Primus Pilus

Very well... that's quite clear then I should think.

Probably because they couldn't afford them. The generals on the other hand could offer their men booty from their victories. The senate tried more than once to relieve people of their command but the men were behind their commanders. The basic premise is absurd. All the armies of the republic were formed to protect the People and Senate of Rome. If one of these armies went rogue (e.g., Caesar's, Antony's), the others were called in to defeat it (e.g., Pompey in the case of Caesar's rogue army, Hirtius and Pansa in the case of Antony's rogue army). The notable exception, of course, was Octavian's little army. At any other time in history, it would have been immediately outlawed and crushed, as happened to the many private armies that plagued Rome since its founding--from the armies of Titus and Tiberius Junius Brutus, to the armies of Lepidus, Brutus (the elder), and Catilina. And Pompey "adulescentulus carnifex" Magnus' private army that was tolerated by Sulla. At any rate, what stopped the Senate from forming their own legions was the law. They authorized Pompey to gather and prepare legally sanctioned legions instead. Had Pompey not been available, they would've legally authorized another Consular army. Opinions may differ on moral stances and causes, but there was no need to raise a private army when a fully sanctioned official army could be raised instead.

By non controversial, are you suggesting we avoid all of the major faction leaders and attempt to fill in the back benchers or supporting casts? An example... Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Cos. 49 BC but more famous for his accusation against Clodius in the Bona Dea scandal. He was an optimate by general affiliation but is his adversarial relationship with Caesar considered too controversial for this exercise?

You chose a deity that was relatively rare on coinage in comparison to some so you would be likely to pay more than say something with Jupiter... Here's a quick sampling.. Something like this very sharp Octavian denarius would likely cost several hundred if not thousands of dollars. This equally attractive Republican denarius might be had for less, but I'm not very familiar with the particular issue. Something like this anonymous sextans might be had for a more reasonable $20 to $50. (Just a guess)

Per a suggestion by Ursus, I re-shuffled the fora a bit. I am sure it will make more sense once everyone gets accustomed to where things are.

Well we are walking fine lines. Look at this way... Most of us consider 'Byzantium' a direct extension of Rome. While much of feudal Europe can trace its heritage back to Rome, its not a continuation by any stretch. Some discussion may be appropriate and some may be better in the Universal history folder. No worries though, we can easily move things around or make adjustments as necessary.

Nope. Under the old forum, when a legati deleted a post, it was moved to Tartarus rather than being expunged. You Triumviri were the only ones that had the power to completely erase a post. Until now, I guess. I suppose I'll just have to be careful to move things to Tartarus rather than deleting posts. Ahh, ok. I'll dig around and see if I can put it back the way it was.

Labienus almost annihilated Caesar's whole bloody army. According to Caesar's henchmen, the only reason Caesar was let off the hook was that Labienus wanted to give Metellus Scipio the honors of finishing off the rascal. Cato, I admire your consistency in pointing out Caesar's several "near destructions". However, he always managed to find a way to win in the end. I understand that these defeats are often ignored by those who praise Caesar, but without at least some military merit, he would not have been as consistently lucky as he was.

Dr Alwyn Ruddock, a former reader in history at the University of London, was the world expert on John Cabot

Archaeologists on a Greek island have discovered a large Roman-era tomb containing gold jewelry, pottery and bronze offerings, officials said Wednesday. The building, near the village of Fiscardo on Kefalonia, contained five burials including a large vaulted grave and a stone coffin, a Culture Ministry announcement said. The complex, measuring 8 by 6 meters (26 by 20 feet), had been missed by grave-robbers, the announcement said. International Herald Tribune

As the Postilla Historia Romanorum forum is essentially an extension of Roman history, I moved it from it's own category to its new location as a subforum of the main Roman history area. Changed the names of Republic to Res Publica and Empire to Imperium. Relocated the little used Ask the Expert and Author fora to subfora of the Academia folder. I'm always open to additional suggestions.

Isn't that always the way it's worked... I thought posts had to be moved to Tartarus rather than deleted? As for forum problems... I haven't noticed anything yet. I'm using Firefox at both home and the office. Perhaps varying browsers are causing fits?

Conversely, look at the great number of Consuls who seemingly did very little to gain the attention of people like us. Like Monarchs, Presidents, Prime Ministers and what have you, those who stand out are generally those who were "in office" when some crisis was averted or when some great war took place. However, we sometimes overestimate the importance of some because of great historical events. Take for instance the reign of Antoninus Pius. While largely unknown in comparison to many more famous imperial counterparts, his reign was one of peace, stability and a sound economy. Forgive a rather generic response, but the thought simply forced its way out.

