Nephele

Additionally, both Etymology Online and Vicipaedia give some support for the claim of the name "Jersey" being a corruption of "Caesarea." From Etymology Online: "...said to be a corruption of L. Caesarea, the Roman name for the island, infl. by O.E. ey 'island;' but probably in fact a Viking name." From Vicipaedia: "Nova Caesarea est civitas Civitatum Foederatarum Americae." -- Nephele

That's a new one on me! I think you're right about the Romans having adopted very few western deities. I believe that Epona (the goddess-protectress of horses) is the only Celtic goddess to have been adopted by the Romans. If Lost_Warrior is around, she may be able to correct me on this, or verify it. -- Nephele

Do my Nephele Nickels count as legal tender? They were, after all, minted by the asylum's Number One Resident. (G-Man, as if one couldn't guess.) -- Nephele

Since dogs are a subject dear to my heart, I thought I'd revive this old thread. Some great information is included here on the breeds known to the ancient Romans, as I see that Skarr had included a link to information on the Laconian, Molossian, and Vetragus breeds (dogs bred for hunting and guard purposes). I'm not familiar with that series, but I do know that the ancient Romans definitely kept lap dogs. The modern Maltese breed is believed to have been the same little dog that was known as the "Melitaie" breed in ancient times (having originated on the island of Malta). When researching for my article Names for Roman Dogs I came across a few references to Roman lap dogs: Frank Frost Abbott (a late Professor of Classics in Princeton University) wrote a book in 1909 titled Society and Politics in Ancient Rome. In his chapter titled "Literature and the Common People of Rome," he wrote of epitaphs on pet dogs. One epitaph was to a little Gallic dog named "Myia," who "barked fiercely if she found a rival lying in her mistress's lap." Another touching epitaph was to a dog at Salernum named "Patricus": "...never again canst thou lie contently in my lap... what a loved companion we have lost!" Two other examples of Roman lap dogs can be found in the writings of Martial and Propertius. There is the little dog named "Issa" (possibly a representative of the aforementioned Melitaie breed). This dog was thought to have been the beloved pet of the Roman governor of Malta, and was immortalized in an epigram of Martial's (Book I, 109). And then there is, "Craugis," a little dog mentioned in Propertius' Elegies (Book IV, 3) as sleeping in her mistress's bed. -- Nephele

[insert pic here of Nephele Nickel] Cooool. -- Nephele (suddenly discovering herself in mint condition)

Well, if you've got to take up a collection, I'll throw some denarii into the pot. -- Nephele Just make out a check payable to cash and send it to me. I promise I won't use more than I need*. * need is entirely subjective and your definition of need, things like general sustenance, shelter, etc., may not match mine... big screen HD DLP televisions, a catapult, a new ridiculously high end computer, a complete historical library, a new wardrobe, a Dodge Viper, a cannister of dry roasted peanuts, etc. Ha! See how much of that you can buy with Nephele-minted denarii! -- Nephele

Well, if you've got to take up a collection, I'll throw some denarii into the pot. -- Nephele

I've been getting e-mails about it this morning, and I just automatically tell people: "Don't worry -- Moonlapse will fix it!" -- Nephele

Actually, I'm the one who has to behave herself now. As Uncle Ben reminded Peter Parker in Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility." Although, being made a Legate isn't quite the same as being bitten by a radioactive spider... -- Nephele P.S. Thanks, Augusta, and everyone else, for your congrats and kind support!

I expect he should at least appreciate the entry for Eulogy. -- Nephele

vox stellarum, you are a descendant of the Senator Quintus Lucienus, who was a friend of the scholar Marcus Terentius Varro. Your noble ancestor Lucienus is in fact mentioned in Varro's book on agriculture, described as being "a thoroughly kindly and jovial person." It may be that you take after him. Your praenomen is "Titus," abbreviated as "T." Your full Roman name is: T. Lucienus = tctrneuul -tr +is Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Go New York Giants! (Not that I'm any kind of football fan, but I'll root for anything with "New York" in it.) Welcome to Blogworld, G-Man! Cool start. -- Nephele

