Nephele

Great review, Ursus. Congrats on the new book, Maty. And -- thanks, Maty, for answering my question in the interview! -- Nephele

I read Vicki Le

Perhaps they are taking the term stimulus package far too literally? *Falls off chair* -- Nephele

LOL. What % of Americans pay no Federal taxes at all? I think I heard it was nearly 40%. Oh gee, this makes me feel even better about our government's largess. Now I know that all my own freakin' money that I'm NOT getting back from the government will be going to folks who don't pay taxes at all. Most of whom will be buying adult toys (wheeee!) on my hard-earned sestercii. Crap. -- Nephele

I can't help but be somewhat bitterly amused by the fact that my government is making a "gift" to me of my own money -- and not anywhere near as much as my government already took from me this past year. What will I do with this "free money"? What I would have done with it before the government coerced it out of me. Which is put it BACK into my bank account and draw on it at my own discretion, as my needs and inclinations dictate. -- Nephele

Yes, my interest in prosopography of the ancient Romans has grown out of my interest in onomastics, as names and families (Nomina et Gentes) go hand-in-hand. Friedrich Munzer, author of Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families (whose exciting book I've added to my collection of favorites on the subject) was an especially noteworthy prosopographist. Sadly, his career (and life) was ended by the Nazis. -- Nephele

That tartan strapless gown makes you look totally Brave-hot. -- Nephele

I'm not really as much into that period of Roman history as I am into the earlier periods, but I also got the impression that something was missing from the Constantine episode. I'm pretty certain I remember reading that Constantine's Christian convert mother was a huge influence on Constantine, as far as his policies towards Christians went. Have I got this correct? But there was absolutely no mention at all of Constantine's mother in this episode. -- Nephele

There were a lot of Julian magistrates during the Republic with the cognomen of "Caesar," but there were other cognomina, too. I'm currently working on the Valerii, but I'll turn my attention to the Iulii soon. Thanks for your interest! -- Nephele

Taphoi, you belong to the Maenia gens, a plebeian gens noted for having "produced several distinguished champions of the rights of the plebeian order." Your cognomen of "Gracchelus" is a diminutive of "Gracchus," meaning "jackdaw" (a small species of raven). Your praenomen is "Decimus" (abbreviated as "D."). Your full Roman name is: D. Maenius Gracchelus = aglwaheecdnriuchmg -ghw +uss Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Post us some more pics of your metalsmith work, and jewelry! Also, I want to see a pic of your Brighid shrine! -- Nephele

Spittle, perhaps you might also feel an empathy with Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice." It's actually my favorite Frost poem, as it has a twist of irony in it. It was written long before the term "global warming" became a buzzword for mankind's doom, and yet here the words "fire" and "ice" suggest that perhaps our greatest concern regarding the safety of the planet should be with each other, and not the environment. FIRE AND ICE by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

Harry Tuttle, since you didn't give me a middle name, I tried to see what I could get out of your short name as it stood. I don't know if you're still around, but here you go. Your praenomen is "Titus" (abbreviated as "T."). Your signum is "Literratus," meaning "learned, liberally educated." Your full Roman name is: T. Literratus = HrtylTrtuae -hy +is Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Nobody can be depressed when faced with a cryptogram to solve! http://www.cryptograms.org Have fun! -- Nephele

Try anagramming. I challenge you to see how many gods and goddesses you can get out of your name. -- Nephele

In his article on the Claudia Gens for Smith's Dictionary, Professor Charles Peter Mason quotes Niebuhr describing the house of the Claudii as having produced "hardly a single noble-minded one. In all ages it distinguished itself alike by a spirit of haughty defiance, disdain for the laws and iron hardness of heart." Mason also goes on to state that no patrician Claudii of the Republic ever adopted anyone of another gens. Whether or not this is another example of haughtiness I couldn't say, but the statement is borne out by the fact that there are no adoptive cognomina for the Republican Claudii included on my Surnames of the Claudii listing above, as such could not be found in Broughton's Magistrates. Ursus, thanks for mentioning Maty's book on the Julio-Claudian dynasty. I'll have to order that one for my public library. -- Nephele

