Primus Pilus

Simply... it's stunning. The images are perhaps a bit too 'clean', but I'd imagine at some point they can play with textures to add bits of realism depending on the purpose. I'd hope that this project sees some application beyond the research arena and finds itself being used in documentaries and such.

My personal impression, and that's all it is, was that the name of the episode was just supposed to represent the activity and events leading up to the Ides of March. We know that the Ides is significant for the actual assassination, but the common viewer probably had a far lesser appreciation for the reasons it took place.

An Ancient training manual for Roman athletes

Hello and welcome Flavia... Though the sudden presence of all these authors around here combined with my tendency to butcher English grammar is beginning to make me nervous. Cheers, Chris

Egads, you are quite right... I prematurely killed off the poor pachyderms before Trebbia. The bulk of them did survive into Italy, though likely in a terrible state of health. I'm not quite sure why I said 3... as none of the sources suggest that. See what happens when one doesn't proof-read... I'm blaming alcohol.

From the Roman perspective, this is entirely dependent on the time frame, though. While there is clear evidence of the existence of slave and lower class citizen voluntarii in the Punic Wars and other such crises, the bulk of the army until Marius was made up of landed citizenry (the first five classes as the sixth was generally excluded).

Appian says this... Plutarch... Paterculus says only this of the entire affair... Livy's unfortunately limited Periochae doesn't provide any detail on the weapons... Florus also doesn't mention how they initially gathered their weaponry Cassius Dio's account is lost in the fragments of books 30 - 35. Both Plutarch and Appian seem to leave the matter open to interpretation really.

A personal favorite... Crazy lady vs. telemarketer

Here's some... A basic intro... Romans (usborne Beginners) A bit more advanced... The Romans (Usborne Illustrated History) More... Who Were the Romans? I Wonder Why the Romans Wore Togas... The Romans Activity Book (British Museum) Romans Activity Book (Creative Fun Series)

I did the movie quotes... I defy you! Come and kneel before UNRV!

Primus Pilus wakes from his inebriated slumber, regurgitates and slurs rather loudly... "what's with all the shouting"

I simply meant conventional as in political rather than military, regardless of the methods. My apologies for not being quite as hostile with the use of colorful adjectives, but I generally agree. I don't think there is any question that Caesar's lust for power would not have been curtailed, and a struggle for political dominance would have continued, but civil war and the horrific political ramifications would have been averted. (At least temporarily... as we can't be sure of any hypothetical possibilities of course). You're not going to get an argument from me that Caesar would have been the sort to retire to the country while resting on his laurels of victory, but even a belligerent and victorious political Caesar was a better alternative than the triumphant dictator.

I agree that it's not necessarily fair to disregard Caesar's point of view. I believe that had his opponents allowed him to march home triumphantly he would've been appeased and continued to pursue his political goals through more conventional methods. He desired prominence and only sought war as a means when the possibility for that political prominence through normal methods seemed to be unlikely. In essence, yes, it's fair to say that from his perspective, he had been pushed to war by his uncompromising opponents. However, based on the evidence of support by the nobility, his popularity with the people, his noted oratory skill, his past political successes, and his enormous wealth after the conquest of Gaul, it also seems fair to say that had he chosen to face his accusers in court, he may have been able to defeat said accusers in a resounding manner. Such a success may have launched him into legendary status without the stigma that was attached through the civil war. (though such a stigma seems to have faded and is generally glorified) Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that Caesar wouldn't have jumped at the chance to face the opposition in such an open forum with the adoration of the people behind him (unless of course, said admiration has been overstated through history). Had Caesar returned to Rome without his army though, imagine the groundswell of support from those who feared pending war and begged for compromise. Such an act may have even persuaded the politically conflicted Cicero to throw his considerable voice behind him in court. While its also entirely understandable that he may have feared a Gracchan style execution before any opportunity arose in court (and/or the rather unlikely possibility of a Sullan style takeover by Pompey once Caesar laid down his arms), clearly Caesar could've at least been aware of the non military possibilities.

Absolutely... Vegetius goes on to say...