No, Ambrose Bierce's Guide to the Roman World isn't the title of some previously lost and recently discovered book by that celebrated cynicism-meister, Ambrose Bierce. This is merely a small sampling of Bierce's acerbic wit, which I've taken from the expanded version of The Devil's Dictionary, and which pertains to our favorite subject -- namely, Rome. So, for your amusement, fellow Romanophiles, here is Bierce's satirical take on selected aspects of Rome and Roman culture: Bacchus, n. A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk. Is public worship, then, a sin, That for devotions paid to Bacchus The lictors dare to run us in, And resolutely thump and whack us? -- Jorace Censor, n. An officer of certain governments, employed to suppress the works of genius. Among the Romans the censor was an inspector of public morals, but the public morals of modern nations will not bear inspection. Emperor, n. One ranking next above a king. An ace, as it were. Eulogy, n. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead. Faun, n. In Latin mythology, a kind of rural deity. The godhood of the Fauns was pretty nearly a sinecure, their duties consisting mainly in having pointed ears and liaisons with nymphs. There were lady fauns (faunae) and these fawned on the satyrs. (SEE Satyr below) Foreigner, n. A villain regarded with various and varying degrees of toleration, according to his conformity to the eternal standard of our conceit and the shifting one of our interests. Among the Romans all foreigners were called barbarians because most of the tribes with which the Romans had acquaintance were bearded. The term was merely descriptive, having nothing of reproach in it; Roman disparagement was generally more frankly expressed with a spear. The descendants of the barbarians -- the modern barbers -- have seen fit, however, to retort with the saw-toothed razor. Freedman, n. A person whose manacles have sunk so deeply into the flesh that they are no longer visible. Graces, n. Three beautiful goddesses, Aglaia, Thalia and Euphrosyne, who attended upon Venus, serving without salary. They were at no expense for board and clothing, for they ate nothing to speak of and dressed according to the weather, wearing whatever breeze happened to be blowing. Hebrew, n. A male Jew, as distinguished from the Shebrew, an altogether superior creation. History, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. Of Roman history, great Niebuhr's shown 'Tis nine-tenths lying. Faith, I wish 'twere known, Ere we accept great Niebuhr as a guide, Wherein he blundered and how much he lied. -- Salder Bupp Inauspiciously, adv. In an unpromising manner, the auspices being unfavorable. Among the Romans it was customary before undertaking any important action or enterprise to obtain from the augurs, or state prophets, some hint of its probable outcome; and one of their favorite and most trustworthy modes of divination consisted in observing the flight of birds -- the omens thence derived being called auspices. Newspaper reporters and certain miscreant lexicographers have decided that the word -- always in the plural -- shall mean "patronage" or "management"; as, "The festivities were under the auspices of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Body-Snatchers"; or, "The hilarities were auspicated by the Knights of Hunger." A Roman slave appeared one day Before the Augur. "Tell me, pray, If --" here the Augur, smiling, made A checking gesture and displayed His open palm, which plainly itched, For visibly its surface twitched. A denarius (the Latin nickel) Successfully allayed the tickle, And then the slave proceeded: "Please Inform me whether Fate decrees Success or failure in what I Tonight (if it be dark) shall try. Its nature? Never mind -- I think 'Tis writ on this" -- and with a wink Which darkened half the earth, he drew Another denarius to view, Its shining face attentive scanned, Then slipped it into the good man's hand, Who with great gravity said: "Wait While I retire to question Fate." That holy person then withdrew His sacred clay and, passing through The temple's rearward gate, cried "Shoo!" Waving his robe of office. Straight Each sacred peacock and its mate (Maintained for Juno's favor) fled With clamor from the trees o'erhead, Where they were perching for the night. The temple's roof received their flight, For thither they would always go, When danger threatened them below. Back to the slave the Augur went: "My son, forecasting the event By flight of birds, I must confess The auspices deny success." That slave retired, a sadder man, Abandoning his secret plan -- Which was (as well the crafty seer Had from the first divined) to clear The wall and fraudulently seize On Juno's poultry in the trees. -- G.J. Inferiae, n. (Latin) Among the Greeks and Romans, sacrifices for propitiation of the Dii Manes, or souls of the dead heroes; for the pious ancients could not invent enough gods to satisfy their spiritual needs, and had to have a number of makeshift deities, or, as a sailor might say, jury-gods, which they made out of the most unpromising materials. J J is a consonant in English, but some nations use it as a vowel -- than which nothing could be more absurd. Its original form, which has been but slightly modified, was that of the tail of a subdued dog, and it was not a letter but a character, standing for a Latin verb, jacere, "to throw," because when a stone is thrown at a dog the dog's tail assumes that shape. This is the origin of the letter, as expounded by the renowned. Jocolpus Bumer, of the University of Belgrade, who established his conclusions on the subject in a work of three quarto volumes and committed suicide on being reminded that the j in the Roman alphabet had originally no curl. Manes, n. The immortal parts of dead Greeks and Romans. They were in a state of dull discomfort until the bodies from which they had exhaled were buried and burned; and they seem not to have been particularly happy afterward Ovation, n. In ancient Rome, a definite, formal pageant in honor of one who had been disserviceable to the enemies of the nation. A lesser "triumph." In modern English the word is improperly used to signify any loose and spontaneous expression of popular homage to the hero of the hour and place. Painting, n. The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic. Formerly, painting and sculpture were combined in the same work: the ancients painted their statues. The only present alliance between the two arts is that the modern painter chisels his patrons. Republic, n. A form of government in which equal justice is administered to all who can afford to pay for it. Plebeian, n. An ancient Roman who in the blood of his country stained nothing but his hands. Distinguished from the Patrician, who was a saturated solution. Plebiscite, n. A popular vote to ascertain the will of the sovereign. Quiver, n. A portable sheath in which the ancient statesman and the aboriginal lawyer carried their lighter arguments. He extracted from his quiver, Did the controversial Roman, An argument well fitted To the question as submitted, Then addressed it to the liver, Of the unpersuaded foeman. -- Oglum P. Boomp Satyr, n. One of the few characters of the Grecian mythology accorded recognition in the Hebrew. (Leviticus, xvii, 7.) The satyr was at first a member of the dissolute community acknowledging a loose allegiance with Dionysius, but underwent many transformations and improvements. Not infrequently he is confounded with the faun, a later and decenter creation of the Romans, who was less like a man and more like a goat. Senate n. A body of elderly gentlemen, charged with high duties and misdemeanours. Senator n. The fortunate bidder in an auction of votes.

