The Augusta

Hmm - it's the proposed remake of 'I, Claudius' with Leonardo di Caprio that's worrying me..... Can't find a link for you on here, but this was in our Sunday Express newspaper about three weeks ago - and my daughter confirmed that it's on the cards, as she's read about it in movie mags. Don't approach me if I am holding a sharp object, anyone....

Ooh - I've not seen th is game before. Well - not a woman among them! OK - my first was Hadrian (how could they tell from those questions that I like beautiful men?!) Second was Paulus - which Paulus, by all the gods? Third was the Divine Julius - the autocratic megalomaniac coming through there, folks. Fourth was Claudius - I'm not sure what to make of this!!!! Fifth was the Divine Gus - a huge disappointment that he isn't higher in my psyche.... Hehe and not a Cato in sight! (Shame really - I actually admire the man)

To my darling Cecil - I have sent instructions to those slipshod slave girls in New York to treat you with the respect you deserve today. Have a wonderful time, in all seriousness, Tom. And many happy returns. Buon compleanno, amico mio.

Please do - I've got the first one - I've had it for ages and because of one thing and another, I've not opened it (shame on me!). Cheers Russ OK, Lanista - I can definitely recommend it. I was impressed enough to go out and buy the first volume which deals with Attila's childhood. As I know next to nothing about Attila and his Huns (BTW, Calders, thanks for a great review today!), I could sit back and enjoy this as a tale. Pros: Evocative, atmospheric, firmly set in its own time. I shivered along with the Huns as they crossed the frozen Steppes etc. And there was no danger of seeing this as modern fiction in costume, unlike the modern trend.... Attila is portrayed with all his warts and all, which is always a good thing. By the end of the book, I decided I quite liked the old devil! Presumably the author has done his research: Attila does some surprisingly decent things by his own lights. But then just as you think he's going soft, he acts with 'Hun-like' pragmatism. A nice touch from the author. Cons: I will forgive the author, as this is only his second novel, but please William, lose the info dumps, and describing every new character all at once in minute detail. I think I'd know Attila in the dark among sixty thousand men after reading the first two chapters! But all in all, the mood was brilliant and the prose convincing enough to keep me reading past these stumbling blocks. I think you'll like it Lanista. And a nice sideline - a switch of POV and Voice for the middle of the work, where the story switches to Byzantium to be narrated by Priscus - a delightful character. I've read worse, and I will see the trilogy through.

He also executed Antyllus - Antony's eldest son by Fulvia, although he would have been of age at the time. It's a great pity he didn't have the foresight to finish off young Iulus Antony too - it would have saved him an awful lot of heartache in 2BC. Yes - whatever we may think of the killing of young children, given the mindset of the ancient ruling classes, leaving political opponents' children alive was only to invite later troubles. It's cold and it's brutal, but it is, alas, expedient. And remember - Cicero and his party in the Senate were even toying with the idea of removing Octavian, no doubt for similar reasons.

I'll sign in to this thread as another Pratchett fan. It is a great shame about his condition, I can't bear to think about him ending up like poor old Iris Murdoch. But let's not be gloomy - Terry wouldn't want us to be. Favourite characters, guys? I love the Patrician, Death (probably my all time favourite), Granny Weatherwax, and of course, Old Rincewind. Gorgeous stuff, the lot of it!

I couldn't agree more here, Ursus! I have been threatening to review this for the Forum myself - and do intend to do it - unless you wish to take the honours. I did giggle an awful lot through the opening third but then found it all got a bit 'samey'. Other projects and real life have actually got in the way of my finishing the final few chapters, but I will rectify this very soon. I was, however, impressed with the level of research that must have gone into it, and the fact that the author managed to get the information across without flinging heavy sholarship in our faces. We coould, of course, each do our own review - but we may well come to the same conclusion, which wouldn't be of help to the Forum.

Another short and to the point poem that I love is: Christmas: 1924 - Thomas Hardy 'Peace upon earth!' was said. We sing it, And pay a million priests to bring it. After two thousands years of mass We've got as far as poison-gas. As a staunch Hardy fan (both prose and poetry) I've always thought that this little number sums everything up nicely.

GPM - if I could afford a gravestone large enough, I'd have that Roald Dahl poem engraved on it! It says it all, really. Fortunately, I was one of those lucky kids who was never bored on a rainy day, because I had my books. I may have played with Sindy for an hour, but I would put her away without a pang to sink into hours upon hours of reading. I actually used to enjoy having those kid's illnesses where the doctor sent you to bed - it meant I could spend all day reading! The worlds created by the author and the reader's imagination are always richer - IMHO - than anything the TV can offer.

