The Augusta

I would agree with this wholeheartedly. And not just a cross cultural motif, but one that crosses the ages too. It not only applies to human facial features, but to things such as architecture, where the 'beautiful' is held to be symmetrical. Proportion also plays a part I think. I wonder what this says about the human perception. It would be interesting to analyse it.

What do you expect, Paulinus - he's all talk!

"These windows could do with a clean." Jim Morrison

"Please would you plump up my pillow, Caligula." Said by some to be the last words of Emperor Tiberius And the old favourite..... "Peter - Peter - I can see your house from here." Jesus Christ

It was partly what Zoroastrianism morals are about. They believed in equality regrdless of gender, race, or religion (probably why it didn't last very long in the Ancient World. ) It not only taught equality, but taught more kindness to foreigners who were conquered, and sought to treat them better. Thanks for the information, Rameses. I also had this belief from reading of the religion itself. But how then, could the Persians perpetrate such a hierarchial system, in which freeborn men prostrated themselves before the High King? I can't believe that this was purely Greek propaganda. Or was the position of the king seen in a more secular light?

Neil!! That is quite disgusting - and very, very funny! Poor Ned he's one of my faves. "May I give you a hand?" Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Like Ursus and Pan I find that I am fascinated by the Persians - in fact, I am drawn to them like a magnet, and I have no idea why. However, all we know of them is unfortunately written by Greeks, who would hardly present the most balanced view. The early Persians (i.e. under Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius the Great) have left no written records (at least I think that's right - perhaps Ram or someone may know differently and can enlighten me). As this is a thread about the Persian Empire, would anyone be kind enough to point me in the direction of a serious study. I have read Holland's Persian Fire, of course, as well as Herodotus and Xenophon, but a good scholarly monograph would be welcome, if anyone knows of one they could recommend.

Let's face it, there are probably very few ancients who were attested as 'beauties' whom we would laud as such today (perhaps with the exception of Augustus). People's perceptions of beauty change with the ages. For instance, all those Rubenesque ladies who were depicted as the epitome of feminine beauty would hardly find takers these days, with our tastes for skeletal women! As for Antony and Cleo, I remember the first time I saw Antony on a coin - I thought he had a chin like Punch (the puppet) and Cleo was more plain than beautiful - although I would not go so far as to say she was actually ugly. And while I would agree with you, Cato, that ugly people can be romantics, I have never bought into the 'Antony lost the world for love' theory, and I never will. I'm with Caldrail and others who have pointed out that Cleo's greatest attribute was her power. I'd go more for Tommy Coooper, Paul - although I realise our American cousins may not know who he is. Can we find a link?

Many thanks to all involved in this brilliant idea. I would certainly like to contribute something - and I might even manage to discipline myself to produce it in time, as I have an old Uni assignment whose subject matter would suit itself very well to this project, with a few tweaks here and there and an updating of the available scholarship. However, are the judges looking for just a new slant on the old topics that have been done to death, or would favourable 'points' be given to innovative ideas or original new theories? Ignore last question - I have just seen it addressed in the post above.

Pro-praetor now! You have no shame at all, do you Gaius? Clearly you have money to throw to the four winds. May I remind you that bribing the Triumvirs is an offence.

[quote name='Julia C

Indeed... I don't quite get the fascination with Jefferson's children, but since some people care, I figured I'd post the story. Well, I might not care too much about Jefferson's children, either, PP, but I do find this whole haplogroup stuff fascinating in itself. I saw the link in another thread to the project that the National Geographic are carrying out. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it would be worthwhile to participate and thus find out our earliest migratory roots?

Phew - gents! Well, all I know is that Atticus' fingers must have been a lot better than mine. But more seriously, did Cicero mean to imply that Atticus would count on his fingers, or was he referring to Atticus' speedy fingers on an abacus? Just a thought that struck me.

[quote name='Julia C

Ah, now this is where I have no principles whatsoever! I always tell people that if I'd lived during WW2 and those big butch Germans and gorgeous Italians had invaded us, I'd have collaborated and fraternised the length and breadth of England!

