guy

Time does move on. This site has certainly undergone quite a turnover in recent years because of technology issues, bruised egos, and simple attrition. Hopefully, we can maintain stability, bring back a few "old school" contributors, and continue to attract newer members. I originally misread your recent post. I thought you have written, "I tend to poop [!] in once in awhile." 😱 I thought you were referring to your original post. It's late here. Time for bed. guy also known as gaius

Author and UNRV contributor Ben Kane wrote a very nice article in the September 2018 issue of "History Revealed" magazine entitled "Empires at War: Rome vs Greece: How the Ancient World was Rocked by a Clash of Superpowers in 197 BC." This article examines the background history of tensions and eventual conflict between Macedon and the Roman Republic. Mr. Kane also examines the rivalry between Philip V of Macedon and the vainglorious Roman general Titus Quinctius Flamininus. Despite the fact that "History Revealed" is not a scholarly publication, many articles are informative and richly illustrated. Mr. Kane's article is no exception. This article has some enjoyable and succinct insights: "When the Second Punic War started in 218 BC, the Roman Republic was one of the smallest of the five major powers around the Mediterranean. Half a century later, the situation had changed beyond recognition. Just two factions remained: weak and unstable Ptolemaic Egypt and the ascendant Roman Republic. Remarkably, the three that had fallen -- Carthage, Macedon and the Seleucid Empire -- had all been beaten by Rome in War." Recommend highly. guy also known as gaius Addendum: As mentioned in the article, Flamininus stuck gold staters with his portrait and his name. He was the first Roman in history to mint coins with his own portrait as "it showed aspirations toward kingship." T. Quinctius Flamininus, Consul in 198 B.C., Gold Stater (8.44 g 12 h), Chalkis (?) mint, c. 196 B.C. Obverse: Bare head of Titus Quinctius Flamininus right Reverse: T.QVINCTI (upwards) Nike standing left, holding wreath over name with her right hand and palm branch with her left. (Source: Imagine from the British Museum, attribution from wildwinds.com.)

When considering appearance of Italians, it is better to consider the genetic makeup. Even today, Italians seem to have a unique genetic makeup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_history_of_Italy https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/science/13visual.html?_r=0 I found this quote rather shocking: So, despite the many barbarian invasions from the North, there appears to be very little outside impact on the genetic mix, except in the far South of Italy where the Greek influence (which mostly predated the Germanic invasions) is unmistakable. So, my guess is that modern Italians would be larger today because of diet and the increased opportunity to find a mate from outside one's immediate village. I would imagine, however, that the typical Italian today looks very similar (although larger in stature) to the average Ancient Roman from 1800 years ago. guy also known as gaius Addendum: I think genetic testing is making us all more humble, forcing us to realize our common humanity. I had to explain to one friend who was "100% Mexican" why her genetic testing results showed at least 25% Italian (as well as 40% Iberian as well as smaller percentages of Native American and African). She was surprised to learn that there wasn't a "Mexican" gene. Another friend who was "pure Italian" was shocked and disappointed to learn that she was mostly Greek, with some smallers percentage of African and Italian.

Interesting stuff. Reading Wikipedia (source of a lot of misinformation), I see that the Neapolitan Mastiff is a close relative. Not a cute and cuddly looking pet, I must say. guy also known as gaius

Another thoughtful critical review of Catherine Nixey's "The Darkening Age": https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/book-review-the-darkening-age-catherine-nixey-christians-and-antiquity/

I am always disturbed by this brutal and powerful quote by Cassius Dio describing Roman history after the death of the stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius: [O]ur history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust .... Now some context: Cassius Dio was a Roman statesman and historian of Greek descent (155-235 AD). He was also a senator under Commodus. Cassius Dio, therefore, got to witness many events and historical figures upclose. He made this quote in his extensive "Roman History," writing about the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the "Five Good Emperors." With the death of the thoughtful and measured Aurelius, his psychopathic son Commodus game to power. The quote in its entirety: guy also known as gaius http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/cassius_dio/72*.html

That was a very interesting and informative interview. Thank you. I, too, enjoy the writing of Ammianus Marcellinus. It is his writing that inspires me to learn more about the rather dreadful history of late Roman Empire. I wish you continued success with your work. These are two of Ammianus' many quotes that haunt me:

Assuming your question is sincere, I recommend putting the poster on a foam board. It is great for display and teaching purposes:

On another site, others (including UNRV members) answered a very similar question (possibly yours). http://historum.com/european-history/124788-why-italy-so-weak-compared-her-predecessors-roman-empire.html I do not believe in ethnic or racial superiority. That said, cultural institutions are very important. There would be no reason, therefore, to think that an Italian citizen from Rome in 1888 would be exactly the same as a Roman citizen from 118 AD as the cultural milieus and historical contexts are very different. Similarly, a modern educated citizen of Mexico would be quite different from a a bloodthirsty resident of the Aztec Empire in Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) in 1500. Mussolini tried to reinvigorate mythology of ancient Roman values. Superficially, at least, he was able to create the facade of a new "Roman Empire." Unfortunately for him, he was not confronted with the usually-disorganized and poorly-coordinated barbarian incursion. He faced, instead, the disciplined and lethal onslaught of a professional and technologically advanced Allied military. Did not end up well for him. guy also known as gaius