Way too numerous to mention....... And I'd be here all night if I were to quote Shelley. Instead, I shall give you a very brief but complete poem that never ceases to amaze me in its use of language and imagery. I think of this poem as the literary equivalent of a sumptuous meal with good wine. From the Cavalier Poet Robert Herrick Whenas in silks my Julia goes Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows That liquefaction of her clothes. Next, when I cast mine eyes and see That brave vibration each way free; Oh how that glittering taketh me! Try speaking it out loud - it's absolutely gorgeous! At least it is for we word freaks on here. And erm...Spittle... Do straight men read poetry? Well an awful lot of 'em wrote the stuff - LOL. I can't think of anyone 'butcher' than Wordsworth - and he wasn't afraid to write about daffodiils! And could I ask you if you think John Cooper Clark is gay? Do you remember his lovely 'You'll never see a nipple in the Daily Express'?

I would say that Donna Gillespie has that title. I think that Scott writes great, but Gillespie is a great writer - for me, she's the natural successor to Mary Renault. Of course, it's all about opinion, but the Light Bearer and Lady of the Light are modern classics - for me, that term is bandied about too often, but with Gillespie its deserved. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Manda Scott but Gillespie's writing transcends anything I've ever read. I feel that her work will be more appreciated as time goes on. Her biggest "fault" is that her output is slow, but I guess genius takes time! Put it this way, if you read her user comments on amazon, you'll find more than one person saying that the works changed their lives. I've not put that comment on there, but it is true for me too. I can't recommend her work highly enough. Cheers Russ Well, this lady has completely passed me by, I'm afraid. I've never heard of her! Is she British? On your recommendation, lanista, I shall go hunting for her books now. But I can relate to the 'life-changing' feeling. There are just certain authors that grab you and never let you go. Thanks again for the recommendation.

OK - it is now 24th January and apart from Doc, no one has PM'd with a definite yes or no. Do I take it that no one is coming? Or would you like a bit longer to think about things? Many thanks everyone.

I have just picked this up at Sainsbury's! I bought a handful of historicals a couple of weeks ago and this was among them, although I haven't yet read it. I started this recently purchased batch with Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake (a former screen writer and literary associate of The National Theatre) and I have to say I was impressed. The story deals with the famous disappearance of Nefertiti and the narrator is a character named Rahotep (a Seeker of Mysteries). However, it seems to be more deeply thought out and plotted than the usual ancient detective stories and the prose is delicious. I can recommend it to the literary historical fiction fans rather than to the action brigade, and Nefertiti's charisma is excellently and powerfully drawn. A damned good read! I have just started the second volume of William Napier's Attila series (I didn't know there'd been a first!) and it seems OK, but I am struggling with info dumps and long boring descriptions of every muscle and sinew of Attila's physique! I'll let you know how it pans out.

I mainly lean to classics - Hardy remains a part of my soul, as does Austen (Pride and Prejudice stands to be read again and again). I enjoy the Brontes, although I do find a thread of neurosis in most of their work. I also adore George Eliot and her Adam Bede is, IMHO, one of the great underestimated achievements of English literature. E.M. Forster ranks quite high with me too. As for Dickens - his characterisation is pure genius - and no matter how many times I read A Tale of Two Cities I still cry when Sydney mounts that scaffold! For modern authors, Renault cannot be surpassed for me in historical fiction terms; I'm sorry but there is no one to touch her, although when Manda Scott learns to trim her prose she may approach that holy altar. I also enjoy playwrights such as Alan Bennett and the Irish playwright Martin McDonogh. For poetry, I am hopelessly in love with the Romantics, and have always expressed a wish that my leather-bound Shelley be buried with me!

Of all the wonderful reviews you have given us over the past years, Ursus, this has to count among your most outstanding. Absolutely excellent! Roman Sex sits happily on my bookshelves already and I will certainly be buying this companion. For those of us whose main interest lies in the nitty gritty of everyday life among the Romans, it would seem that this book cannot be ignored.

Ingsoc has hit the nail on the head, here. Of course Augustus' trib. pot. was unique - that was the whole point. It had never been granted in this way before, hence his innovation. It is not a coincidence that his regnal years were numbered by the awarding of the tribunicia potestas. The tribuneship was nothing new - hence he could state in the Res Gestae that he accepted no office that did not have a precedent within the Republic. However, to award the power without the office/position was indeed very new. And let us not forget that the tribunician power carried with it sacrosanctity and inviolability of the Emperor's person. This sacrosanctity had been awarded as early as 35BC, not just to Augustus, but to Livia and Octavia too. As you say qselby this was perhaps his most brilliant move. But we must not underestimate his other (proconsular) power, which the Senate allowed him to retain within the pomerium - yet another precedent. The tribunicia potestas and the maius imperium proconsulare were the twin pillars of the Principate. Although PP states above that he laid down the office of Consul, this meant little as the Senate and People bestowed on him - in a similar manner to the trib. pot. the powers of a proconsul within the pomerium. To put it crudely - he won hands down!