And so I prepare to compose my first blog. A little explanation is perhaps required about the figs. The blame for this obsession is to be laid very firmly at the feet of our dear Pertinax, who, through posting a video clip taken from Episode 4 of Claudius, has now made figs synonymous with my cyber-personality. It was something that tickled my fancy and I am grateful to our Pertinax for it. I wonder if he knows that the esteemed lady did in fact cultivate her own fig tree at Prima Porta, named 'The Livian'. I could wax lyrical on my thoughts for the day, of course; I could even post a long philosophical essay about the meaning of life, but I won't. As the subject of my first blog I will take the UNRV itself. The Thanksgiving thread is to blamed for this, as it made me realise that no matter what life throws at us, there is always something to be thankful for. I have many things: two kids who bring me more laughter than tears; an over-attached Persian cat for whom I am very much the centre of the universe; a job that I actually like - yes, a first, and a decent boss. I say decent, but there are one or two reserves. Simon is a Consultant Cardiologist and all-round scientific genius, obsessed with making money. We rub along well together, and after 6 years in his employ, I can get away with murder. Simon, however, has a simple philosophy in life: work, work, work, for it brings money, money, money. So what? - I hear you all say: many people are like that. But in Simon's case it has become so much of an obsession that the old phrase 'all work and no play' aptly applies to make Simon a very dull boy. He extends this philosophy to his children and wife. In vain poor Pamela begs to go on holiday for a whole fortnight each year. No, Simon says: two weeks away from work is a waste. He will, after much bludgeoning by Pamela, consent to a week's sojourn in the Scilly Isles. But come this February - fanfare and drum-roll - the lovely Pamela has finally persuaded him to go away for a week's ski-ing. So that is my boss. A man so brilliant that he has government funding to invent an artificial left ventricle - although funds have dried up at the moment and his research has suffered a setback because he can't get hold of any more pigs. Don't ask! (It is of some comfort that they receive a full general anaesthetic.) I spend my working day like this: toiling away at the computer and dealing with a hundred very demanding private patients who believe that the world begins and ends with them and Simon is their personal physician. I type 50 plus very long letters a day. There are times when I am on automatic pilot..... And then I visit UNRV. Truth to tell, I even have the odd quick visit during the working day. This site has become a haven for me. I spend the day- when not typing - listening to my colleagues (charming as they are) chatting on about the latest 'Big Brother' eviction, or who will win the celebrity 'Come Dancing' series. Added to this is the usual office bitching about 'those downstairs' who never do a hand's turn and moan on and on about how much work they have to do. And we must throw in for good measure the usual collection of hypochondriacs, who are always to be found in any medical establishment. I have one colleague who persistently hurls her bowels into the daily conversation at every opportunity; another who has so many ailments that she is a medical phenomenon; and a third who hijacks the nearest visiting consultant to inject her thumb joint, made painful by repetitive strain injury on the computer keyboard. Repetitive strain injury? Ye gods! She should have bashed away at an old manual Remington! I had discovered Forums on the Internet for almost every sphere of interest over the years, and one day I decided to type into Google 'Roman History Forums' - et voila! I hit the enter key with no great hopes, I have to say. Many Forums (of course it should be fora) are a let down when you get there: filled with trolls and posters whose vocabulary seems largely to consist of vulgarities strung together with the odd 'and' or 'but' or 'innit'. Imagine my joy when I read posts from Primus Pilus, Cato, Ursus, Phil, Decimus, Doc, Pertinax, Wotwotius, Gaius Octavius, all discussing topics of great interest to me - and in beautiful English! Even Andrew Dalby was there! I was in seventh heaven. This is not to say of course that there are no other good Forums out there. Surprisingly enough I am a member of a Chelsea Supporters forum which is filled with well-educated, knowledgeable people who, while biased (naturally), nevertheless write a decent prose. But this one is clearly at the pinnacle. I sometimes feel very humble to be among such company. It is a place where I can exchange knowledge, learn new things, and benefit from the persuasiveness of a decent, well-formed argument, even if it goes against my own views. Everyone is polite and welcoming; no-one is made to feel that they don't belong or are simply being tolerated. However, the troll types are given short shrift, and well done to our Triumvirs for that. But most of all, this is a place where I can laugh. After a hard day's work and an hour or so listening to the latest traumas and dramas of teenagers' lives, I can relax and come to UNRV. It really is like settling down on the sofa with a glass of red wine and pampering myself. A huge thank you to all of you out there.

