Primus Pilus

Expansion and increasing provincial authority among pro-consulars is the key difference between the eras of the Republic. Autonomous provincial "rule" bred a form of corruption that hadn't been evident in Rome until the middle 3rd century. While those generals responsible for the earliest conquests certainly benefited on a personal level, it was Rome itself which garnered the greatest glory. Each successive opportunity did have a "one-upmanship" mentality effect among some members of the political class that culminated in the imperatorial rivalries of the latest era. Salve PP If "softness" is defined by that measure, it seems "hardest" society and culture were those of the slaves themselves. Indeed, perhaps so if measured simply by labor. However, while a slave assigned to labor may have been hardest in terms of physical labor, they did not necessarily have the personal responsibility as caretaker for family, business, estate, etc. that others did practice. I do admit to using "softness" in quotations for want of a better term in my earlier post.

Available luxury, convenience, reduction in personal physical labor (via technology, slavery or what have you) may "soften" a society and culture but I don't necessarily believe that softening equates to corrupting. In much the same way that modern day people, over ancestors even of the recent past, may have more access to luxury and convenience while having a reduced direct responsibility to provide for oneself and one's family, this doesn't indicate corruption in and of itself. Rather this is economic and societal specialization. As already suggested, bribery as a legal and electoral practice had always been an important element of the Roman system. Available luxury and territorial expansion did little to influence this as a form of corruption other than to perhaps increase the cost and extent of a bribe.

Want me to burn you a copy of "Underdog", or are you good? LOL, I'm good.

One would have to be a Directv subscriber, but at a tier of service less than their "Premier" package, which is the one being offered for a free preview. For example, I subscribe to Directv but do not have any of the movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etal) and thus these channels will be free to me this weekend. Capice? Makes sense.. was just making sure.

Forgive my ignorance, but how does on preview it if one doesn't have a satellite dish? And presumably if one already has the service, why would one need a free preview?

Archaeologists in Jordan said Monday they have discovered a cave underneath one of the world's oldest churches that may have once been an even more ancient site of Christian worship. Archaeologist Abdel-Qader Hussein, head of the Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies, says the cave was unearthed in the northern Jordanian city of Rihab after three months of excavation and shows evidence of early Christian rituals... MSNBC

First-century burial grounds near Rome's main airport are yielding a rare look into how ancient longshoremen and other manual workers did backbreaking jobs, archaeologists said Monday. The necropolis near the town of Ponte Galeria came to light last year when customs police noticed a clandestine dig by grave robbers seeking valuable ancient artifacts, Rome's archaeology office said. Most of the 300 skeletons unearthed were male, and many of them showed signs of years of heavy work: joint and tendon inflammation, compressed vertebrae, hernias and spinal problems, archaeologists said. Sandy sediment helped preserve the remains well... AP

Not truly, the facade still existed in the form of institutions and offices, but what remained of that facade in governing practice had largely been done away with by Tiberius/Sejanus. Nero's was a case where he was managed by such accomplished advisors as Seneca, Burrus and his mother Agrippina, but like his step-father Claudius, his entourage/circle of advisors including many freedmen and equites. As his independence from the three afore-mentioned advisors began to emerge we begin to see some political shift. However, Nero's behavior seems to have remained fairly consistent from youth through the end of his life. The senate itself was not so much a true representation of the Republic but was rather a pool of the rich and powerful families from which maqistrates, advisors, etc. could be plucked. Despite the constant complaints by the Senate throughout the sources that their power was being curtailed by just about every princeps (Tacitus, Cassius Dio especially, etc.) , they lacked the sort of deliberative authority that they held as a body in the Republican period. The mere existence of the authoritative Princeps really rules out the notion that the Republic still existed. Other than the short-lived appointment of Nerva after the murder of Domitian, the Senate despite all their attempts, really had little to no measurable success in the nomination of their own candidates for "emperor".

Perhaps, but since he's on the way out anyway, it's just election year political BS by our fine representatives. Our "fine representatives" are never far removed from making political hay from current events. Given that the Democratic party bosses do not favor Bush's impeachment at this moment, I view Kininch's resolution in a different way. His is a move with a view toward history. It will be recorded that at least a few lawmakers, two at this point, did the right thing during a presidency whose goal was to dismember the US Constitution. I understand your viewpoint of it, but I'm hard pressed to believe that Kucinich is doing anything for the protection of the US Constitution or the people but rather for his own legacy. Had he truly been so concerned about the constitution, then there are great number of the government's long reaching tentacles that could be clipped including Kucinich's own healthy disregard for the 2nd Amendment. Regardless, this is something that if filed at all should have been done when it might have meant something. (By the by, I have no great admiration for Bush. He's made many mistakes, the lack of fiscal responsibility, the misrepresentation of the reasons for the war in Iraq, keeping Rumsfeld around despite the situation in post-invasion Iraq, failure to secure or more importantly to fight vigorously for "energy independence" including the domestic production of oil, the Patriot Act, etc... but the impeachment initiative reeks of the sort of posturing that lacks a substantive effect.)