There is no simple answer to a very complicated question. Basically, you are asking why Italian unification (Il Risorgimento) has taken many decades and is (in many ways culturally, at least) still in progress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_unification It is thought that only 2.5% of Italians could speak Italian at the time on Italian unification in 1861. Most people spoke a regional dialect unintelligible to other regional dialects. Over simplistically, I would say there has been no nation identity. Since the collapse of the Rome Empire there have been rival city states, foreign intervention (most notably French and Austrian), as well as a Church that had interjected itself into regional politics. These factors help explain Italy's relatively late formation of a nation state in 1871. As late as 1975, more than half the households in Italy spoke a dialect at home and not standard Italian. This lack of national identity still affects Italy today. As an Italian cousin told me, the only time the Italians feel united as a country is when they win the World Cup in Soccer. A good read on the subject is Christopher's "The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy since 1796." guy also known as gaius

Namque pauci libertatem, pars magna iustos dominos volunt. Only a few prefer liberty, the majority seek nothing more than fair masters. Histories IV.69.18 Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) As I get older, this quote resonates with me more and more. Sallust (85-35 BCE) was a novus homo, politician, bitter rival of Cicero, and an opportunist. He befriended Julius Caesar, acquiring great wealth as a result of his friendship. He was also one of ancient Rome's greatest historians. I am not certain how Sallust developed his skeptical philosophy about liberty, however. Being a supporter of Caesar, he acquired great personal wealth (most probably unscrupulously) from his tenure as governor of the province of Africa Nova at Numidia. This allowed Sallust to escape to an involuntary but luxurious retirement in Rome where Sallust could dedicate himself to writing his famous works on Roman history, including accounts about the Cataline War, the Jugurthine War, and finally the Historiae (Histories). Interesting quote: http://canterburyproject.wikispaces.com/Africa+in+Sallust's+Bellum+Jugurthinum This quote has been inspirational to both early 17th century English republicans and modern libertarians, movements associated with a skeptical view of authoritarian and arbitrary government. I wonder, however, how many of these folks realize that its author was a beneficiary of the type of corruption that this quote seems to condemn. guy also known as gaius Addendum: I was interested to see that Sallust's Gardens (where he did much of his writing after his comfortable retirement from government) still exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_of_Sallust

I appreciate the information and insight. Maybe some of our more knowledgeable contributors can add something to the discussion as your research far exceeds anything I might know or understand. guy also known as gaius

I'll study the site this weekend. Looks interesting. Have you read Michael Kulikowski's "Rome's Gothic Wars"? I vaguely remember that I liked it, but that was years ago. I still have a difficult time grasping the supposed division of the Goths into the two groups: Visigoths and Ostrogoths. I found this response below to the debate interesting, but not completely convincing: https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-Goths-split-into-the-Visigoths-and-the-Ostrogoths A similar opinion about the separation of the Goths into two groups: https://www.ancient.eu/Goths/ Any thoughts? guy also known as gaius

I can't comment on Wootz steel. However, the best source of steel for the Roman Empire was Noricum, the Celtic Kingdom located in modern Austria and Slovenia. We have had a few interesting threads on Ancient Roman Steel: http://www.ancientcoingallery.net/categories?Title=Noricum&Category=Celtic https://books.google.com/books?id=OLQ2CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT240&lpg=PT240&dq=the+chalybs+Noricus&source=bl&ots=UdUn88t88T&sig=XZDKlwH53JE1tpoScYiQIWbnqAQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiv_Mrl-uXbAhVNtlkKHQk5BaUQ6AEIWjAD#v=onepage&q=the chalybs Noricus&f=false guy also known as gaius

I'm not a coin collector. I'll give this my best guess, however. Your coin is probably a Maximinus Thrax sestertius: Maximinus I AE Sestertius. IMP MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust seen from the back / VICTORIA AVG, S-C, Victory walking right, holding wreath and palm. RIC 88; Cohen 103. See RIC 88 in the list: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/maximinus_I/t.html (A similar coin to the one you presented.) I imagine that your coin would go for anywhere from $20-45. guy also known as gaius

Here is a video description of the battle:

Thank you for reading my post. It's crazy to realize we had this discussion eight years ago. (Time does march on.) There is a link to that older discussion in my original post as well as below: I actually wrote a response to another thread on this subject ten years ago. Yikes. I didn't remember that thread, either. Your answers to the questions posed in the older original thread are certainly insightful and have survived the test of time. Thank you for posting, again. guy also known as gaius

