Nephele

I reviewed the Adkins book here: http://www.unrv.com/book-review/handbook-ancient-rome.php They also have a companion volume on Ancient Greece. Just now ordered the book on Ancient Greece, as well. I see you've also included the Adkins books in a couple of your Quintus Libri lists. Great recommendations. -- Nephele

Whitewolf, you didn't say whether you are male or female. I'll presume you're female. You were brought to Rome as an educated Greek slave, and put in charge of your master's children. Your master fancifully named you "Amalthea" -- after the foster-mother of Zeus in Greek myth. When you were given your freedom by your master, you took a feminine equivalent of his nomen gentilicium for your own name (as was customary). This gave you the additional name of "Sestia," your master being Lucius Sestius Quirinalis Albinianus, that distinguished suffect consul and friend of Horace. Your former master is now your patron, and his children (who are a bit older now and no longer requiring a nursemaid) still affectionately call you their "Amalthea." Your full Roman name is: Sestia Amalthea = alaatamswehnse -wn +ti -- Nephele

I was wondering how Frutex might be enjoying the winter holiday. Did you place a festive garland of ivy on him? And, if your friends need Roman names for the Saturnalia, I'll be happy to oblige. Hister the Lanista, glad you liked. (I can't get your rhyming name out of my head now!) -- Nephele

Thank you, not just for this list, but also for the Adkins books references. I don't believe I have them in my library, but I'll be adding them today! EDIT: Just noticed that you have "23. Larentalia, A funeral festival to an obscure god by name of Acca Larentia." I think you might want to change "obscure god" to "obscure goddess." In Bell's Women of Classical Mythology Acca Larentia or Laurentia is described as: "a rather obscure Roman goddess sometimes identified with Luperca, the wife of Lupercus, who in the shape of a she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus. She was the wife of Faustulus, the royal shepherd of Amulius who found Romulus and Remus as they were being nursed by the wolf and carried them to his wife to be brought up... The day sacred to her also followed the one sacred to the Lares." -- Nephele

Lanista, you belong to the Duellia Gens (an alternate rendering of the Duillia or Duilia Gens. Though plebeian, your family has produced magistrates of note. Your cognomen of "Hister" comes from the Roman name for the lower part of what is today known as the Danube River, describing a dangerous, uncontrollable individual, in that the strong eddies of this part of the river made it dangerous to navigate. Your praenomen of "Flavius" (abbreviated as "Fl.") was originally a nomen gentilicium that was adopted as a praenomen by the Imperial family. You are living in a much later period of Roman history, when this name was not unknown as a praenomen among the citizenry. Your full Roman name is: Fl. Duellius Hister = Russell Whitfield -w +u (Your peers have given you the catchy name of: "Hister the Lanista".) Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

I see that Michael Hart's list includes my suggestion (earlier in this topic) of Queen Elizabeth I, and also that Hart gives honorable mention to Marie Curie (whom I also suggested). Other women who received honorable mention on Hart's list are: Susan B. Anthony Betty Friedan Joan of Arc The Virgin Mary Maria Montessori Mary Wollstonecraft I'm nevertheless astounded that Hart -- or any historian compiling a list of influential people -- wouldn't have at least given honorable mention to Ayn Rand and (as MPC suggested) Harriet Beecher Stowe. -- Nephele

Hope this helps... Smith gives references for the Portunalia (see first paragraph of scanned page at this link). Seyffert references the Mamuralia (see the entry "Ancile" on the scanned page at this link). In addition, Smith includes an entry for a festival called the Larentalia, celebrated on December 10th in honor of Acca Larentia. Ovid, too, in his Fasti (Book III, lines 57-58) mentions the Larentalia: "Your honour will find its place when I come to tell of the Larentalia; that festival falls in December, the month dear to the mirthful spirits." (translation by Frazer). -- Nephele

I'm rather taken aback that (unless I missed other names) there is only one woman represented on your list -- Queen Isabella -- and she's listed in conjunction with her husband. Granted, fewer women than men have had influence on world affairs throughout history. But there nevertheless have been women who have broken the mould and had their voices heard. Whether or not you agree with and/or support the goals, views, etc. of the following, these are nevertheless women of influence whom you might add to your list: Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) - for 45 years the reigning monarch of a world power. Clara Barton (1821-1912) - founder of the American Red Cross, which today provides humanitarian services on an international level. Marie Curie (1867-1934) - termed "The Mother of Modern Physics," she pioneered research in radioactivity and was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize (she received two, in fact). Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) - considered "The Mother of Modern Dance," she established dance schools in Germany and France and toured extensively with her troupe of young dancers, as well as individually, reviving an ancient Greek aesthetic. Ayn Rand (1905-1982) - her philosophy of Objectivism continues on well after her death, through her novels and other writings which have been translated into many languages. Marjane Satrapi (1969- ) - through her internationally acclaimed, autobiographical, graphic novels, she has become a spokesperson for Iranian women and a campaigner against totalitarianism. Earlier this year, the film adaptation of her novel, Persepolis, won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969- ) - scriptwriter of the controversial short film Submission (a critical statement about the treatment of women under Islamic rule), and freedom of speech advocate, she is currently under a death threat from Islamic extremists and living in hiding. This past September she was guest speaker at the Atheist Alliance International convention (with bodyguards, metal detectors, and a bomb-sniffing dog as security). An urgent appeal has been made by author Sam Harris for contributions to a private trust dedicated to financing her security. I could have added more, but these are starters. Anyone else here care to add to this list? EDIT: Although the last two on my list perhaps aren't yet officially a part of "history," still being alive as they are, they are nevertheless making history through their international influence. -- Nephele

