The Augusta

How right you are, Nephele. I have a work colleague whose husband is Iranian and insists on calling himself Persian too. But this latest piece of hamfisted policy by old Ahmadinnerjacket doesn't surprise me in the slightest. To me it equals the insane actions of Saddam in inscibing his name on the bricks used to restore Nebuchadnezzar's palace.

Some of Caesar's veterans were also probably legitimately outraged, just as a significant portion of the population was. The 'mob' included those who were fine with the events at hand once they realized that the bloodshed stopped with Caesar, and those who were angry regardless. This entire category of common people would seem to have little motivation other than pure reactionary emotion and their role in shaping the events is important. Plutarch describes just such a scenario of mixed feelings among the populace in Life of Brutus... Clearly though, Plutarch (as do other sources) makes it known that not all were angry with the liberators. And what Plutarch is also making clear in the above passage is how easily the mob would still be swayed by a charismatic speaker. (Note, they harangued Cinna) Not five days went by when Antony swayed them again in the opposite direction and riots followed the funeral in which the assassins had to be hidden in friends' houses. Both sides must have been tearing out their hair regarding the reactions of the 'mob'. As to the original question of this thread: No, Caesar did not deserve to die, and no amount of political analysis and posturing will make me change my mind on that. Or - let me immediately clarify - he did not deserve to be gutted by a bunch of men who had not given a thought to the future beyond the second thrust of a dagger. I would agree with the more Republican-minded on the Forum that he probably should have been brought to trial for marching on Rome. Had this happened and a legal process had declared him a traitor, that would have been different. But what is unforgivable, to my mind, about Brutus' and Cassius' actions is that they had no plan to put in place beyond ridding Rome of Caesar. As Caldrail mentions above, did they naively expect the Republic to just fall back into place? Others may disagree, but if they truly believed that then they had been pretty poor judges of the political climate over the last twenty years! This is one of the reasons why I lean towards personal resentment as their guiding motive. However, I suppose it is only fair to say that the assassins did not know the contents of Caesar's will when they struck - nor were they totally sure which way Antony and Dolabella would jump (as some of Cicero's letters of the period prove). However, at the risk of using that old vice, hindsight, Brutus and Cassius killed more than Caesar on the Ides. Those of us who admire the Principate should at least thank them for that.

With her remarkable ability to read the minds of other women perfectly, Augusta pauses in her hip-wiggling to crook a beckoning finger at Caldrail. She raises an eyebrow at Doc, content to let her do the rest.

Meanwhile, The Augusta, still reeling from Pan's earlier attempts at sycophancy, lounges on her couch, bored. Cato has escaped her clutches and Nephele has placed guards around the food tables - not to mention the baby-eating gladiator from savage Britannia. Augusta's attention is caught by the twin dancing girls and she downs the last of her Pucine (it's her fifth cup), and strips off her palla and stola. Now, with only her homespun tunic to cover her modesty she edges over to the dancing girls and roughly nudges one out of the way. 'For the love of Juno', she cries, 'let me show you how to do it properly!'

What about Paul Bettany, the British actor who played the mad monk in the DaVinci Code and was also in Wimbledon and A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0079273/ Now - that is what I call a Caligula! Looks perfect. Alas, I've only seen him in the ghastly Wimbledon, however, so I cannot judge his abilities on that. I'll take your word for it, GPM. I'm afraid I don't know Richard Brake, at all, JR. I'll have to consult my daughter - who seems to be something of an expert on every kind of movie actor ever to grace the celluloid. ETA: Just caught a glimpse of Richard Brake on the Imdb. No - that face belongs in the Republic. Full of misery!

I did limit the comment to the Julio-Claudian emperors!! As these were the emperors who come in for the most scurrilous treatment (perhaps with the exception of Domitian) in Suetonius' work, I can't really see what point is being made regarding the Flavians.

What a wonderful question, JR: I've not actually thought about it - I only know that if Jude Law could really act he'd make the perfect Augustus at around Actium time. (So, I'm a sucker for good looks!). Caligula - hmm.... think tall, blond, heavy-featured, big-boned, with a protruding top lip. If we can't find such an actor who could 'look' the part, we have to go for the acting ability. Nope - no one really leaps out at me as an obvious choice. The thing is, it would take a great deal of experience to put in a performance like this. But there are probably quite a few 'up-and-comings' out there on both sides of the Atlantic who would be perfect, we just don't know them yet. Has anyone else any ideas?