I recently read an article on a numismatic site written by Julius Gemanicus. He described his recent visit to the site of the Harzhorn battle of approximately 228 CE in his native Germany. It inspired me to delve more deeply into the history of this interesting site. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/visit-to-the-harzhorn-battlefield-and-göttingen-coin-cabinet.316487/ I had vaguely remembered this topic being discussed years ago on this site. (See link below.) My new-found interest about this battlefield coincided with my reading the excellent book by Paul N. Pearson, “Maximinus Thrax: From Common Soldier to Emperor of Rome.” In his book Professor Pearson dedicates an entire chapter on the battle. The interesting finding is the distance into hostile German territory that the battlefield was found. The battlefield is found farther north and east than anyone had predicted. The battle also occurred much later than anyone would have imagined. In the book, Pearson writes, "Hence the late date surprised just about everyone because the Romans were not supposed to have penetrated this far into Germany after the first century" [after the Varus disaster at Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE]. "Radiocarbon dating of wooden artifacts tied the battle [at Harzhorn] unequivocally in the first half of the third century." Numismatic evidence includes denarii of Severus Alexander and Julia Mamaea "advancing the terminus post quem [the earliest possible date for something] to 228." The battle is now believed to have occurred during the reign of Maximinus Thrax in about 235 CE. (Replica of coin found) (Actual coin from battlefield) This coin of Julia Mamaea on display (with the enlarged photo of the coin behind) is one of of the important pieces of evidence that the battle at Harzhorn occurred no earlier than 222 CE. (Her son Alexander Severus was emperor 222-235 CE. Both mother and emperor were murdered by disgruntled troops in 235 CE.) "The battlefield is no less than 350 kilometers across barbarian territory ... and would have taken a Roman legion the best part of a month to approach ...." "And the layout of the battle suggests the Romans were engaged on their return journey." So, the Harzhorn battlefield is significant for three reasons: 1) It shows a significant incursion by the Romans deep into German territory more than two centuries later than previously known. 2) The numismatic evidence almost certainly confirms this theory. 3) Despite the chaos and crisis of the third century, the Roman Empire was still able to project its power despite its internal turmoil. Professor Pearson notes that an axe-head was found at the battlefield with the inscription leg IIII SA on one side and FAV on the other. This identifies the legio IIII flavia felix. The symbol of the unit was a lion. The initials SA probably signifies severinae alexandrinae (Severus Alexander). (Actual axe-head found at battle site) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legio_IV_Flavia_Felix (Coin unrelated to battle site that shows the lion on the reverse of legio IIII FL.) By sheer coincidence, the unit commanded by Russel Crowe in the movie Gladiator during the battle in Germania set more than a half century earlier was legio III, felix legion (also the symbol of the lion). guy also known as gaius

I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier. Although I don't collect coins, I enjoy numismatics as they lend insight to a civilization's culture and history. http://cointranslator.com/#Section_F http://www.bitsofhistory.com/info/roman_titles-03282010.html The PF (Pius Felix) can be decifered a few ways, including pius and lucky or happy. I would probably decifer the inscription DNPF to read: "our Lord, dutiful and successful (fortunate)." Eugenius Siliqua. Lyons. 392-395 AD. DN EVGENI-VS PF AVG, bearded, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right I wrote an article about Eugenius a few years back: guy also known as gaius

I have long been surprised at Galen's failure to mention the almost near-universal horrific scarring associated with smallpox infections. This scarring was most prominent on the face. Also, eye complications (5-9%) with potential blindness was a devastating complication. (It has been estimated that a third of all cases of blindness in 18th century Britain were from smallpox.) These frequent findings were not described by the usually observant Galen. What could explain these lapses? Could this plague, therefore, have been another hemorrhagic eruption other than smallpox ? (To be continued ....) (Smallpox: scarring on face A 50-year-old Indian male with a history of smallpox as a child has multiple depressed scars on face 40 years after smallpox) Other individuals with smallpox scars: guy also known as gaius

No, only in the fantasy world of HBO.

Welcome all you guys above. We certainly appreciate any input or opinions you may have to offer. If you've researched this site, you can see we have posts going back from over a decade ago. Unfortunately, through attrition (a decade+ can be a long time) and frustration (because of a server upgrade and site crash) we are missing a few of our most active members. With time, I am confident they will be back. That said, please feel free to contribute and learn with us all. guy also known as gaius

Sorry, I should have referenced the film clip from HBO's "Rome," depicting Ms. Cleopatra's descent into decadence and depravity.

A related post from a long, long time ago. (The initial link to the article is dead, however): http://www.cannabis-med.org/index.php?tpl=journal&id=192&lng=en&fid=2002:2&red=journallist http://www.cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/2002-02-3.pdf guy also known as gaius

As a religious skeptic, I don't reflexively defend any faith. That said, I don't have a need to defend the Pagans, either. What I do criticize is the simplistic dichotomy of the enlightened and tolerant Pagans vs. intolerant and benighted Christians. Thank you, again, for the inspiration to question some long-held ideas and dogma. guy also known as gaius