Great resource, Ursus! Did you also want to include the Mamuralia and the Portunalia in your listing? "Under the month of March the rustic calendars record 'a sacred rite in honour of Mamurius' (Sacrum Mamurio), and under March 14 the calendar of Philocalus records the Mamuralia, that is, the festival of Mamurius." On this day "Mamurius Veturius" ("the Old Mars") was represented by a man wrapped up in goatskins who was driven out of Rome, symbolizing the "getting rid of the withered vegetation of the old year; for Mars...was originally a deity of vegetation as well as of war." (ref. James G. Frazer in the appendix to his translation of Ovid, Fasti.) "A festival called the Portunalia was held in [the god Portunus'] honour on the seventeenth of August; it is mentioned in many ancient calendars, of which three (the Amiternine, the Valensian, and the Allifanine) add a note explaining that the Portunalia was a festival celebrated in honour of Portunus at the Aemilian bridge." (ref. Frazer.) -- Nephele

The initial poster to this thread said nothing at all about "enemy soldiers captured in battle" (although he may have implied that -- or you may have merely inferred that). But what he did ask, was about prisoners -- specifically prisoners of high rank -- and how they might be treated. Hostages are prisoners. However, enemy soldiers (of rank or otherwise) captured in battle could conceivably become hostages, too. M. James Moscovich of the University of Western Ontario wrote an article titled "Obsidibus Traditis: Hostages in Caesar's De Bello Gallico" for The Classical Journal (Dec. 1979/Jan. 1980 issue), in which he appeared to differentiate between "formal hostages" -- those "submitted in connection with a peace agreement or sent voluntarily to the Romans" -- and the numerous hostages submitted in conjunction with battlefield surrenders who were not sent to Rome but who were instead maintained at what sounds very much like our modern-day prisoner-of-war camps -- the Aeduan fortress, Noviodunum, "a central depot where hostages could be sent for extended periods." Moscovich refers to the 19th century historian, Max Eichheim ("one of Caesar's most colorful critics"), stating: "We cannot even approximate the total number of hostages taken by Caesar during the Gallic campaigns. The largest number in any single instance reported is 600." -- Nephele

Hi, Whitewolf. Male or female? -- Nephele

Welcome, Whitewolf! Glad this site is helping you out with your novel. There's a lot of information to be found here. See you around the fora. -- Nephele

Beautiful pendant. All your craftwork is awesome. -- Nephele

Didn't the Romans keep hostages, as well, as a (not always effective) assurance of peace? While Caesar kept numerous European tribal hostages in prison-like conditions, it was my understanding that the Imperial family would raise and educate, along with their own children, the sons of leaders of eastern nations who might otherwise pose problems to Rome. Weren't the sons and, later, the grandson of Herod the Great such hostages? -- Nephele

Paging Nephele ... you have a call on line 1. What's in a name? That which we call a nose By any other name would smell your feet. -- Nephele P.S. I'm surprised, G-Man, that you didn't request your vampire name over at Gothic Seinfeld. That one was for you.

You'll find a previous (and quite lengthy) discussion by UNRV members concerning Caligula's mental state at this topic: What Made Caligula Crazy?. This discussion includes possible reasons for Caligula's mental condition, ranging from Suetonius' account of Caligula's wife having inadvertently poisoned him with a defective love potion, to a History Channel discussion on Caligula possibly having been traumatized by what he had seen Tiberius do to Caligula's own family, to lead poisoning from Rome's water supply being the cause of Caligula's troubles... To the simplest (and perhaps most likely) reason being that Caligula was merely enjoying the absolute power he had in the most unrestrained and self-indulgent manner imaginable -- to which he was entitled as emperor. -- Nephele

I've always thought that the name "Ariana," besides being a lovely name, would be especially appropriate for a girl who happened to have been conceived during the week of the Saturnalia. Because the word "Saturnalia" anagrams into "Ariana Lust." -- Nephele

I found an article by Professor R.W. Davies titled "The Roman Military Diet" (published in Britannia, 1971, by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies) which answers your question: "Was there any special thing [the legions] did, or was it 'just another day'?" Davies wrote that, above and beyond the basic diet provided to the legions, "a greater variety of food was available and would be distributed on the special days of celebration in the military calendar; an extra deduction was made to cover the cost of the special camp dinners during the Saturnalia." It hardly seems a holiday "gift" to the soldiers, though, as this extra deduction (called the saturnalicium kastrense) for these special camp dinners was taken out of the soldiers' pay. -- Nephele

Hahahahaha! I've seen other things like this at Jib-Jab, but this one is one of the best. I've got to download some pics now. "Honey, doncha know me?" "Who the hell are you?" -- Nephele

Welcome, Ti. Horatius Barbatus! (And a belated welcome to Melvadius, too). -- Nephele

You're welcome, joyfulpuck. I see you figured out how the profile thingy works. -- Nephele

Great pics, DoL! SF -- what a fun place to be for the holidee! -- Nephele

Well, I'll be watching my old holiday favorite on DVD again next weekend: Rosemary's Baby. I always get a little warm in my heart, during the New Year's Eve party scene when Roman Castevet toasts: "To 1966, the Year One." (Rosemary's anagramming with the Scrabble tiles gets me excited, too.) -- Nephele

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Leave you troubles outside! So - life is disappointing? Forget it! We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful... The girls are beautiful... Even the orchestra is beautiful! Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret! Cool viddie. -- Nephele

Welcome back! -- Nephele