Primus Pilus

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Thank you for posting FVC, I was completely unaware of this show... would've missed it entirely.

That's my interpretation. I think Aemilianus was perhaps the finest Cornelian in Roman history. My impression of Scipio Aemilianus Africanus is that he was first and foremost a general and provincial governor. While an able politician, he seems to have had little personal use for the factional fighting in the capital. This may be a stretch, but perhaps he was among the first imperialists... understanding that there were opportunities for able persons in provincial environments away from the forum.

Does Ferrero footnote any of this? They sound like rather sweeping claims for the purpose of dramatic flair. I haven't read any of Ferrero's works, so its hard for me to quantify such a short snippet without understanding the greater context. I can't tell if he his claiming that Gaul was like Egypt or that Augustus wanted to make Gaul like Egypt. I suppose either claim would require more proof than this single snippet. 1. At any rate, I'll hazard a quick response. Gaul received some Augustan attention (largely via Agrippa), but in the larger scheme it was but a blip on the political radar. His agenda was far more encompassing than making that sinlge province a beacon of the empire. It would seem that Claudius, with his inclusion of aristocratic Gauls into the senate, would qualify more aptly. 2. Anything can be analyzed comparatively, but from this paragraph it is difficult to agree with or refute the notions being presented. Egypt maintained its own native culture while it was also heavily influenced by Hellenism. Gaul's social and cultural makeup doesn't seem to mesh with this ideology. There are very few cultural or economic similarities on the surface, but I suppose others more versed in the cultures can discuss this

Gentle coaxing doesn't quite fit as much as a deliberate manipulation in my opinion, but as the end result is essentially the same, I don't suppose there is much reason to argue the point.

It may seem to be the forefront in cultural identity at times (thanks largely to the Thanksgiving traditions and such scenes as the Salem witch trials), but is Jamestown (complete with John Smith, Pocahantas, John Rolfe, Powhatan, etc.) any less famous? So as not to neglect the southern contributors to early colonialism... I will also be delving into this in the not too distant future. Jamestown: The Buried Truth

I don't mean to dishearten but... Roman Britain Romans in Britain Though, it's not as if there weren't other Roman sites on the web when we started UNRV, so there is always room for more.

It's not the beginning... its just the early period.

And while the forum makeup may be mostly male, there are several females who make their presence known routinely. Frankly a bit more diversity is most welcome.

It's Tacitus "Histories" Book 1.72

Yup, it is Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome , he actually wrote another one about Caesar`s Legion, Cleopatra's Kidnappers: How Caesars Sixth Legion Gave Egypt to Rome and Rome to Caesar... cheers viggen He also has a new one called Mark Antony's Heroes: How the Third Gallica Legion Saved an Apostle and Created an Emperor.

That would be Moonlapse... but he has quite the slate of projects in his queue already.

Where did you get this from? This is not a challenge but I have never heard that Egypt was not the principal source of grain for Rome. I knew that Sicily was important early on, and that Carthage/NW Africa was important late in the Empire for the West. Prior to the inclusion of Aegyptus into the "empire" it was not the principal source. After it was "annexed" provinces such as Sicilia and Africa were still major exporters of grain, but Egypt was of particular importance.

What's really interesting is it's in the days before the forward pass was instituted. The game looks a bit like a bridge between rugby and today's football. Yes you can still see the roots in other games before it evolved with its own unique identity. I'd think its fascinating to watch even if one isn't an American football fan.

Apologies... I didn't intend for this to be a discussion of Antoninus, but was only using him as a sample of difficulty. However, I find him compelling because he openly delegated administrative authority and allowed those who were capable of various functions to perform their tasks unhindered. He was fiscally responsible yet personally generous. He respected tradition and the law and he was uncommonly popular among all three major elements of Roman imperial society... the aristocracy, the masses and the legions. He defended the frontiers without engaging in costly campaigns with little hope for success. Finally he secured nearly another generation of imperial stability by properly grooming Marcus Aurelius as his successor. My own brief bio

I answered but moved it to your thread in the "Imperium Romanorum" forum.

Tigellinus can be found especially among the writings of Tacitus. He is first mentioned in Tacitus Annals book 14 and plays a prominent role in book 15 and book 16. In the histories book 1 there is one single yet informative paragraph... Strangely enough, Suetonius doesn't even mention him until his biography of Galba... well after Tigellinus' influence had waned.

[slap self on forehead] Aarrggghhh! There's a Michaels 45 minutes from here! What did it cost? Well that's sort of the kicker I guess. I paid about $230. Though my main cost was the frame that I chose. The service itself wasn't nearly all that bad, as I recall. However, they and other similar stores... Jo Anne Fabrics (sp?) my wife tells me... also sell all the materials you would need to do it yourself. I would expect a much more cost friendly result if one is so inclined.

Thanks for the link Virgil... I've passed this on to all the Michigan slappy's I know (and trust me there are alot of them in these parts). Looking forward to November 18 in Columbus.

Ahh, thanks. I haven't read Forsythe's book (there simply needs to be more time in a day), but doing so might save me the trouble of banging my head against some of Cornell's assertions again. (not that Cornell should be dismissed by any stretch, only that I recall some of his work was as subjective as the ancient sources he often criticized.)

I've also noticed the reflective surface of the glass makes it a bit difficult to read, so I think I'll move it over to a standard poster frame, without any plexiglas. BTW, I used to be a photographer a couple of lifetimes ago, so have some experience mounting photos, although nothing that large. Well, if worse comes to worse, I buy another copy of the map (it's that good that I wouldn't mind the extra expense). The person who framed mine used a glare resistant glass (this isn't quite an accurate description, but it sort of has a smoked look to it, while maintaining complete clarity). No matter the angle that I look at it, or the positioning/direction of various lighting, I can generally see the detail without difficulty. I had it framed @ Michaels

Ahh yes, I've read Cornell's book (though several years ago). As I recall, his evidence is based on quite a bit of conjecture... though he was quite thorough in the process. I'd wager that there are many scholars who disagree with some of his theories. I am not trying to suggest that the 7 kings theory is an accurate representation of the regal period, only that the evidence to fill in the gaps of the myths/legends is fairly scant. Regardless, this is interesting and I might have to take another look at "Beginnings of Rome". No worries about that. welcome to the forum....

Just some more thoughts.... How do we factor in inherited stability such as the reign of Antoninus Pius. Granted, he was an able administrator, but should he receive a higher rating simply because he had the good fortune to rule in a period of relative peace and prosperity? Yes, his policies played a part, but if he had not been left with an excess treasury and secure frontiers thanks to the efforts of Trajan and Hadrian, perhaps things would've been different. Don't get me wrong here, I personally feel that Antoninus should be ranked among the most effective, but we must determine how circumstances come into effect. Taking measures to alleviate an ailing economy even if unsuccessful (ie Diocletian) might carry as much weight as maintaining general prosperity (ie Pius in my example above)? Stability of succession should be a major factor. As an example, Marcus Aurelius maintained relative stability despite nearly continuous frontier warfare and the emergence of the plague. All the failings of Commodus shouldn't be blamed on MA, but he did abandon the immensely successful adoptive succession methodology of the previous century.

Indeed, any poster that large should be mounted. Mine is very nice, but was professionally done (so a bit expensive). Mounting on some sort of backer board should help greatly whether you do it yourself or have it done by a professional framer. When reviewing the options, our printer suggested that using a stock any greater than the standard 100# would've probably made it a bit too inflexible for a poster.