Nephele

"Another form of 'couching' was with a sharp metal probe that would be inserted, without anaesthetic through the edge of the iris, into the eye, and wiggled around to dislodge the cataract from the pupil." However did they manage to restrain the conscious and unanesthetized patient? And who would submit willingly to such a procedure? I think I'd rather go blind. -- Nephele

They did do worse. But I suppose we should at least be grateful that they didn't build an entire church inside the Colosseum, as had been planned. "The picture below shows the inner circle with the inscription and the cross put by Benedictus XIV. On two occasions (Pope Clemens X/Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Clemens XI/Carlo Fontana) the idea of erecting a church inside the Colosseum was considered: eventually during the pontificate of Clemens XI, fourteen stations of the Cross were built in memory of the Christian martyrs. They were re-erected in 1749, during the pontificate of Benedictus XIV, and pulled down in 1874 to allow the excavations of the arena. With the consecration to the Christian Martyrs, the Colosseum became the scene of many processions and religious ceremonies, in particular during the Holy Week. These ceremonies often excited the crowds and led to assaults against the Jews." From http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi33.htm -- Nephele

Yes, those who attempt to rationalize the religious practice of keeping kosher by explaining that the early Hebrews somehow knew about trichinosis and that's why pork was not sanctioned, seem to forget that chicken (a major ingredient in traditional Jewish cooking), can easily be contaminated with salmonella. What I'd like to know (in connection with Faustus' premise here) is: Why would we assume that these sacrificial animals came from the wild? Wasn't domesticated livestock mostly used for the purpose? -- Nephele

Colin, you are a member of the Terentia gens, a plebeian gens of literary distinction in having produced the writers Terence and Varro. Your cognomen of "Lictor" is a surname you acquired due to your profession of lictor, a public officer attending on the chief Roman magistrates. Your praenomen is "Numerius," traditionally abbreviated as "N." Your full Roman name is: N. Terentius Lictor = bceeilnnorrrtttu -nr +is Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Camilla Optima, you are a daughter of the senator (of 63 BCE) and consul suffectus (30 BCE) Lucius Saenius. As such, you bear your father's nomen gentilicium in the feminine form ("Saenia"). Your father generally refers to you as "Clementilla" -- a pet form of the Latin clementia, affectionately describing your gentle and kindly nature. You bear the additional cognomen of "Maior" to distinguish you from a younger cousin who also has the name of "Saenia Clementilla." Saenia Clementilla Maior = mlcaialjhretlohmsenjne -hhjj +aaii Welcome to UNRV! (Colin, I'll be back later with your Roman name.) -- Nephele

I think that it's more likely that these interpreted "signs" were manufactured by the ancient priesthoods to influence the common people in accordance with the wishes and desires of the ruling class. In Rome's case, at least until the year 254 BCE, the Pontifex Maximus was always a patrician. I find it impossible to believe that the instances of sacrificed animals discovered to have had no heart within them (a sure potent of evil among the Romans) were, in fact, genuine and not manufactured. I don't consider this so much evidence of superstitious backwardness, as I consider it evidence of sophisticated political savvy. -- Nephele

Welcome, Camilla Optima and Colin! Camilla, don't feel intimidated -- lots of folks here find this board a great place to learn while having fun. As long as you have a passion for ancient Rome, you'll find yourself in good company! Colin, is Camilla Optima your girlfriend? And that dig in Israel you've been to is something I'd like to hear more about! -- Nephele

What a wonderful, Romanophilic theme for Valentine's Day! And, continuing along this theme... There was more than one ancient Roman husband who was moved to express his undying love to his deceased wife in the form of an epitaph praising her virtues. The marble funerary altar of my own favorite resides in the Greek and Roman wing of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dedicated in the 1st century CE to Cominia Tyche, here is a translation of what was inscribed by her loving husband: "To the spirits of the dead. To the most saintly Cominia Tyche, his most chaste and loving wife, [from] Lucius Annius Festus. [she] died at the age of twenty-seven years, eleven months, twenty-eight days." And here is a picture I took of Cominia Tyche's profile: That remarkable profile of hers inspired me to write my own epitaph for her: Cominia Tyche This lady's husband mourned her When she died age twenty-seven; Her silhouette is at the Met -- Who nose if she's in heaven? -- Nephele

