guy

For those who are unable to see the video, go to Youtube and insert "Reinventing the fastest forgotten archery." The Danish archer Lars Andersen is shown with his impressive research. The archer has incredible speed, but he is shooting rather lightweight arrows. I doubt they would penetrate standard armour and they probably won't usually penetrate chainmail, either (despite the video's claims). See 3:30 of video. guy also known as gaius

I rarely venue into this neighborhood of UNRV. My military knowledge is limited. I would, however, like some insightful opinions on this subject. At another site, this video created quite a controversy: The argument seems to go that Ancient archers potentially could have been a more potent force than now recognized. I don't know about this. It seems to me that one thousand pila simultaneously launched by experienced Roman legionnaires would be more devastating than several thousand pesky arrows. The major exception, I feel, would have been the treacherous Hunnic horsemen with their unique skills with the composite bow. A supporting fact for the potential of archers in the Ancient world would be the devastation caused at Carrhae from the Parthian archers, destroying Crassus and his legions. I would counter that there were many other variables involved in that fight, more than just archers versus ground troops. Opinions? guy also known as gaius

The premise of this discussion may be wrong. After plowing through some of the dense and scholarly tome by Alan Cameron, "The Last Pagans of Rome," I may have now changed my opinion of the relationship among the fourth century Christian and Pagan communities. Here are two good reviews of the book: http://www.unrv.com/book-review/last-pagans-rome.php According to our own Maty's review: The other great review: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/417316.article Eugenius' power grab might need to be assessed with this alternative (and thoroughly researched and convincingly argued) background in mind. Eugenius might not have been the last great "hero of the Pagans" once imagined. guy also known as gaius

Well done! (Goed gedaan!) Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is as close as I come to Ancient Rome these days (although the Getty Villa near Los Angeles is nice). Maybe one day we can have a UNRV reunion there : guy also known as gaius

Good point. Great post. Thank you. guy also known as gaius

I agree. This is one of the best courses they offer. It's sort of the "advanced course" for Ancient Greek and Roman history. It presents the complex relationship between these two worlds. I especially liked the lesson on "Disease, Medical Care, and Physicians." The course's lecturer, Professor Garland, does an excellent job presenting Ancient Roman medical practices and theory. (Much of the research and original work on this topic can be found in Audrey Cruse's Roman Medicine.) guy also known as gaius

Well, off to Las Vegas tomorrow. I was going to see Jeff Beck and Brian Wilson. I admire Jeff Beck, but I just didn't want to hear his noodling Beach Boy songs. So, I decided to see Steve Vai, someone who still entertains and amazes his fans:

I recommend looking at the offerings From The Great Course Company. They have a highly recommended course on Classical archaeology. These courses frequently go on sale (70%), so wait till they are on sale, however. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3340 They have an even higher rated, but more generalized course on the world's greatest structures. This course is supposed to be a great course on architecture. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1153 I haven't seen either course, but they are both highly rated. Remember, wait till these course are on sale, however. guy also known as gaius

The list of Emperors declared damnatio memoriae by the senate is quite extensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_condemned_Roman_emperors That said, the fact that Eugenius was not condemned is significant. It might reflect some residual underlying support in the Roman Senate for the man (or at least the Pagan beliefs he seemed to have tolerated and even promoted). As mentioned, Theodosius was a rigid Christian doctrinaire and a ruthless authoritarian. There is no reason to believe he won't have had the Senate condemn Eugenius if he could. Thank you, again, guy also known as gaius

Thank you for your thoughtful response! I would be surprised if Eugenius had not have been confirmed (or at least received a strong approbation) by the Roman Senate, even if the confirmation were more symbolic than meaningful. Unfortunately, our sources for this period are either very murky or biased. A group of powerful Senators viewed Eugenius at least more tolerant of the Ancient Pagan religion, if not secretly supportive, than the Emperor Theodosius was. Thanks, again, guy also known as gaius