From the life of Tiberius: He acquired a reputation for still grosser depravities that one can hardly bear to tell or be told, let alone believe. For example, he trained little boys (whom he termed tiddlers) to crawl between his thighs when he went swimming and tease him with their licks and nibbles; and unweaned babies he would put to his organ as though to the breast, being by both nature and age rather fond of this form of satisfaction. Left a painting of Parrhasius's depicting Atalanta pleasuring Meleager with her lips on condition that if the theme displeased him he was to have a million sesterces instead, he chose to keep it and actually hung it in his bedroom. The story is also told that once at a sacrifice, attracted by the acolyte's beauty, he lost control of himself and, hardly waiting for the ceremony to end, rushed him off and debauched him and his brother, the flute-player, too; and subsequently, when they complained of the assault, he had their legs broken. Where in the life of Augustus does Suetonius discuss Tiberius' innocent enjoyment of boys? Cato - despite my caveat 'not to go down this road again' I did not say that Suetonius discussed Tiberius' innocence in consorting with little boys - it was Augustus whom Suetonius mentions as enjoying the company of cheerful Moors and Syrians. Here's the reference: (Div.Aug, 83): Sometimes he went fishing as a relaxation: sometimes he played at dice, marbles, or nuts in the company of little boys, and was always on the lookout for ones with pretty faces and cheerful chatter, especially Syrians and Moors - he loathed people who were in any way deformed, regarding them as freaks of nature and bringers of bad luck. ETA: Having re-read my post, I can see where you may have been misled. Hopefully, this clears things up.

And perhaps his greatest testament is that he accurately reflects the tastes and beliefs of his day - i.e. his audience wanted vivid accounts of the great figures of history - Suetonius provided them. He is invaluable as evidence of the attitudes of his readers as much as anything else.

Welcome to our Forum, Crastinus. I sympathise with you regarding your girlfriend. I once swore I wanted twin boys and I would call them Drusus and Nero! I am sure you will enjoy your time here. It is always good to have younger members aboard. I, personally, may not see so much of you, as I'm not an army buff, but I wanted to welcome you all the same.

Ah - thank you Pertinax. I have never seen that particular series, but as I mentioned in another thread to Nephele, I will be remedying that very soon indeed. I need not view the performance of the excellent Ralph Bates to know that you have made a good choice - he was always one of my favourite actors, right from the time I saw him as Thomas Culpepper in The Six Wives of Henry VIII - which, I realise, post-dates The Caesars

McDowell gave a fair rendition - and was perhaps helped along the way by the fact that he bears more than a passing resemblance to the real emperor - or at least I have also thought so. The film could have been handled so much better, however. Jay Robinson, I have to disagree with. I honestly thought his performance was appallingly over-acted, and he turned Caligula into a caricature, which is precisely the fault Hurt avoided. Hurt, for me, was the best for balance, as he had the humour and the tyranny, and his performance was - in several places - beautifully understated. And yet, I suppose - the best portrayal has yet to come. Once dramatists ditch the 'insanity' tag totally, we may get a very different, far more chilling character than any that have been viewed so far.

The only issue I would take here is that many of the figures whose sordid details Suetonius published had been dead for some time. The traditional date of his birth is 69 AD - therefore certainly all the Julio-Claudian emperors were dead before he was born. I suppose this made potential litigation against him for libel much less likely.

I am unfamiliar with this. Is it a translation of Suetonius by Grant or an actual independent book on the same subject (presumably heavily influenced by Suetonius at least)? That is precisely it, PP - Grant wrote the intro to Graves' translation of Suetonius' Lives Drusus - I think quite a few of us here on the Forum have read and enjoyed The Twelve Caesars. I bumped an old Suetonius thread here a couple of days ago You will find it here Your comments would be welcome.

