Ingsoc

Why is it such a surprise? As I understand that unlike the Swedes, Danes and Brits the Finns doesn't have a North Germanic ancestry.

Archaeologists today presented a newly uncovered Byzantine church in the Judean hills, with an unusually well-preserved mosaic floor depicting lions, foxes, fish and peacocks The small basilica dating from the fifth century is located south-west of Jerusalem. It will be visible only for another week before it is covered again with soil for its own protection, said the dig's leader, Amir Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Ganor said the floor was "one of the most beautiful mosaics to be uncovered in Israel in recent years, unique in its craftsmanship and level of preservation". Archaeologists began digging at the site, known as Hirbet Madras, in December after thieves had begun plundering the site on an uninhabited hill not far from an Israeli farming community. Though a first survey suggested the building was a synagogue, the excavation revealed stones carved with crosses. The building is atop another structure 500 years older, thought to have been Jewish; hewn into the rock underneath is a network of tunnels that archaeologists believe were used by Jewish rebels fighting Roman armies in the second century. Stone steps lead down from the floor of church to a small burial cave, which, it is suggested, might have been venerated as the burial place of the Old Testament prophet Zecharia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/02/israel-archeology-byzantine-mosaic-phrophet-zecharia More pics:

Thanks for all the answers! this depiction is from a sarcophagus.

Could someone help me place the mythological scene depicted in the photo?

The Epigraphik-Datenbank also include non CIL inscriptions, it's also has a good search engine that allow you to search specific words and locations.

The slave receive his praenomen and nomen of his master while his original name became the cognomen. For example the famous historian Josephus' Roman name is Titus Flavius Iosephus as he was liberated and granted citizenship by the Flavii emperors.

He was the king of the enemy nation (remember, officially the civil war ended and the Actian war was against Egypt).

I also study Latin at the university for two years, it's was hard but I did find it fun and I actually was excited that I can read all of those ancient Roman writing in their original language. It's really depend on your talents at getting new languages but you should take into account that you will need to invest great deal of your time in order to succeed learning the language, you may find the reading material a bit boring at first (at my first year we mostly read sentences from Caesar's Gallic War)

No, Rome was too far from the battle scene and the march to her would have to be through some ruff terrain. Also Hannibal didn't have the men nor the equipment to conduct long siege against Rome. The mention of the famous suggestion of Maharbal that Hannibal should storm Rome was most likely is a dramatic literature device rather than a recording of a historic event.

"WTF?! I can't believe they fire me by SMS, think I could get a job as Marvin the Martian in the Looney Tunes theme park?"

Apparently Domitianus didn't like her: "From his youth he was far from being of an affable disposition, but was on the contrary presumptuous and unbridled both in act and in word. When his father's concubine Caenis returned from Histria and offered to kiss him as usual, he held out his hand to her." (Suetonius, Domitianus, 12.3) Cassius Dio mention that she help her mistress Antonia pass the famous secret message in which she warn Tiberius about Sejanus and that she got rich during Vespasianus reign: "It was at this time that Caenis, the concubine of Vespasian, died. I mention her because she was exceedingly faithful and was gifted with a most excellent memory. Here is an illustration. Her mistress Antonia, the mother of Claudius, had once employed her as secretary in writing a secret letter to Tiberius about Sejanus 2 and had immediately ordered the message to be erased, in order that no trace of it might be left. Thereupon she replied: "It is useless, mistress, for you to give this command; for not only this but as whatever else you dictate to me I always carry in my mind and it can never be erased." 3 And not only for this reason does she seem to me to have been a remarkable woman, but also because Vespasian took such excessive delight in her. This gave her the greatest influence and she amassed untold wealth, so that it was even p289thought that he made money through Caenis herself as his intermediary. For she received vast sums from many sources, sometimes selling governorships, sometimes procuratorships, generalships and priesthoods, and in some instance even imperial decisions. 4 For although Vespasian killed no one on account of his money, he did spare the lives of many who gave it; and while it was Caenis who received the money, people suspected that Vespasian willingly allowed her to do as she did." (Cassius Dio, 65.14) This article mention that her home was at the Villa Patrizi adjacent to the ancient Via Nomertana. I also found as inscription (CIL 06, 12037) that mention her.