The William Smith entry on Angaria also provides some support.

The great bulk of the movie character was clearly invented, but he may have been at least inspired by a historical figure of the same name. Cassius Dio (Book 73)

This forum is for members to express their top 5 book choices on any given Roman topic. Feel free to start your own list, add to others, or discuss the lists. New Topics must be approved before they are visible. Topic rating is turned on in this forum.

Well, as irony would have it, I am presently enjoying a cold one that I purchased at Walmart.

Severus was definately from North Africa... Lepcis Magna (in modern Libya) to be precise. The speculation is more about his ethnicity, but its most likely that he was of largely of Phoenician stock. His mother's family (Fulvius) was originally from Italy indicating his Italian roots, but mixed Berber ancestry is also a possibility. Though due to numerous adoptions in the political world, it's difficult to be absolutely certain.

I've read all but "Magic". Birley is an excellent biographer and his works are highly informative. He is an academic at heart so the reading can be a bit dry, but you will finish with an excellent appreciation for the world of Severus and the surrounding eras. I've professed my appreciation for Grant in several places throughout this forum. I view him simply as the finest introductory historian/author of the modern era. I don't mean to suggest that his work is not respectable by any stretch, but simply mean to imply that there are few historians who's work is so accessible to the layman. Salway's Roman Britain might also tend to be "dry" at times by the very nature of the all-encompassing subject, but he is among the foremost historians on Roman Britain. It is tremendously thorough, informative and interesting on subjects ranging from culture to warfare to economics. One must keep in mind that it is a narrative history and not an in depth look at the lives of people in Roman Britain.

By the by, almost all of these uncleaned hoards come from the Balkans. Archaeological appraisal of interesting sites in this area often lags far behind other western European counterparts. As the diggers have little to no interest in historical preservation, the damage done to potential sites of interest surrounding these coin digs is virtually impossible to determine.

First... any dealer who reports gold or silver finds in these lots is a liar. All bulk finds are thoroughly hand picked for anything of value. What's left are generally hordes of Constantinian era bronzes that are sent to dealers for consumer sale. Some dealers then search again for anything of value before distribution, while some may honestly sell the lot "as-is". If there is a silver coin found it is because the dealer adds a low value coin to the lot in order to perpetuate the myth and to keep buyers coming back for a chance at something really valuable. Amateurs who over-scrub coins (in essence destroying their monetary and archaeological value) seem to occasionally mistake shiny bronze for gold. An example of a reputable dealer Dirty Old Coins The legality is often in question, but ethics seem to be the larger issue. Some think the entire industry is an archaeological tragedy. Others find it an excellent way to grow interest in history and numismatics through the spread of largely uninteresting coin hordes. The debate is on going and evolving.

Interesting that it doesn't show any google results despite it being our largest search engine referrer. That might explain the paltry and insulting 1.5 million $US.

Excellent nicely found! I still am left wondering the motivation though. Cicero clearly wants to break Antony from his popular Caesarian power base so implicating him as a potential conspirator (while praising him for it in the process) definately makes things interesting. Though I do believe the 2nd Philippic was one of those published after Cicero's death?

Indeed, therein lies the real challenge, considering the many reports, any number of possibilities can be true. While I would certainly not put it past Antony to have considered benefiting by Caesar's death, its terribly difficult to decipher the many conflicting reports. Considering that notions have been put forth that Caesar willingly walked into his own assassination, we are hard pressed to convict Antony. Of course, I do not intend to say with any great conviction that Antony had no knowledge of the deed, but considering the limited material as evidence we are left with a good deal of conjecture (admittedly entertaining conjecture at that).

Hang on though PNS, there are conflicting reports. Plutarch doesn't mention that particular story in any of his other books, including Life of Brutus. In Life of Caesar, Plutarch only says... Not exactly the behavior of someone who was in on it. If the meeting with Antony and suggestion of tyrannicide took place, it would seem that Antony had dismissed it. In "Life of Brutus" Plutarch further says (collaborating other books, though I do find it strange that in one book he wrote that it was Brutus Albinus and in two other he identified Trebonius) Further... It's quite possible that Plutarch made small adjustments to each story for dramatic effect. (ie dressed as a slave in Life of Antony, but as a Plebe in Life of Brutus.) Appian Civil Wars Book 2 Suetonius only mentions Antony in relation to the conspirators fearing him, which all sources have reported. Cassius Dio book 44 I can't recall Cicero ever getting into any specifics on Antony's potential involvement in any letters or the Philippics.