The Augusta enters the celebrations fashionably late and stares in disbelief at the chaos before her. As a white mouse sneaks under her tunic and becomes upward bound, she holds out her hand to take a cupful of Pucine from a passing beauty and laconically remarks that she has nothing under her skirts that could possibly interest vermin. The imperial look is enough to shame Nephele, who screams when the mouse falls dead at the Augusta's feet, having bitten into her knee. 'Remove this offensive little object, Nephele, and find me a place to sit.' Nephele grows brave in the face of death and retorts, 'That is no way to speak of Cato, lady.' The Augusta's mouth twitches; humour lights her eyes. 'Perhaps you would be good enough to introduce us,' she says, sweeping all the guests with disdain, her searing gaze ready to fall upon the offender. Before Nephele can recover, the Augusta holds up her hand. 'No need, Nephele - I can spot him.' She points, correctly, to the man in the shabby toga, his bare chest reddened with the scars of the day's self-inflicted punishment. 'Have him brought before me.' Nephele's lovely face colours and her eyes fill with tears. She swallows hard. Knowing that she has escaped death once, she is not inclined to risk it again. But fear of Cato is greater than her fear of the Augusta. 'Oh, lady,' she stutters. 'Cato is not a man to be brought before anyone. Not even you.' The Augusta blinks, her face frozen in time for the briefest of moments. Nephele waits, suspended in the pause, imagining the agonies of stomach cramps. I hope she uses a quick-acting one, Nephele thinks to herself, lowering her eyes from the stony face before her. The Augusta waves a hand at Nephele dismissively and glides across the floor towards Cato. Pushing out her foot to be kissed, she discreetly motions him to prostrate hiimself. 'Lady - you must be joking!' says the man from Utica. They stare at each other in a silent battle of wits, and as a lone flute player strikes up a plaintive melody, the Augusta laughs, without humour. She ignores his look of distaste as she runs a beautifully manicured fingernail down a particularly raw scar on his chest. 'Of course I joke, Cato. I would not have a man of your heritage bow before an empress.' She smiles at him and it chills his blood. 'I was only going to suggest one of my own efficacious salves for these wounds. I would be honoured if you would see me about it later.' She turns to Doc and winks.

I've found this so far - regarding the fact that epic poetry was originally sung, but I will keep on looking to see if the practice of sung poetry lasted into Roman times.

In answer to this point - a valid one, JR - I would only add one caveat: Agrippa's aedileship of 33 BC had a far more lasting effect on Rome than any of his three consulships. I think if there was ever ONE great aedileship, it was this one.

While I wouldn't go quite so far as to say I'm an expert on Nero, he certainly did seem to be influenced by all things Greek, and as we know, he toured the province not long before his death. The interesting thing here, in terms of the actual music, is that earlier on - certainly - Greek poetry was actually sung to the accompaniment of the lyre or kithara. Now I have no idea at all as to when this practice ceased - or even if it did - in Greece itself, but it is certainly something to be researched, as it may throw some light on what the Romans considered a 'musician' or a 'poet'. I am not sure I can totally agree with Neil when he says that the length of a poem prevented its being sung. Even in some cultures in India today there is a lasting tradition of 'story-telling' which is sung, and Homer's epics may well have been sung in excerpts by bards. I will do some digging and see what I can come up with about this in terms of sources. (My assumptions come from a course I did on Homer a few years ago)

I'm no expert, Phil - but I think it means a 'stamp' - i.e. the image is stamped into the coin. Others who have more expertise in this field may offer better explanations, however. See this image Edited to add: Ah - I see Publius has already got in before me. We must have posted at a similar time.

In the official report of Sunday morning's events, I can't wait to learn just what led to the disrobing of Caldrail the Thracian! Was this a ceremony in honour of his dead ancestor, the white legionary? My mind is boggling - and knowing Caldrail, his explanation will no doubt provoke more questions than it answers

I am so glad you had a great time, Gaius. Your wife should be made an honorary empress! And I knew you'd love Piazza Navona. You now have the perfect excuse to go back, as there is far too much to enjoy in two days. So, whoever warned you that the Spanish Steps and Trevi were too full of crowds was right! (It may have been Mosquito or Maladict - can't quite remember). But at least I hope you managed to toss a coin in to ensure your return! I loved your photos. What is your zoom? 200mm?

First comment - I haven't finished your blog yet, but will put you out of your misery before I go on: The inscription on the Pantheon reads: Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, built [this] in his third consulship (i.e. 37BC). Hadrian at least allowed him to keep his inscription! I'll be back...

You have been missed - one even misses an aching tooth, ya know! As to your Sweet Sixteen party - two comments: 1) What happened when you woke up? - maidens falling at your feet, indeed.... Tsh! 2) I take it the Scotch friend was in a glass? Caledonians hate to be called Scotch - they are Scot or Scots! Even the lowliest god-consul would know that Seriously - glad to know all is well with you.

In my view - most certainly not! (Sorry Cato - I hadn't seen this comment - I'm hardly ever in my own profile!). It is my opinion that she eventually came to respect Augustus after years of marriage and may even have grown fond of him in the latter years - but I have no delusions that she fell hook line and sinker.