This should be of interest. The following (complete with ancient source references) is from the article titled LECTUS, by Dr. Leonhard Schmitz (19th century Rector of the High School of Edinburgh) for Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities: I'm retyping this here, as this is in the public domain: The beds of the Romans (lecti cubicidares) in the earlier periods of the republic were probably of the same description as those used in Greece; but towards the end of the republic and during the empire, when Asiatic luxuries were imported into Italy, the richness and magnificence of the beds of the wealthy Romans far surpassed everything we find described in Greece. The bedstead was generally rather high, so that persons entered the bed (scandere, ascenders) by means of steps placed beside it (scamnum, Varro, de Ling. Lat. v.168, M

Not everyone here reads the UNRV blogs, so I thought this deserved some attention here on the board. UNRV moderator, writer and reviewer Ursus has had his UNRV essay on Dionysus published in an anthology, available through Amazon.com: Written in Wine: A Devotional Anthology for Dionysos Way to go, Ursus! -- Nephele

Last movie I saw (in the theaters) was Cloverfield, which was a thrill ride. It had some fantastic special effects. click for movie trailer A great little bit of irony in this movie -- before the city-stomping monster hits New York, one of the main characters is celebrating his impending move to Japan. -- Nephele

Glad to see that your peripatetic wanderings have finally brought you back home to UNRV! What sights you've seen! The ruins were wonderful, and I'd also love to see more pictures of those carnevale costumes! Welcome back, Pertinax! -- Nephele

Thanks for the translation, Silentium! "...an infinite multitude of columns and white marbles, red plaster, polychromous mosaics, frames made of precious stones and sky-coloured lapis lazuli..." sounds beautiful, and magnificent. What I'd give for a time machine to go back and see this villa in all its original glory. -- Nephele

Thank you, CS. As for who's next... Probably the Fabii, the Republic's next most highly represented gens among the magistrates. -- Nephele

Beautiful body art! -- Nephele

The Valeria gens was third in producing the greatest number of magistrates for the Roman Republic, following the Cornelia gens (first) and the Claudia gens (second). As I did with my Surnames of the Cornelii and Surnames of the Claudii, I have attempted here to list and define the various surnames used by the Valerii of the Republic, particularly those who served in magisterial positions during the time of the Republic as noted in Broughton's Magistrates of the Roman Republic. For the purpose of this list, I have included cognomina and agnomina under the collective term of "surnames..." ...read the full article of Surnames of the Valerii

Epigram for Gaius Octavius What cogent postings would shoot from Your keyboard like a geyser, If, to comment, first you had To use a breathalyzer. -- Nephele

Birthday hails. -- Nephele

Still trying to figure out how I wound up in "combat boots." As in "your mother wears...?" -- Nephele

Well done! -- Nephele

That's been circulating in e-mail for a long time. -- Nephele

I found a discussion titled "Loukas Notaras' Wife" archived from the RootsWeb medieval genealogy message board, in which the following is stated by one researcher, regarding Anna Notara. From http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/GEN-M...3-05/1052056469 "Moreover, the Asanai used the surname 'Palaiologos', being descendants of a daughter of Michael VIII: this fact can explain satisfactorily why Anna Notara also used that surname, having inherited it from her mother." I haven't the inclination to read through every posting there, but if you have the time and inclination, perhaps you might be able to glean a bit more information regarding Anna Notara's ancestry, and then report back here. Here is the list of archived messages. You can scroll down (or, perhaps easier, use Control +F) to find all mentions of "Loukas Notaras." http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2003-05 -- Nephele

maryv, you are the daughter of a military tribune, Reginius Iustinus, who served at Camboglanna in Britannia and left for posterity an altar there which he had erected to Neptune, the god who is your family's special protector. You bear your father's nomen gentilicium, as your name of "Reginia" -- along with a special cognomen your father gave you, "Vera" (meaning "true"). You are further distinguished by the addition of "Minor" to your name, as you are the younger of your father's two daughters. Your full Roman name is: Reginia Vera Minor = nnmgeee rjvrraoay -ejy +iii Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Hey, Russ, can you post pictures of the event for us? I'm in New York, but if I were in England, I'd be sure to attend. Got to see those gladiatrices! Congratulations on a successful book launching! I raise a virtual glass of champagne in your honor! -- Nephele