, so you could still be the wife of Lollianus Avitus and have the name of "Ateria Decembrina." -- Nephele

I looked for an image of one of the ciggie packs. Okay, now I get it. At least the Constantine reference for the Pall Malls. -- Nephele

Thanks for that look into one of Rome's celebrated cults. I would have loved to have seen that festive procession, if I could go back in time. You mentioned the priests and ministers in the procession. Did they have higher status than the priestesses of Isis in the cult? -- Nephele

Well done! I'd give you a cookie, but anagrams are healthier. Have an anagram alias: Tammy Harlequin = Tranquil Mayhem -- Nephele

Nice to see you back in UNRV action again, Pertinax. You're annotating a book on re-created Roman furniture? Please tell us more about it! Sounds intriguing! -- Nephele

dianamt54, your sons are descended from a branch of the family of the consul of 144 CE, Lucius Hedius Rufus Lollianus Avitus, and so they both bear the nomen gentilicium of "Hedius". Their praenomina are Decimus and Vibius, abbreviated as "D." and "V." Their cognomina differ, as their father wished to have his sentiments regarding their birth expressed separately in each of their names. And so one bears the cognomen of "Exoratus" (meaning "wished for; prayed for") while the other bears the cognomen of "Donatius" (meaning "bestowed; given"). Their full Roman names are: D. Hedius Exoratus = deueodbkriaehtx -bek +uss and V. Hedius Donatius = dteidunahobviex -bex +uss -- Nephele

I haven't yet seen Ratatouille, but I'll give it a try since you recommend it. I saw Persepolis on opening day in NYC -- December 25th. The theater was packed, and the audience was obviously as moved as I was. I'd read all of Satrapi's graphic novels, and so I was really looking forward to this movie. I wasn't disappointed -- it was brilliant. -- Nephele

That's one I've been meaning to see. Although I figure that, while watching this movie, I'll be obsessively thinking of "101 Uses for a Compressed Air Cattle-gun." I was majorly pissed awf to see that the rat movie beat out Persepolis in the Academy Awards best animated movie category. -- Nephele

Have a great day, Don Tomaso! -- Nephele

Regarding Q. Fabius Maximus Eburnus (son of Q. Fabius Maximus Servilianus) on your listing above... This particular Fabius serves as another, rather ironic, example of why the Fabii were dying out. This Fabius put one of his sons to death as punishment for "unchastity." -- Nephele

Perhaps it's simply a matter of perception. They still produced several consulars in the post Punic War Republic, but they were so overwhelmingly dominant in th early period it just seems as if they declined with time. Of course, many of their early magistracies were in the pre-Plebeian eligibility era (4th and 5th centuries). That certainly might add to the perception. Interesting question though. Thanks, MPC and PP! As for the waning prominence of the Fabii after the Punic War... Yes, there were several consular Fabii after the time of the Punic War, but as you know (and Munzer explains) the aristocratic families were dying out, to the extent that there weren't enough adult males eligible for nomination every year as candidates for the highest magistracies. And this affected the influence of the families. This is why, by the end of the final Punic War, the Fabii adopted the eldest sons of other leading patrician families (see Aemilianus and Servilianus in my listing above.) It's interesting to note that Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (consul of 182 and 168 BCE) who gave his eldest son to the Fabii for adoption, also gave up his second son for adoption to the Cornelii Scipiones -- to the family of his sister. (See Aemilianus in my "Surnames of the Cornelii.") Munzer states that the three princely clans of the Fabii, Aemilii, and Cornelii thereby affirmed their unification, and that they considered the Servilii to be of equal birth. -- Nephele