The barrier was much more minor than what one could except, the Roman were bi-language and spoke Greek as well as Latin. most of the people that they conquered had contact with the Greek civilization to some degree and so Greek was used as the lingua franca.

This tradition is based on the pagan Roman tradition about Nero, in the end it's the Roman senatorial class was the one which wrote history and thus popular emperor which disregard the senate got their image tarnished.

Take him to a guided tour of the Colosseum, just to see his reaction to the way the guide describe the Romans.

Yes, this is the common explanation for the "real" reason to Antonius relationship with Cleopatra, however I find it lacking - by the time of Cleopatra reign the Ptolemaic Kingdom was nothing more than a Roman vassal, if Antonius wanted it's wealth he would have simply take it. If we consider that Antonius was willing to break Roman taboos for her (like the one about non marring non-Romans) I think we should accept the claim that Cleopatra manage to infatuate him without seeking an hidden motive.

The only systematic long lived persecution of Jews by the Romans was the Fiscus Iudaicus, a special tax that was instituted after the Great Revolt and that all Jews were forced to pay. Other than that there were few times that Jews (or certain Jewish groups) were expelled from Rome, however this was not so much due to an Anti-Jewish sentiment as to Anti-Eastern one as the Romans consider certain eastern religions present at the Roman Pomerium as offensives. There were an attempt to forbade the Jewish religion after the Bar-Kochba Revolt by Hadrian but this decision was canceled by his heir Antoninus Pius.

The Relationship with the army was one of the most important element to succeed as emperor. Since Augustus time the army was the power behind the throne - whoever manage to win the loyalty and be popular with the troops would have his position as emperor secure, others who fail to do that and neglect their public image among the legions (like Nero) in the end had to deal with revolts.

Tiberius actually was a decent emperor, I would even goes to say he was pretty good emperor.

Publius Terentius Afer plays: Andria Hecyra Heautontimorumenos The Eunuch Phormio Adelphi Titus Maccius Plautus plays: Amphitryon, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi

While most sources express deep hostility to Nero that coming from the Senatorial ranks and probably all the vicious stories about him are untrue (such as he enjoy the burning of Rome etc.) and yes it's true he was popular with the masses. He was nevertheless a bad emperor, didn't have a real vision that he could act on, didn't understand the important of the emperor connection with the military and at the sign of the first real crises lost his nerve and committed suicide even thought he still had a good part of the army loyal to him. in short he was an amateur.

"Such was the outcome of the battle at Cannae between the Romans and Carthaginians, a battle in which both the victors and the vanquished displayed conspicuous bravery, as was evinced by the facts. For of the six thousand cavalry, seventy escaped to Venusia with Terentius, and about three hundred of the allied horse reached different cities in scattered groups. Of the infantry about ten thousand were captured fighting but not in the actual battle, while only perhaps three thousand escaped from the field to neighbouring towns. All the rest, numbering about seventy thousand, died bravely. Both on this occasion and on former ones their numerous cavalry had contributed most to the victory of the Carthaginians, p291and it demonstrated to posterity that in times of war it is better to give battle with half as many infantry as the enemy and an overwhelming force of cavalry than to be in all respects his equal. Of Hannibal's army there fell about four thousand Celts, fifteen hundred Spaniards and Africans and two hundred cavalry." (Polybius, 3.117)

Definitely want to be included.

The best fiction book that I've read about Rome is M

Homer was but one version of the Trojan war and the stories of it's heroes, as foreign people came in contact with the Greeks some of them adopted and adapt those stories so they could use the various heroes as their ancestor/city founders. for example their were and earlier version in which both Odysseus and Aeneas founded Rome. Their is a great book about this subject called "The Returns of Odysseus" by Irad Malkin.