CiceroD

But that doesn't preclude their use on the battlefield as an "Area denial ordinance system" After all cannon were used on battlefiels and they had to have weighed as much as Carroballistae

Wrong. The only ancient source is Plato. Edgar Cayce et al are/were quite modern. sorry thanks for correcting me

Were these magistrates among the Vintigisexviri?

You're going to hell. Feel Better? ;) Oops, this was about religion, my bad... carry on. Thank you according to my Godmother I should get one of those a day. Anyway your two cents are welcome! and I'll take this one step further, What's up with the atlantis people? I mean the ONLY REPUTABLE (if even that) source of it is Plato

Difficult to say, and we should remember that these artillery pieces were intended as siege weapons primarily. On the battlefield, they were usually immobile, which suggests a defensive battle is the best form of deployment and then on higher ground with infantry cover and support. The battlefield is a dynamic place so the utility of these weapons is limited, and the cases where we know they were used is almost invariably against an enemy position. In fact, I can't think of any case where roman artillery was used openly on the battlefield. Wikipedia states that Carroballistae were mounted on carriages for the ease of moving with a battle so same question or is wikipedia full of it?

Did anyone in Ancient Rome find that the Goddess of feminine sexuality ending in us ironic?

I especially love the answers to where did all the water go. "God made all the water go away" While Im glad I have support. (and that someone found my post ) Im surprised I didn't get a "your going to hell" response.

Wow am I the only one here who takes the scientific community for its word? I mean theyve run the equations. If it was really a few busybodies that want to change our lifestyle how could the Climatologists be united so? We're burning through biomass deposited over billions of years of the Carboniferous. Thats certainly undisputed.

Where were carroballistae and other Artillery pieces placed in battle order? (usually)

a very simple question Why do their names sound masculine especially Venus's? was it a throw back to before the us-i suffix was masculine?

BEFORE you post please at least think about my arguement. This is a philosophical discussion and I know it is contentious. In my many discussions with friends in the Christian Fellowship on campus, whenever I ask how they can simply ignore the science of geology the answer is always in the vein of "God Created it that Way" some examples Q. What about the layers of Rocks that indicate gradual deposition of material over millions of years? A. God created the rocks in layers. It is equally plausible Q. How can fossils be from the Great flood when the amount of Argon in their bones indicated they died millions of years in the past? A. God adjusted the amount of that so as not to offer physical proof of his existance. my favorite Q. the stars are billions of light years away. If they were created thousands of years ago with the earth then we wouldn't see most of them A. God created the light on the way to earth so that we could see them I understand the "God didn't want physical proof of his existence" explanation but if so much of the world was created specifically to trick us. Then Christianity follows the doctrines of Gnosticism i.e. The Old Testament God (the Creator) was an evil, or at best imperfect being (God and the Devil were one) Therefore, this world is evil and we must not be led astray by any worldly indulgence. I really dont like that Theology

Cicero first started interesting me after I read the biography by Anthony Everett. Then I began to read some of his work and he really impressed me. (I dont believe all his arguements. especially that one can be blissfully happy while being tortured) He seemed like a great guy to have a deep discussion with. The D is my first initial. (by the way my sis says this name sounds like a really really really lame hip hop artist but i think dat hoe is trippin yo I axe ya is she trippin? CiceroD is in dah house !!!

I don't know MPC perhaps in earlier ages politicians were simply more discrete when they seeded the campaign trail with Gold. Caesar was always a showman, he could have simply been flaunting his power as Triumvir. Also remember the polarization of politics near the end of the Republic meant that public office was a game of vastly higher stakes. the partisan politics would logically mean that buying an office would get more expensive. "There is Evil, ever around Fundamental System of Government quite Incidental" Evita the Musical

Does anyone have any definite information of how long Mime and Pantomime were popular? they seemed to be more lowbrow for the hoi polloi (pantomime particularly)

Yes truly insofar as damage done the Goths take the cake But they would have been nothing to the earlier legions And therefore not the worst enemy (meaning force). To me that means a choice between the three largest civilizations the Romans battled Carthage Epirus and Parthians/Persians

Not so I believe! Hannibal could not do much after his victory at Cannae. "Hannibal had no option. His army was not large enough to invest a city the size of Rome and starve it out, and he had no siege machines"-Ernle Bradford Hannibal pg 118

And, while former slaves did customarily take the praenomina and nomina gentilicia of their former masters, there wasn't much concern about confusion because the freedman would continue to use his original name as his new cognomen. As in the case of Tiro, the slave of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Upon manumission, Tiro became "Marcus Tullius Tiro." -- Nephele Very true Nephele, but it only goes to prove my point it made cognomina necessary in roman society as slavery was a gateway into citizenship.

A source Ive just read in my copy of "The Ancient City" by Peter Connolly and Hazel Dodge that the last Tragedies we know to be performed were in the reign of Claudius. Furthermore, they state that the roman's enthusiasm for comedy also waned. What caused this decline in theatre except perhaps of mime and pantomime? was it perhaps that the arena and races were just more interesting? (as I think) or Perhaps it was simply too Greek as an art form like how Greek Athletics were. What does the Forum think?

All in all one must remember that there were very few Praenomens. The Gens names could become very confusing as former slaves took their masters' names. Furthermore the Gens was more of a clan name than a modern surname In my understanding the three names became nearly a necessity. Also beware........ I suspect the Praenomen or Cognomen of many Persons are often lost to history. Who amongst the uniformed public really know that Caesar was Gaius Julius Caesar?

I dont think that rich volcanic soils are much to brag about. All the reading ive ever done puts Calcareous soils a notch above anything else. Besides Poor Soil is ALWAYS preferable for vines. "Grapevines are like athletes they need to suffer a little to perform at their best" Jeff Cox

Im wondering is the Bear thing related in the texts (and which ones) or is it based only on the Art-Ur(sus) theory with his name?

Didn't

Did the Romans have them? Now, I am well aware that the romans generally quit their workday around noon. That begs the obvious question how they made up the extra work they werent doing in the baths. did they work every morning of the week and is that how they made up the lost time? It would make sense that weekends would be a construction of Judeo-Christian Sabbath talk to me

I agree with you totally Caldrail that historical movies leave a lot to be desired for. Especially the caliber of hollywood acting. But may I make an observation about what ive bolded (and I'm not trying to be annoying). All movies about the classical peoriod are produced in a British Accent. The only exception ive ever seen to this rule was the Clive Owen King Arthur movie. There the Romans finally sound Italian. This is a point Ive made before. Also note that I'm not really complaining after all sticking an American sounding character in Ancient Rome would be ... a glaring inconsistancy.

EEEWW that is a Huge ick to any modern wino! Wine needs its acidity in order to keep well especially in an age before refrigeration. Additionally wines from a warm climate (like the mediterranean) tend to be low acid in any case additionally if you alkalize wine it become flabby and dead acidity is why we like lemonade and orange juice (citric acid) and soda pop (carbonic acid) Either the romans had very drastic taste in their wine, or it was just used to stopper the amphora. (did it really cover the entire inside of amphorae?)