Felicitations, Cornelius. Hope you toasted the day well with lots of spirit!

May I just return to Octavia's original question here, following the little detour into the names of the Drusi..... Yes, Drusus Major, son of Livia, did die from the complications of a fall from his horse.

OK guys and gals - to keep this as simple as possible for the old lady, please could I ask that everyone who definitely wants to come PMs me before the end of next week (Friday, 18th January) and lets me know also if they are willing to share rooms. We will go for the Jesmond Park Hotel again unless anyone has any specific objections. As for Doc being pencilled in now and maybe having to cancel later - this will be no problem, as the hotel does operate a 48 hour cancellation policy and I can always telephone them up to such a time with any cancellations without incurring a penalty. But can I just add my personal regrets that Klingan won't be joining us. Hope to see you soon, Klings.

Happy Festivities to one and all - belated though it may be. Our house is so full of booze that we can barely move. As for the food - we did not go for the traditional turkey this year, but tucked into a deliciously tender duck stuffed full of apricots and cranberries - all served with the traditional veggies of parsnips, carrots, broccoli, and sprouts with roast chestnuts; topped off with roast potatoes. However, despite all this English stuff, I did insist we began with prosciutto e melone, and we had a particularly nice Chateau Neuf, so Europe (at least Gaul and Italia) were represented on the table. I hope everyone had a great holiday. I shall soon be back in harness after hectic weeks...but just for tonight, it's back to the PlayStation 3.....!

Having to choose one period just isn't fair! As my main interest in Classical History is the personalities who made things happen, I would be happy to go back to any period, just to spend a couple of hours chatting over a cup of wine with a whole list of people from Cato the Elder through to Julia Domna. Greedy, I know, but I would have so many questions for them all. Imagine how we could reinterpret history if we really knew what made these guys tick.

Glad to be of help Klingan. The hotel will hopefully be booked by January or Febuary at the latest. We will inform you as soon as we know what the costs are so everybody can sort their money out with the maximum amount of time available. Deposits may be required but last time round we didn't have to pay anything at all so no real need to worry about that just now. The Augusta is looking after the booking so don't worry about that. If anyone needs more information or has any questions do ask. Yep - just to reiterate Gus's comments, Klingan - most hotels I looked at last time only required the security of the booking person's credit/debit card number, and they operate a 48 hour cancellation policy. In effect, this means that as long as people cancel before that time there is no penalty. If we failed to turn up or whatever on the day, the hotel would charge one night's stay as a penalty. So, if we are all agreed on the Jesmond again - and I will be getting onto this as soon as the holiday festivities are over, there will be nothing to pay up front on that score. We do hope you can make it Klingan.

correct, your turn. Ahem - I must butt in here, gents! i) Tiberius Gemellus was not a famous son of Livia - he was the son of Livia Julia (i.e. 'Livilla') ii) The statue (however labelled on whatever site) is clearly of a young Tiberius - i.e. the Emperor. iii) Tiberius most certainly WAS the most famous son of Livia - the REAL Livia! So - what is the correct answer here? I really do think that MPC was correct in his guess. The image MUST be incorrectly named at your source, Ingsoc.

Hear, hear! As far as the preservation of Welsh is concerned, to the rest of the UK it is a mere annoyance. It may very well matter to those adherents in (mainly North? - Calders, correct me if I'm wrong) Wales, but as this particularly outmoded language is no longer used universally beyond the borders, I fail to see the point. OK, it's a heritage, but isn't the point of language to communicate? As Caldrail points out, language infiltrates, words are shared etc. and this is how the world moves on. I honestly cannot see how the preservation of the Welsh language within a tiny Principality is helping to forward language and linguistics in any way. Doc may disagree, of course, and I would welcome her comments on such a thing.

I think the age-old answer to this is perhaps to focus on the many disclaimers throughout the RG. Augustus is at pains to point out that his position is a constitutional one etc., although he 'exceeded all others in influence' (his catchword auctoritas). This particular aspect of the Res Gestae has kept Classics scholars busy for decades, and I can't honestly think it has changed now. Although Others have given good advice about consulting modern works, I would say that you should perhaps contrast Augustus' take on the events of his rise to power and 'reign' with the usual suspects - i.e. the primary sources of Suetonius, Dio, Appian etc., together with whatever epigraphic and numismatic evidence you can find to back your case. Your tutor may appreciate a link-in with the wider culture during the Augustan era too - i.e. Horace, Virgil - Horace's Odes and Virgil's Aeneid and Eclogues. Whatever you choose, one thing sticks out like a sore thumb to me about the RG - it is Augustus' attempt to justify his unprecedented position within the state - and that should be a good enough starting point. Hope this helps a bit. Having gone through the same 'first year' type of assignment, PM me if you need anything more detailed.