Perhaps, but since he's on the way out anyway, it's just election year political BS by our fine representatives.

Livy did mention it, at least enough to give your theory merit... he names the Temple of Carmentis, which was/is adjacent to the Porta Carmentalis and is immediately south/southwest of the Capitoline Hill. Livy 5.47 Since Tarpeian Rock was a cliff on the Capitoline... it very well could be the spot.

Photos @ National Geographic

Were you "deja vu'inig all over again" at the end when the Pens came THIS close to forcing OT? (Congrats) Hell yes, especially that puck that slid so dangerously in front of the goal line literally at the last second. The wings truly dominated the bulk of the play throughout the series despite what the broadcasters might have wanted. Fleury was remarkable in long stretches and was easily the Penguins best player notwithstanding the NBC/Versus/CBC love affair with Crosby. At least that will be over for a few months.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! While it may have started slow, the Penguins made it a hell of a series.

Go to "my controls" on the greyish bar in the upper right area of the screen. Scroll down to "Personal Profile" in the left side menu. Click "Edit Avatar Settings" Several methods will appear on the right side. Avatars uploads have file size limits (only 20kb) so some picture editing may be necessary depending on what method you choose. Hope that helps... Just post if there is another issue.

This makes no sense. You've made the claim that the Roman occupation was almost entirely peaceful. Then you claim that you accept the confrontations that took place, but still hold on to the notion that it wasn't a military invasion. You admit that Rome was attacking some tribes and not others... exactly how Rome conducted almost every invasion throughout it's history. The invasion of Britain was no different, nor Gaul, Noricum, Raetia, Moesia, Thracia, Pannonia, Asia and almost the entirety of the east and so on... It's how many Roman invasions were justified politically and conducted in the field. Divide and conquer. Of course every Germanic tribe was not defeated, as evidenced by Rome's ultimate inability to hold Germania and continuing frontier problems throughout the imperial period. However, many were defeated, as told directly in the sources. Again I implore you to read Vellius Paterculus, a man who was actually there, fighting in battle. Military action is military action. Of course it was targeted at particular tribes... those that were not allied to Rome or those that chose to stand up against Roman military invasion. I'll try to resist replying again because it's exasperating, but the evidence of the Roman campaigns prior to the destruction of Varus speaks for itself. Whether Augustus wanted peaceful taxation, colonization and stabilization of the frontier is not being challenged. The point is that it's not how it happened, regardless of whatever the intentions may have been.

Again, this approach to the "peaceful colonization of Germania" is fine as a theory to explain the objectives of Augustus, but it still hardly explains the pre-Varus campaigns of Drusus and Tiberius as well as the various military encounters that led to it. I'm not arguing against your notion that Augustus was establishing closer bonds with allied Germanics and settling them for all the various reasons that you suggest, but the truth is that the overall issue was anything but a passive and peaceful settlement. Not including the initial campaigns of Caesar or the handling of the Suebi/Ubii situation by M. Vipsanius Agrippa c. 38-37 BC... 29 BC - Gaius Carrinas (with Octavian) is awarded a triumph for his defeat of a Suebian invasion across the Rhine Gaul Dio Cassius 51.21.6 25 BC? - Marcus Vinicius led a campaign into Germania and was awarded triumphal ornaments. Vell Pat. 2.104, Cass. Dio 53.26 17 BC - The Sugambri crossed the Rhine and defeated Marcus Lollius in Gallia Belgica. Legio V Alaudae even lost it's eagle. Vell. Pat. 2.97 Cass. Dio 54.20 16 - 13 BC - In response to the invasion of the Sugambri, Augustus sends Drusus and Tiberius to reorganize the Rhineland as a military buffer zone. Cass. Dio 54.32-36 Vell. Pat. 2.97 12 BC - After this extensive reorganization and preparation, Drusus launched a punitive campaign deep into Germania, defeating the Sugambri, Frisians and Chauci. Cass. Dio 54.32-36 11 BC - Drusus establishes the Roman fort at Oberaden. Drusus' campaign continues to the Wesser. 10 - 9 BC - Drusus celebrates an ovatio (not something awarded for a peaceful campaign) and continues against the Chatti and Marcomanni and marched all the way to the Elbe. Florus (for several of the above entries) Epitome of Roman History 2.30 9 BC - Drusus dies on campaign and is replaced by Tiberius. Between 9 and 8 BC the Sugambri were completely subjugated and redistributed in Gaul effectively ending the Germania campaign for 15 or so years. However, military occupation continued with Legio XVIII likely at Xanten, Legio XVIIII at Haltern, Legio XVI Gallica likely at Mainz and Legio XVII whose ultimate base of operations is not clear, but may have been with XVIIII at Haltern. Legionary placement is archaeological. Cass. Dio 55.1-2 Tacitus Annals 2.26 4 AD - While there is little recorded evidence of military action for the previous 15 years, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus led a campaign in this year across the Elbe that began in response to a Germanic revolt. Cassius Dio book 55.10a, Tacitus says little more, but claims that Ahenobarbus won a triumph for the campaign. Annals Book 4.44 5-6 AD - Tiberius extensive Germanic campaigns... before being cut off by the revolt in Pannonia. Vell. Pat. 2.105-110

