CiceroD

I would think that it is its own story. According to wikipedia Age of Treasonhas been disowned by Lindsey Davis because it doesnt really follow the details of the books. Sorry I dont know how to make a link but wikipedia 'Marcus Didus Falco' and you'll find it. I havent seen it DecimusCaesar was it good? was Helena in it? keep me posted

Again true, but Im offering a method of how to have made the Roman Army more proffessional and less likely to turn on the People. Not how it really was (we all know the result of that). Im getting the feeling this should be in a different forum.

I especially love how she writes from a genuine Roman perspective (to a point). For instance how Falco's view of women is very modern. His view of Christians, on the other hand, as weirdos was accurate. To the pre- Constantine Ancient Romans, Christians were weirdos.

Hey Im looking out for other Falco fans (since there are none Ive met in daily life). Has anyone read "Scandal Takes a Holiday" or "See Delphi and Die"? For the uninitiated these are mystery novels by Lindsey Davis that take place in Ancient Rome. It centers around one Private eye (private informer) named Marcus Didius Falco. there funny witty and enjoyable. But I havent yet bought the next two. So how are they?

Lost Warrior, As a fellow Pennsylvanian Im curious at where in PA you are Especially where you find tame wolves are you in Northern state or in the Mountains? Oh and another question for the Australians I'm a LOST fan but the one detail thats always bothered me is that this flight from Sydney has only one Australian on it. Or only one Aussie who survived. Do you guys get that there? Is this a joke over there?

Phil, A source in Viggen's article says the hand

I think that the definitions are one in the same Augusta "Roman-Nosed" really means a convex profile right? any Roman nose would have to join the forehead in the way you just described for it to be convex look at he wikipedia page for "hooknose" Dont try "Roman Nose" that will take you to an American Indian Chief

The risks wouldn't be symmetrical because the populations to which they had been exposed previously differed greatly. That is, if you were a Roman growing up in a city of close to 1,000,000, you would have a higher probability of encountering a novel bug than if you were a Gaul growing up in a village of only 100. If that bug didn't kill you as a Roman boy, it is because your antibodies beat them off, and with your life you would have been left with some immunity to the bug in the future. Thus, going to Gaul, you as a Roman would have been less susceptible to encountering a novel bug than your Gallic counterparts encountering 10,000 Romans like you. Hence, the risks were asymmetrical. (BTW, glad this digression got its own thread.) This is ignoreing that most of the novel (and dangerous) dieseases come from human contact with Animals? I.E. FARM ANIMALS? Smallpox came from cows. we are getting Avian flu coming from chickens. mad COW diesease and CHICKENpox are self explainatory. I dont have my copy with me but didnt they go over this in Guns Germs and Steel? Also all Ive heard on the subject of communicable diesease in pre modern war was the risk to the soldiers themselves. The risk of living in close quarters with a lot of other men. Also novel strains of diesease dont necessarily kill large numbers of people Many people come down with the flu year after year only to recover from these novel strains. of course many dont but they are generally the old the young and the immune difficient right?

Very true, But the loyalty these legions had for there commanders and for each other was absolute. To my mind its because they had ONLY been commanded (and paid) by the same Dux. I know im not citing any sources but this is a hypothetical situation. suppose a good deal of the centuries in Caesar's army HAD served with Pompey and Liked him. I am no expert, but I would think that getting his legions to attack other Roman legions. Men they had previously fought with. Officers they had previously served under. Wouldnt the US verses THEM political factor have been reduced? Personally, I think it would have MUCH harder to cross the Rubicon under those circumstances. yes Caesar would have been popular but would he have been popular enough? Would he have had the fanatic loyalty that made Pharsalus a success and brought Octavian to center stage? Would this have forced Caesar to play ball with the senate? I think so, but I dont know. Again I know I am not an expert and this is entirely hypothetical. But am I making any sense? am I making any valid points? More importantly, what are the holes in this theory?