Right now I'm doing research on Flavius Eugenius (died AD 394). He was elevated to the purple by the Frankish general Arbogast. Although a nominal Christian, Eugenius was very sympathetic to the Pagans. In fact, he had support of most the senate, which was still predominately Pagan. Eugenius promoted some of the Pagan policies and supported Pagan temples. He and his general Arbogast lost, however, the forgotten but very important battle of Frigidus against the militantly Christian Theodosius. Both Eugenius and his general quickly lost their lives. He was the last emperor to support polytheism. Question: The Emperor Eugenius has been called a usurper. Did he ever get confirmed by the Senate? If he received support for the Senate, wasn't he then a legitimate emperor (and not a usurper)? Thank you for reading my post, guy also known as gaius

This is

I hadn't thought of that, but could be. Any thoughts where this site of Romanesque art is? guy also known as gaius P.S. I see you have Amsterdam listed as your home. Are you Dutch? Ik hou van Amsterdam.

Musa : From Concubine to Black Widow Queen Here's a fascinating coin I saw in a recent Heritage auction: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=3026&lotNo=23254&lotIdNo=33083 On the reverse of the coin is Musa, the concubine given to King Phraates IV by Augustus as part of the peace treaty with the Parthians. Terms of the peace included the return of the Roman legionary standards lost to the Parthians by Crassus at Carrhae (in 53 BCE) and by Marc Antony's General Saxa (in 40 BCE). The concubine Musa was soon elevated to Phraates' queen. By 2 BCE she poisoned her husband the king and elevated their son Phraataces to succeed his father. Musa possibly married her son (according to Josephus), but she would have most probably exerted great influence over the Parthian court. The coin suggests that they she co-ruled with her son. In AD 4, however, Musa and her son were deposed and she fled to Syria. guy also known as gaius

If I could recommend an early (pre-Buckingham Nicks) Fleetwood Mac tune. This song should never be played while under the influence of a hallucinogen: guy also known as gaius

Another relief sculpture from the same location: guy also known as gaius

Aurius: Thank you for your impressions of this relief sculpture. I couldn't tell the enemies by their weapons. (They look like the standard gladius.) The short hair of the enemy would make me lean against Celts or even Dacian. guy also known as gaius.

The Mario Lanza clip is phenomenal. The Dutch subtitles are cool, also. guy

If I could make a recommendation: The album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks before they joined Fleetwood Mac is the true unknown classic. Although I try to avoid sentimental rock crap, I think these two tunes would make even someone with a cold heart cry: guy also known as gaius

Interesting Italian Metal: guy also known as gaius

But, if I had to guess the reason, it must be because IIII was conceptually more... basic: I would imagine that such a basic numeral evolved more slowly than other ones, especially if the bars still kept an intuitive meaning, like fingers or sticks. If you consider longer numerals, you can see the reason for it was needed to make them visually simpler: not so for IIII. You may be correct. Think about it: One finger is one...three fingers are three, four fingers are four. Looking at the hand, when counting the thumb for five, the fourth finger and the thumb form a "V." I know that sounds ridiculous, but it might have helped younger Ancient Romans remember their Roman numerals. guy also known as gaius

Thank you for responding to my post. I think the other examples are a lot more common than "IV." Here is an example of XXXIIX for thirty-eight (I think): Tiberius,

On a numismatic forum, the point was made that "IIII" was used for the number four instead of "IV," even on more modern coins. The following has been suggested by several people:

The Changing Popularity and Reputations of Roman Emperors in Ancient Rome Today, the Emperor Claudius is thought to be one of the better, more effective emperors. He certainly is now held in higher esteem than the psychopaths Caligula and Commodus. Perhaps, however, this viewpoint was not always shared in Ancient Rome. Here is an article about an interesting collection of coins by Trajan Decius (ruled AD 249-251) commemorating his most worthy predecessors. This article makes me reconsider the various emperors

Unfortunately, this is one of the few sites Roman sites I get to visit these days. guy also known as gaius