If the money were in the public treasury, wouldn't it have fallen under the jurisdiction of the presiding quaestor? Who was quaestor? I don't know if this is any help, if Antonius nevertheless had the ability to thwart the transference of Octavian's money. But in answer to your question I looked up Broughton's listing of Quaestors for the year 44 BCE: Q. Cornelius. "Quaestor Urbanus. Named in a decree of the Senate quoted by Josephus." L. Cornelius Balbus. "Since he was serving under Pollio in Farther Spain in the spring of 43 it is probably that he went to the province with him as Quaestor in 44." Cornelius Cinna. "Served under Dolabella, and at the end of the year lost to Brutus in Thessaly the cavalry he was bringing to his commander in Asia." P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther. "Served in Asia under Trebonius." L. Egnatuleius. "Quaestor under the Consul Antony. He brought the Fourth Legion from Macedonia to Italy and in November led it over to Octavian. The Senate commended his action on December 20, and in January 43 Cicero proposed to reward him with the right of candidacy for office three years before the legal time." Q. Rutilius. "Quaestor Urbanus, named in a decree of the Senate quoted by Josephus." L. Sestius. "Probably Quaestor this year, he prepared a fleet for Brutus and Cassius. D. Turullius. "One of Caesar's murderers who went to Bithynia with Annius Cimber, and held command of the fleet which Cimber prepared in 44 and sent against Dolabella in 43." -- Nephele

Thanks for the background information, PP! I'd known that UNRV had been inspired by an earlier community called Roma-Victor -- but I was confused as to whether this game was the same Roma-Victor, as the discussion here gave me the impression that this game was something new. I can see now how slow the development of this game has been, considering that UNRV has already been around for at least four years! Jugurtha has an interest in Roman onomastics? If so, I would have liked to see him join in on some of the Roman names discussions. Too bad he doesn't seem to be around any longer. -- Nephele

