Primus Pilus

Hmm, if we aren't talking about severity of the 'crime' my initial reaction was to go with Marius. His several consecutive consulships along with running in abstentia certainly set a precedent. However, that's a rather simplistic view that doesn't take into account the reasoning, or the necessity of his actions (at least in part). I do agree with Clodius that the Senate holds a great deal of guilt, but for me, that body must be broken down into its various factions and time periods in order to do this on a comparable basis. With that in mind, I have to choose Sulla, not only for marching on Rome but for assuming a lengthened stay as dictator and completely tearing down 500 years of Republican constitutional evolution. As much as the later figures did to circumvent the 'constitution' it was a terribly worn down instrument by that point, and Sulla's behaviour stands out to me as the most non constitutional. Still, this is actually a very interesting question that requires further thought. Keep in mind the actual question about the constitution, not about right, wrong, or what political affiliation you may or may not agree with.

There wasn't one (a latin word for empress because there wasnt a latin word for emperor). Emperor was derived from the latin word Imperator which is not truly the same thing as the English word implies. A women could not be an imperator by virtue of its military origins. Several imperial wives came to be known as Augusta, however. Livia was the first, though she was not known so until after her death. Claudius' wife Agrippina (nero's mother) was the first to be thus titled while still living. I suppose, though, if one was to make a comparative translation to the masculine version we would use Imperatrix. by the way seems to me you are speaking of Elagabalus.

LOL, welcome Anticleia... according to people on this forum you'd be considered normal, but I can't speak for others

Welcome Anticleia, glad to have you

Of the earliest period Livy is invaluable as the only ancient account that survives. While a great deal of the earliest formation of Rome is based on myth and legend, without Livy, we would have very little knowledge of what the Romans believed about themselves. Much of the 'credible' history is sprinkled with his wonderful propoganda (I say wonderful because I truly enjoy Livy's readable and entertaining style) and it can detract from his assessment as a historian. However, its important to note that Livy obviously had access to information that is now long lost to us, but his major fault (according to modern history/archaeology) is that he makes little to any note of these sources. With that in mind though, Livy didn't seem to care about a deep analyzation of Roman history but only wanted to tell the complete story of Roman history as it was known at the time. Whatever any other amateurs, students, professors or scholars may think of Livy, I personally feel that he is indespensible as an ancient source and must be read to get a complete understanding of the earliest part of Roman history and culture.

By the way it started I got the impression they were building it the way the ancient did, but as I see many modern tools (including power) I guess not Still interesting but there would be a better reason to visit if they showed how it was actually done.

Rather than repost my own very brief synopsis on this subject... Related topic

Mine has also been added to my profile

I don't think anyone is contending that the Gladiator script is accurate, either historically or linguistically. That line is the actual script though

The Romans had limited contact and trade with nordic peoples, though nobody knew them as 'vikings' at the time.

Being a superpower doesn't mean an enemy can't resist. Many did the same against Rome. Look at the Germanics as examples. Rome tried but never could conquer. However, Rome was still a superpower empire. Anyway. The United States is not an empire. We are a federal republic with democratic ideals.

These sections may help... you'll have to figure out the details on your own. Roman Timeline Roman Battle Index

I think that is one of the areas where McCullough takes some liberties. There is no ancient source material regarding those events as a part of Sulla's life. She apparantly will divulge a complete bibliography regarding her research if you write to her and request it. Something I've always meant to do and either put it off or forgot about it.

It was connected for administrative purposes. Cyrenaica was a vast stretch of land that maintained a relatively minor population (in comparison to its total area). Most of that population resided in or near the city of Cyrene. Crete too was a relatively small place by itself. Rather than have two separate government adminstrations (especially for peaceful places not in need of a legionary presence) they were combined into one province.. despite the logistics problem. Crete Cyrenaica

Hehe, sorry, Yes Adrian Goldsworthy

Try anything by Goldsworthy if you are a fan of the 'military'.

The framea for certain. You may want to read through Tacitus: Germania to start. Modern scholars dispute some of his conjectures, but never completely. Tacitus' information is really the only written' first source material that we have.

What interests YOU skel? Are you a fan of the story of Caesar... partial to Hannibal, Scipio and the Punic Wars... Prefer the empire at the height of its power under the 5 good emperors, etc? Start with something you are interested in. The more you like a 'subject' the more likely you are to devote full attention and you will get the most out of it. By getting the most out of it you might also untap new areas of interest. For example, you might be reading about Caesar and may find yourself totally baffled by Plebes, Patricians, Optimates, Populares, etc. and your next reading may be a look at the social and political structure of Rome...

The attached mpeg which has been circulating for ages shows the clever versatility of the English 'F' word. Those with sensitive sensibilities may wish to ignore it F Word

That's the first I heard this, but could there be any larger indictment of just how ahistorical that movie was. Sorry, I can't help it, I just hated that film Anyway, as for gladiator.. after a bit of googling I came up with this. GERMAN BARBARIAN: Ihr seid verfluchte hunde! From: Dreamworks fansite

It was offered in a staged (my opinion) event by Marcus Antonius well after Caesar was in supreme control. My best guess is that this was done in order to either 1) Prove he didn't want to be King by refusing it. or 2) judge the response of the 'mob' on whether or not they would accept it. Sulla's tumultuous dictatorship was certainly a step in the fall of the Republic, but he was in fact a supporter of the complete opposite political agenda. He took the dictatorship not only for his own ego and power, but to stem the growing power of the populares movement. The Republic continued, true in a battered state, but it did continue for another 30 to 60 years (depending on one's definition). Btw, welcome to the forum Perfectimus

I have never finished the legion listing However, www.livius.org (as well as others that I can't quite think of at the moment), has a wonderful rundown.

Seems he may be including attached auxilia? Regardless, fucntional Roman military sizes approximated 150,000 men -- 28 standard legions (25 under Augustus after the Varus disaster). That number increased to 30 depending on the time period. While estimates of auxilia strength varies from scholar to scholar, a ratio of 1 to 1 (auxiliary to legionary) is safe. Using that assumption, the standing Roman military strength would approximate 300,000 men at any given time in the imperial period.

I think the first ancient source material I read was Suetonius, and I must admit I was hooked. I've said it before in other threads... we really have to be careful with his work (as there's alot of gossip) but it's highly entertaining, mixed with fact, and is a wonderful introduction to Roman culture.

I'm in disagreement on this one. I'd really rather that people register before posting.