Primus Pilus

Augur, just out of curiousity, do you know off hand the current Christian population of Armenia (percentage). Has it resisted the spread of Islam?

If my memory serves I don't believe there is any surviving (authenticated) bust of Crassus. Regardless nice picture

Yes they had a choice, albeit one that doesn't make much sense to our modern sensibilities. Any of them could've fallen on the sword in the Roman tradition of preserving ones diginity. Is this realistic, or would it have been the best thing for the 'state' at any given time? Perhaps, perhaps not, depending on the who and the when, but they always had a choice even if that choice meant exile or death. However, I do agree that the course of the late Republic/early Principate was an inevitable march of progression, that might not have offered much different results regardless of who the players were.

Although in the Imperial period, Rome did enforce the law through the use of Vigiles and of course in severe matters, the Praetorians. But no, Rome did not have a 'police' force as we know it today. As alien as it may seem to us today, its an indication of their powerful social culture that crime (minor anyway) was handled mostly by local families with certain magistrates or 'nobility' getting involved when necessary. Its just one little indication that ancient society even in cities the size of Rome was much more based on social, family, cultural tradition, etc., than we have today. And jails did exist, especially in the later imperial period, but their existence was not the same intention as our modern prisons. But PM is right though, Roman 'prisons' were generally just considered holding pens for the condemned and are in no way reflective of how we punish our criminals.

Indeed, my reeference was only regarding imperial legions.

Theodosius made it official. Constantine is often regarded as the first Christian empire, but that is debatable. Regardless, Constantine certainly paved the way for Christian acceptance, and began to allow some cultural shifts that made pagan practice more difficult.

Indeed, in Augustus' renewal of Roman virtue, Ovid was banished from Rome due to his status as the Hugh Heffner/Larry Flynt of the Ancient world. He was a high profile target of Augustus' anti adultery legislation, and the emperor also blamed Ovid for his daughter's (Julia), hmm how shall we say this, less than virtuous nature

It's a complex question that requires more than a simple yes or no. We've discussed it several threads some in depth.. some not... but here is the one PM referred to Caesar, Liberator or Tyrant

There is no complete consensus opinion on tunica colors, though most historians tend to agree that the typical 'uniform' consisted of a dark red tunic. Some think there may have been a second off-white one issued as well. I'm not sure what the green and blue tunics are that you're referring to. Where did you see this published?

I'm not sure if Crystal links is a complete reprinting or a rewording of encyclopedic information, but at any rate they used Encyclopedia Britannica as a sole source... Scroll down for the reference info... That doesn't make the information wrong, just encyclopedic... which isn't usually very in depth.

An interesting concept. The triumph was a terrible point of contention on many occassions between the two major political factions. While I don't necessarily think it is a cause, it certainly is a major symptom of the problems of that era. As an example, while Caesar certainly wanted his first triumph (after his victories in Hispania), he wanted the Consulship even more. Both are indications of his personal desire for power and dignity, but the consulship was a means to continuing advancement while the triumph really only provided a brief moment of glory. This of course is only one brief example, and the theory obviously needs some further thought.

Here ya go Clodius... welcome me to your world of rationality Smartass You are 100% Rational, 57% Extroverted, 85% Brutal, and 71% Arrogant. You are the Smartass! You are rational, extroverted, brutal, and arrogant. You probably consider people who are emotional and gentle to be big pussies who are obviously in lesser stature than you. You have many flaws, despite your seeming intelligence and cool-headedness. For instance, you aren't very nice. In fact, you're probably an asshole. And you are conceited and self-centered. Not only that, but you are very loud and vocal about all this, seeing as how you are extroverted. There is no better way to describe you than as a "smartass", I'm afraid. Perhaps just "ass" would do, too. But that's a little less literary and descriptive. At any rate, your main personality defect is the fact that you are self-centered, mean, uncaring, and brutally logical. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive. 2. You are more EXTROVERTED than introverted. 3. You are more BRUTAL than gentle. 4. You are more ARROGANT than humble. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Emo Kid. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Capitalist Pig, the Braggart, and the Sociopath. It's no wonder I get in so many damned arguments around here

Agreed, though we, as much as anyone still define history by our own core beliefs, but I think we tend to look upon the events from a perspective of what they meant at the time and the effect they had on the world. We are less concerned (I think) about what is good/bad or right/wrong in the study of history, but instead focus properly on an events impact.

Unfortunately, when they asked for my email, I had to surrender 5 minutes of work by not getting the final results

Interesting because Plutarch specifically calls them Patrician. Of course, he wrote his 'Lives' in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, so in his mind the Gracchi would've been Patrician. Very interesting piece of situational history there. Thanks for the correction Germanicus. EDIT: Unless my memory is failing me completely, which is of course, completely possible.

Yes, but their father's name was also Patrician with a heritage of magistracies including the consulship (grandfather I believe)

The Gracchi were indeed Patrician from both sides of the family... from Scipio Africanus on their mother's side. I don't recall Plutarch making any mention of how they were elected Tribune (from a legal standpoint)... just that they were Tribunes. Drusus and Antonius were both Plebeian as I recall but I don't remember the exact family lineage without looking it up. Of course, at this stage in Roman history, there could be very little difference between rich and powerful Plebes and Patricians other than that lineage.

Or is it even more simple in human rationalization... Caesar conquered... therefore Caesar is better/worse, depending upons the era, the social environment of the time, etc.

One can't help but notice the veracity of this quote by one scholar in that article.

My Latin is rather limited and I struggle through, so I prefer the pre-translated texts. It's a rather embarrassing weakness really. I can read it, but it takes me forever and I lose the feel of what I was reading.

As important as Horace and Ovid are to the history of literature, I can't say that poetry truly inspires me. However, I did enjoy reading Bellum Civile (or Pharsilia) by Lucan, not because of the style but because of the subject matter. There's something about the nature of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey that always draws me. Other than that, I admire Juvenal for his biting wit and contempt for corruption, decadence, etc. His satires got him into considerable trouble, but then again, what Roman poet/writer didn't have to watch his back a little.

http://www.unrv.com/military.php

You may have noticed I stickied the 3 pages by Scanderbeg and Hamilcar Barca. I'd hate for these to get lost in the forum as time goes by.

We may do another one in the not too distant future. We're approaching summer and alot of folks take holidat/vacation this time of year (myself included) so I'm not sure when a good time to try is.

An excellent source for the late Republic... Rubicon by Tom Holland