Diocles, thanks for your review here, and the picture of a character creation from the game. I have a question, if you can answer it please? I noticed in that picture to which you provided a link, there are the following Roman character names appearing at the top: Herius, Nepos, and Tadius. Does the game assign a name to one's created character, or does the player get to choose his/her own name? And, are there female characters that one can create for the game? -- Nephele

L Carbo? Ahem. Gratiam habeo, MPC. It's hilarious, I didn't check the names of the consuls (obviously) . The only translation I was able to find online was that of DR. PHILEMON HOLLAND,ED. 1601. It's almost a shame to edit a text more than four hundred years old, but a mistake is a mistake. Perhaps Dr. Philemon Holland was likely one of those "modern writers" criticized by classicist William Smith, who gives an interesting accounting of the cognomen "Sulla" in his Dictionary, stating that "There is no authority for writing the word Sylla, as is done by many modern writers. On coins and inscriptions we always find Sula or Sulla, never Sylla." Asclepiades, in your edited posting above you mentioned that the Hellenism of "Sylla" and its Latinized form of "Silla" are "prevalent on Greek sources, particularly Plutarchus and Appian." I'd be interested if you could point me to any online examples you might have found. Does this contradict William Smith then? -- Nephele

Congratulations on the digs! How does Bella like the new place? I've heard that cats get attached to places, and wonder whether she might be missing her old home. Do you have to take precautions so that she doesn't try to get out and go off in search of her old home? -- Nephele

I had three years of Latin when I was in high school. I can't read much Latin, and my Latin vocabulary is pretty much limited to those recognizable words from which Roman names have been derived. -- Nephele

Must space exploration be a military (and, subsequently, government) activity, though? I never cease to be amazed by what the private sector can accomplish, without government funding (and, ideally, without government intrusion -- although one cannot always escape government intrusion even when one chooses not to take government money). In 2004, aviator and engineer Burt Rutan (with financing by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to the tune of $20 million), won the Ansari X Prize for designing and launching SpaceShipOne, the world's first privately-funded, human-manned, suborbital spaceship. Granted, that was just one small step for the free market man, but the imagination soars as high as SpaceShipOne, when one considers what can be accomplished by the private sector. And, we should remember that Orville and Wilbur Wright were not government-funded. -- Nephele

Jansi, you are a member of the Octavii, a gens which gave birth to Rome's first emperor, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, otherwise known as Caesar Augustus. Your second name of "Bassiana" came to you by way of indirect relationship to the highly assertive and scandalous Julia Soemis one of Rome's most assertive women, as well as the mother of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (also known as the Emperor Elagabalus). "Bassiana" being the name by which she was styled in Greek inscriptions, and originating with her Phoenician grandfather, Bassianus. Your full Roman name is: Octavia Bassiana = aosyaskaintavba -yk +ic Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Aha! These are the two Vestals (Floronia and Opimia) I noted in my article who received only a passing mention by Broughton, on his magisterial list for the year 216 BCE. But Broughton does cite Livy (22.57.2-3) as a reference, along with a few other references. Are you accessing M

Hi, c murphy. I could be wrong, but I think you might have accidentally put a couple of extra letters into your name scramble. So I removed them. You are a descendant of the 1st century BCE Roman poet, Propertius, and so you and he share the same nomen gentilicium. Your family added the cognomen of "Phylarchus" to the family name, which is Latin (by way of Greek) for a military leader, literally meaning "head of a tribe". Your military family took a fancy to this cognomen, finding it distinctive. Your praenomen is "Marcus", abbreviated as "M." Your full Roman name is: M. Propertius Phylarchus = richsohertluappruypmh -h +s Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Does 'legata' work? If not, let's just call her 'Domina' and have done. I think The Augusta's got it right with "legata". But I'll always answer to "Nephele". Or just "Nephy." -- Nephele

Thanks! Pontifices or not, they're still men. They probably would've found it hawt. -- Nephele