Don't discount Suetonius as a source for Augustus' character. His biography is loaded with the sort of information that should help you. Tacitus, Nicolaus of Damascus and even Dio Cassius should also offer some additional insight. Here are a few more suggestions: Augustus (Roman Imperial Biographies) by Pat Southern The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus by Paul Zanker (if anything will provide evidence of Augustus' "self-representation", this is it) The Age of Augustus by Werner Eck Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor by Anthony Everitt The Sons of Caesar: Imperial Rome's First Dynasty by Philip Matyszak Augustus: Godfather of Europe by Richard Holland

Here you go... How tall was the average Roman legionary?

Here's a list to get you started that was compiled by a forum member some time ago... http://www.unrv.com/culture/amphitheatres.php

If one leaves out the divine story elements and looks simply at the background history, the 'new testament' can easily be viewed as historical source material. Is it 100% accurate? No, probably not, but it's also highly unlikely that Tacitus and others are 100% accurate either. We accept those sources as general fact while understanding the potential for biases, personal agendas, or what have you. The difference is that Tacitus, Cassius Dio, etc. were attempting to write history, not recount the story of the birth of a religion. The gospel writers were more interested in that story than verifying the historical source material that may have been available to them. It's probably unfair to judge the history of the bible when that wasn't the purpose. Those of a more religious bent may disagree with me, but I liken it a bit to a historical novel. It holds a familiar but ancillary historical setting as what matters is the main character and how he interacts with that setting.

Vegetius is certainly rather non committal regarding the age of recruits in the later Roman army...

Residents of Pompeii ate their meals on the run, just like many Americans do today, according to a new archaeological study of how households functioned in the ancient Roman city buried by volcanic ash. Completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Pompeii is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Besides its risqu

We know of the census at least from Augustus' own Res Gestae. Line 8. A more detailed account of the census in question and the involvement of Quirinius is provided by Josephus in the "Antiquities". His account conflicts slightly with the gospels of Matthew and Luke, but the basic concepts are the same as far as I can remember. The problem seems to be with dates. Josephus' account in antiquities (Quirinius is called by the Greek version of his name Cyrenius)... Antiquities book 17 chap 13.5 Antiquities book 18, chap 1 & 2 The wiki actually provides a nice account of the issues in reconciling the Gospels with Josephus.. Census of Quirinius

Mine is a bit heavy on non Roman material at the moment.. and a few of those Roman books in my list are a bit pricey. My wishlist

Only 1 such thread is necessary. The general consensus around here is that the Byzantines were indeed an extension of the Roman Empire but it maintained a distinctly more eastern culture. "Byzantine" is an invented word, they referred to themselves as Romans (Romaion) This post has been merged.

I find it difficult to believe that a trial system--composed of senators and equites as jurors--that had returned an acquittal for Clodius in the Bona Dea scandal would have failed to do so for Caesar. And the idea should be that it was entirely possible that Caesar would be acquitted, regardless of the risk. We can't know for sure obviously, and even with the bribery that would've resulted in said trial, Caesar also would've been left with some doubt, but it was by no means a done deal. In fact had Caesar prostrated himself before the Roman courts and claimed outrageous slanders against him I find it hard to believe that he would not have experienced a ground-swell of public support to aid his cause. Perhaps we might liken it to Scipio Africanus and the accusations of bribery after the war with Antiochus that ultimately riled the people to his defense... but of course it did lead ultimately to his political retirement. I can't recall any historical record linking Caesar's thought processes to the trial of Lucius Scipio and the retirement of P. Scipio before going to civil war, but it's entirely possible that the result had an influence. Though it's also quite unlikely that Caesar would've accepted a scenario that resulted in his retirement even if he was ultimately proven to be 'in the right.'

And by the by, elephants had little impact on the war in Italy. Most of Hannibal's 37 elephants had died in harsh conditions upon traversing the Alps. Hannibal arrived in Italy with only 3 of the original 37, and these were killed at Trebbia River. They may have made quite an impression on the Gallic tribes Hannibal faced on his way to Italy, but they appear to have been more trouble then they were ultimately worth. Polybius Histories book 3