Amazon Indians from one of the world's last uncontacted tribes have been photographed from the air, with striking images released on Thursday showing them painted bright red and brandishing bows and arrows. The photographs of the tribe near the border between Brazil and Peru are rare evidence that such groups exist. A Brazilian official involved in the expedition said many of them are in increasing danger from illegal logging... The Story The Photos

If I understand him correctly... and that in itself may be impossible... is he simply suggesting that the timeline is wrong, not that these historical occurrences, events, etc. did not happen? His complaint seems to be with the mathematics of human history rather than the course of it. Perhaps I am missing something entirely?

While more recent archaeology suggests that the Legio VIIII Hispana survived the wars in Caledonia, this still has the potential for marrying a great Roman mystery with some popular historical culture. While I believe Sutcliffe targeted a younger audience with her novels, do you know if the movie will also be intended for the same? I get the impression not, but I suppose it's hard to tell at this early stage.

Archaeologists have discovered a portico, or covered entryway, of an ancient Egyptian temple beneath the surface of the Nile River. The entryway once led to the temple of the ram-headed fertility god Khnum, experts say. A team of Egyptian archaeologist-divers found the portico in Aswan while conducting the first-ever underwater surveys of the Nile, which began earlier this year. "The Nile has shifted, and this part of the temple began to be a part of [the river]," said Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities... National Geographic

They ate whatever was available... though grains likely to be more widely so, especially while on campaign in particular seasons or climates. However, there is considerable archaeological evidence to support the consumption of meat by legionaries, especially where there were permanent garrisons and nearby farms. R.W. Davies article in JSTOR: The Roman Military Diet may be slightly behind more current archaeology (published in 1971) but the premise is quite valid.

I suppose because they never won the proverbial "hearts and minds" of the Germanics. The encroachment of Rome, both militarily and culturally seems to have been an affront. And this should be understood as more than an affront to the power of local "nobility". While "settlement" by colonists as in that of the American west is an understandable association, it also must be understood that it too was followed by military intervention when that colonization and continued expansion was under threat. By the by, it wasn't necessarily me that said the Germanics were conquered but, Valerius Maximus. Ultimately, it turned out he was wrong in the strictest sense, but the truth is that many tribes were at least military suppressed and or subdued in the campaigns of Drusus and Tiberius. It should also be pointed out that Val Max also reports that several tribes still remained independent of Rome... such as the Marcomanni... a tribe notorious for giving Rome a handful along the Danube from the time of first contact (early 1st century) through the wars with Marcus Aurelius. The Rhine frontier on the other hand, while clearly still heavily garrisoned for a reason, didn't see the sort of heavy organized conflict that the Danube frontier did until the later period of the western empire.

Iggulden's books are historical fantasy - I guess you didn't read that part of the discussion. Trying to attack them for not being accurate seems like pure intellectual snobbery. I do understand your position and forgive me for interjecting on a comment addressed to someone else, but I think the key is this label of historical fantasy rather than historical fiction. I think we are in relative agreement that these two genres have rather different connotations. However, I've never personally seen either the publisher or the the author himself labeling it as fantasy in public for common perception. (Iggulden's own synopsis of Gates of Rome) When I picked up the book I thought I was going to be reading a fictionalized version of the details of Caesar's life, not complete fantasy. Had I known... I never would've tried it and therefore would not likely have been left with a negative impression. I'll freely admit that Iggulden is an excellent writer but I can't help my personal preferences when it comes to content.

I believe the author's original contention was that the Jesus evolved essentially from the real life of Caesar, not that Caesar was literally Jesus. There was a rather long discussion of this some time back and I had meant to read the book for purely entertainment purposes but I had forgotten completely about it. This thread serves as a nice reminder