I think you might find a reference by Seneca to being "parboiled" in a bath, in Letter 86 of Seneca's letters to Lucilius. But I can't locate an online translation. And perhaps Seneca might have been exaggerating, as he took a dim view of the luxury of baths, being a stoic as he was. -- Nephele

I don't know whether we can ever know the precise temperature of the baths of the ancient Romans, but we do know that the Romans described their bathwater in (translated) general terms of "cold," "warm," "hot," and "tepid," and that the Romans moved from one temperature to another in their bathing rituals. For an ancient source description of a sumptuous private bath, describing the different rooms with water of varying temperature, we have Pliny the Younger's letter to his friend, Gallus (Book XVII of Pliny's collected letters), describing Pliny's villa at Laurentium (17 miles outside of Rome): "To this apartment another ante-room is joined by one common wall. From thence you enter into the wide and spacious cooling-room belonging to the bath, from the opposite walls of which two curved basins are thrown out, so to speak; which are more than large enough if you consider that the sea is close at hand. Adjacent to this is the anointing-room, then the sweating-room, and beyond that the bath-heating room: adjoining are two other little bath-rooms, elegantly rather than sumptuously fitted up: annexed to them is a warm bath of wonderful construction, in which one can swim and take a view of the sea at the same time." -- Nephele

Okay. So I bought the DVD set and I've been watching this series. To its credit, it's an entertaining costume drama. I think maybe that's the best that can be said for it, though. Just this evening I finished watching the episode about Tiberius Gracchus. Um... Weren't there two famous Gracchi brothers? Of course there were. But, from watching this episode, one gets the impression that Tiberius was an only child. We see Tiberius campaigning for the office of Tribune, and we see him going out amongst the common folk of Rome, conversing with the populace and just brimming over with political conviviality... So I say to my man (who was watching this with me): "Well, at least they don't depict Tiberius, the campaigning politician, kissing a baby. Because that would be really corny." But almost just as I'm saying this... we next see a Roman woman hand over her spawn to Tiberius, who lovingly cradles it in his arms, smiles, and then he (aaaaargggh!) kisses the baby. Ohhhhhh my gawds. -- Nephele

I agree. I have a friend who teaches several grades of Latin in her public school system, and she prepares her own creative and innovative lessons, making them fun. Her public school students have excelled on a national level (competing against private school students), and this year one of her students will be the National Junior Classical League president for her state. Two more of her students will be serving as the corresponding and recording secretaries for their state's chapter. Last year her students won a total of 75 ribbons in Latin competitions, as well as 41 National Latin Exam awards and 6 National Mythology awards. My Latin teacher friend isn't an exception when it comes to public school teachers -- I know a creative NYC science teacher and several creative teachers in my own semi-rural school district who strive for excellence in the classroom and achieve outstanding results. When I ask my teacher friends what they think is the biggest problem for their schools, surprisingly, it is not a need for more money that they tell me. What they tell me is that State mandates and continually increasing Federal involvement (such as Bush's "No Child Left Behind" Act) create the greatest problems. Yes, there are public schools that are failing, but there are also public schools that are succeeding. I know that the schools in my district are succeeding because the people of my community are actively involved. So am I, and I don't have children of my own. I'm involved in more ways than merely paying taxes -- and if I wasn't taxed I would pay voluntarily for public education. It's not just parents who need to get involved more in the public schools -- it's all of us. The education of this youngest generation is an investment in everybody's future. -- Nephele

"My favorite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September' because it actually tells you something." -- Groucho Marx

The Law for the Wolves by Rudyard Kipling Now this is the law of the jungle, As old and as true as the sky, And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, But the wolf that shall break it must die.

Oh, WOW! I knew there was something about that artwork I liked! I checked out the site, and now I've got to go buy The Joke's Over. Thanks, Moon! -- Nephele

Hi, Harry. That's not a lot of letters to work with. Do you have a middle name you can add in your scramble? -- Nephele