Wouldnt reshuffling cohorts and centuries actually helped Marian legions remain true to the State and not to whomever was leading them? just a little thought also transferring commanders could have served a similar function

I still would never like to have that job Going to an enemy capitol carrying a spear loudly declaring war geez what was their life expectancy anyway? no wonder they gave up this ritual

One of my High School history teachers once told me that the Ancient Romans were THE most practical people on Earth Its funny to realize that the Romans wouldnt have batted an eye at the previously described arrangement. Even so since taxes were collected privately Vespasian could easily loftily ignore it hahaha

Im wondering, In either Roman Medicinedoes it mention whether or not doctors proscribed prayers as well as medicine? I saw this in the 1970's I Claudius miniseries starring Derek Jacobi I dont know if this is accurate or not. good show though

Yes Lost Warrior, Its hard to believe but there was a tax on laundry urine. Remember that this was before the invention of soap and they needed the ammonia in urine to clean clothes. Of course after the "cleaning" they rinsed their tunics very very well. well hopefully they did

Thank You phil25! its exactly what I needed

It seems plausible that the Romans could of come up with that expression. After all, it took Sir John Harrington's invention of a flush toilet for Queen Elizabeth I for his name (john) to be synonomous with Loos. This could be an example of an old joke that never died. All that said I dont really know

What is now on top of the Palatine and Capitoline hills?

Plebians and Equestrians also had three names Equestrians such as Marcus Livsanius Agrippa and Lucius Aelius Sejanus Many Tribunes of the Plebs also had three names like Titus Annius Milo Now were Equestrians technically Patricians? or were they Plebians who were wealthy?

Thank you Sertorius, You truly did your namesake justice. But what do you make of the burned list of Populists in Italy ready to revolt? Do you think that this is just a story Plutarch used to contrast how honorable Sertorius and Pompey were with Perpenna's cowardice? If you do do you think that there was enough discontent with the Sullan regime to do Sertorius any good? I understand that no one can really know, but what do you think?

So not somthing particularly bad just a common expression And thanks for the wikipedia page that pretty much has it all Im still interested in common sayings or phrases though

hey thanks guys but what does "ecastor" and "epollux" mean. E-mail if its bad

Im interested in compiling a list of latin words that would compel any roman matron to wash out the mouths of children (if they had soap). There has to be examples of colorful latin from ancient graffiti. Isn't there? Im also interested in common colloquialisms and turns of phrase. NOTE: IN ORDER TO KEEP THE FORUM G-RATED PLEASE E-MAIL ME ANYTHING BAD dshipstad@yahoo.com I'd be willing to E-mail the results to people who are also interested if you have any doubt as to appropriateness, please err on the side of caution! hope to hear from you

I agree with you Julius Ratus, The white fawn story does sound like second hand gossip The other story he lists about plucking a horse's tail out one hair at a time by is also a little bit ridiculous. Supposedly to illustrate the point that strength of an army was less important than planning then patience he had a contest between a guy trying to pull out a tail all at once and another who plucked it out singly. Guess who supposedly won? Ive never worked with horses but I do not believe one would submit tamely to somthing like that On the other point about a possible alliance between Sertorius and Caesar I dont think that Caesar was a major player yet. This would mean that he would be more Sertorius's follower then ally. Then again everything rests on when this Sertorian invasion would occur. Caesar was above all else ambitious. If the years went by with an undefeated Sertorius all other conquests would have to be put on hold. In order to win the same glory he did in Gaul he might go Optimate and try to defeat Sertorius. The if's are many What do you guys think?

I should have listed my source (Thank you M. Portius Cato) I found the quote on pg. 89 of Anthony Everritt's Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician. 2001 by Random House: New York Everrit lists his source as Cicero's De Oficiis Everritt states "Cicero gave an account of a party attended by a certain Quintus Gallius, a friend of Catilina, which evokes the raffish atmosphere of his (I assume Catilina's) circle." Ok this is the quote by Cicero "There are shouts and screams, screeching females, there is deafening music. I thought I could make out some people entering and others leaving, some of them staggering from the effects of wine, some of them still yawning from yesterday's boozing. Among them was Gallius, perfcumed and wreathed by flowers; the floor was filthy, soiled with wine and covered with withered garlands and fish bones." hmm re reading this it doesnt sound like its Catalina's party. Does it? I think even if it isn't describing one of Catalina's parties Its describing his crowd. So what do you all think?

Sorry, mistype I meant Pompey "helped" Crassus with Spartacus