May I just stand up and applaud Ursus for this post. Many of us are with you on this, Ursus. Well said!

Instead of starting a whole new thread - perhaps we could keep this one for ongoing birthdays. And may I therefore take the opportunity of wishing Favonius Cornelius a happy birthday. Hope you have a great day, Favonius.

[quote name='Julia C

Can I add a serious note to this fun thread? After reading all the intense jibes on the Rome and USA thread, isn't it good that we can add a corrective like this, whereby we can all laugh at ourselves? It used to be what Brits and Americans were famous for. Let us revive it! And now, I shall climb down off my soapbox and weep tears of joy over all my brethren from both sides of the Atlantic, across Europe and beyond, and even on the furthest reaches of Jupiter. You know - I am not a Christian or any other sort of god-botherer - but some of what that dude said made sense..... Instead of highlighting our differences, why not rejoice in our similarites?

Hear, hear, Ursus! Most of us (ahem - me; I suppose I can only speak for myself) only have gripes with Bush and his policies - not with the USA as a whole. Believe me, we'd rather have you as allies than enemies! Plus - on a purely personal note - I spent two of the most wonderful holidays of my life in New York. I have travelled widely and can honestly say that New Yorkers are amongst the most hospitable of people. Please hold a Forum meeting in NYC - just so I can have another excuse to visit. well, I'm only worrying about my future I'm very young and this years will be the peak of my life unfortunately(or fortunately for them), some people won't be here in those years to see this changing world Well - in 2040, Traianus, I shall only be 83, so I am very much planning on being around I certainly wish to outlive my namesake and she lived to 86!

Sorry for a mo (We're heading for Hades.....) Ah - here we must differ, Paul. Although I don't believe I have seen beyond Series 4 (I think it was, but can't swear to that) - I absolutely loved Six Feet Under - purely because of its black take on things. I loved the dysfunctional Fischer family too, and although there were 'sick' moments, I still watched it with relish. I started to get a bit fed up when boring old George appeared, however. I thought Ruthie deserved better than that. I can understand how it may offend, but I can say from the heart that as a person who has had an awful lot of bereavement in my life, seeing the 'funny side' was therapeutic for me. Plus - I saw the funeral home and the job the Fischers did as an integral part of what made them the way they were. Imagine what it must be like to have a family business like that? Strangely enough - when I first saw the opening titles for 'Rome' I was immediately reminded of SFU. Something to do with that jerky music and off-the-wall graphics. I don't know whether anyone else felt this way. As for other HBO shows, I cannot offer an opinion because I only attempted to watch the Sopranos for a few episodes, and although I could appreciate it as a piece of well-produced drama, its storyline did not appeal to me, so I didn't pursue it.

A quite brilliant post, Julius! I love it - and it gave me a real boost today, after I went helter skelter down my icy garden path in a fair imitation of a slalom skier. I am nursing a sore coccyx!

Yes, quite easily. Even if you refer to the viewing figures here, Paul, and not in the States, remember that SFU has had many seasons to gain a stalwart following.

I am sure we have had this poll before. In any case, I would vote for Scipio Africanus. I cannot comment on Belisarius' efforts as he lies outside my perimeters of knowledge, so I offer apologies to military experts who may disagree with my choice of Scipio. However, as much as we may all admire Caesar's conquests, Scipio had to deal with an aggressor on the doorstep, as it were, and my final vote goes to him for rescuing Rome from what could have been an early end. BTW: It always amazes me that Germanicus is even mentioned in polls of this nature!