Flavia Gemina

My favourite Latin word is the same as my favourite English word: res or thing! It can mean so many different things! res res rem rei rei re res res res rerum rebus rebus

Alexandria! So much cleaner and better planned than Rome. The broad streets designed to catch the Etesian winds when they blow in the summer. Not one but two great libraries, one a the Museum and the 'annex' at the Serapeum. The Caesarium, the Poseidium and of course the great lighthouse on Pharos island. A large Jewish population that for the most part got on with its Greek, Roman and Egyptian neighbours. No problem with wheat shortage and plenty of Mareoticum, one of the nicest wines in the Empire. On the Nile trade route as well as the Silk Road, so lacking for no goods or food. Only problem is more of them understood Greek than Latin!

The church has been trying to suppress those pesky pagan practises for millennia, plopping churches on top of temples and reassigning 'holy 'days to muffle 'unholy' ones: hence the Christmas date of 25 December, the birthday of Mithras, not Jesus. But we never seem to succeed. *sigh!*

Salve, Sue! While you're wrestling with that really boring topic, why don't you get your pupils to dip into my historical mystery series set in first century Rome. At least it's fun! Roman Mysteries for schools I'm an American living in England, where the education system teaches Roman History in year 3 (third grade) and year 7 (7th grade). Bona fortuna! (Good luck!)

I've just heard that they are repeating episodes 6-10 of the Roman Mysteries on CBBC every day next week (Monday 15 - Friday 19 October) at the obscure time of 2.35 -3.00pm. For those of you who live in the UK and get this digital channel... They repeated the first five episodes last week but I only just heard about it from the parent of one of the actors.

Some nuggets from IMDB. They will give you an idea of why this film was not well-received... Despite popular beliefs, Gore Vidal and Tinto Brass did not disown this film because Bob Guccione of Penthouse magazine inserted hardcore sex and graphic violence sequences and changed the point of the film. In reality, only five or six minutes of the 156-minute version of the film was part of Guccione's reshoot - that five or six minutes consists of the lesbian tryst in the secret room, and several inserts in the imperial bordello scene. Everything else was shot by Brass. Vidal disowned the film because Brass and lead actor Malcolm McDowell changed the point of view of his screenplay. Brass disowned it because Guccione locked him out of the editing room (some in the industry suspect it was because Brass didn't want to use Guccione's hardcore inserts) after assembling the first 40 minutes (which was probably disassembled shortly afterward). Guccione then proceeded to edit the film himself, but he often chose shots that were never meant to be included (the many zooms, out-of-focus shots, etc.), and also cut up certain scenes and put them in the wrong order. A prime example of this is Caligula's nightmare scene with Drusilla, which now occurs in a part of the film that would have been quite impossible dramatically, and is actually the first half of an earlier scene, which occurs just after the credits (together, the two scenes were meant to be the opening of the film, and the current opening in which Caligula and Drusilla enjoy a romp through a forest was intended for an entirely different purpose altogether, and was meant to occur much later). Maria Schneider was originally supposed to play Drusilla and actually started shooting some scenes, but she changed her mind while filming a sex scene with Malcolm McDowell. Deeply disturbed by her skimpy toga and the graphic incest scenes, she walked off the set bad-mouthing the production. After raping Proculus' wife, Caligula was meant to sodomize Proculus himself. Malcolm McDowell refused to do it, and Tinto Brass instead suggested the off-screen fisting which is seen in the movie. After the film was released, Anneka Di Lorenzo (aka Marjorie Lee Thoresen, a 1975 Penthouse Pet of the Year), who played Messalina, sued Bob Guccione, saying that his handling of the film, mainly his adding of the hardcore sex inserts, had damaged her acting career by associating her with a hardcore porno film. She won her case, but was awarded only $4.06 in damages. The film's screenplay was developed from an unproduced television mini-series treatment, written by Roberto Rossellini. It since has gone on to become Penthouse's best selling video. Nuff said...

Actually I have spent many happy hours in the Secret Cabinet room of the Archaeological Museum in Naples, and in the Roman Life room of the British Museum here in London. I have taken lots of fun photos, too! The funny thing is: I go to book festivals and schools wearing my little replica amulet from Emporias, a Roman site in Spain. And nobody ever notices it! No wings or bells, but it seems to do the job!

Where are the pictures? I want to see pictures!

Thanks for the welcome back, Augusta! Steven Saylor's cat-loving character is an Alexandrian Jewess, and that makes sense as cats were sacred in Egypt. (He's written a fun short story all about The Alexandrian Cat in his House of the Vestals collection). I think cats were mainly rat and pest catchers in Roman times. Here are two nice pix. This one from the Republican period, which you mentioned: http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/catmosaic2.jpg And this civet-like creature from Pompeii: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cat_mosaic.JPG The story is that the Phoenicians had rat-catching cats on their ships and that's how they were spread from Egypt around the Med... Flavia

Thanks, Nephele. It also occurred to me that as the snake represents immortality (it sheds its skin and is constantly 'reborn') it might be a metaphor for life conquering death. These are mainly 3rd and 4th century tombs and might even be Christian! Vale.

Cats are hardly mentioned in ancient literature but dogs are frequently mentioned. Martial in particular talks about rich ladies and their lap dogs (NB NOT guard-dogs) including this pithy offering: 'Your lap-dog, Manneia, licks your mouth and lips: I do not wonder at a dog liking to eat poop.' Martial I.83 We have quite a few mosaics of dogs and as far as I can remember THEY ALL HAVE RED COLLARS. See some HERE Flavia.

Pure gold! Thanks for this Nephele! :-)

Salve, Guy! Thanks for bringing our attention to this book. Much appreciated! And thanks to whoever recommended I get Peter Parsons' City of the Sharp-nosed Fish about the papyrus tips from Oxyrhynchos. It's great.

When I was in Bulgaria (ancient Thrace) last week, I saw tons of tombstones with the motif which the museum labels call the 'Thracian Hero'. Usually he is on horseback aiming a spear at the boar -- with or without his faithful hound beneath the horse -- and there is a snake coiled around the tree. But this guy is aiming a coiling snake at the boar. What's that all about? Anybody?

Ah, that would explain it. I've never been able to get to the museum before noon. Is it any good? The museum is delightful. Not too big. Thanks to the tireless work of Jan-Theo Bakker, the Ostia webmaster, the whole thing is now online here Ostia Virtual Museum... Enjoy! Flavia

Salvete, omnes! I just got back from Boyana Studios in Bulgaria where they are filming a second series of the BBC TV series based on my books. The set of Ostia they have created is fantastic. Look at the waterclock the designers made after I sent our specifications! It's over six foot tall! Thanks to one and all for your help! Flavia

The site is open every day except Monday and the museum is usually open in the mornings. I should know, I've set half a dozen of my books there. Check out this page: Visiting the Site on the official Ostia Antica website And my page: A Day in Ostia It's an enchanting site and you won't regret your decision to go. Flavia

Just heard that Polanski is leaving this project because of an actors' strike. Read the whole story here: Polanski Pulls Out Are we really disappointed? Was he the best person to direct it? Were Orlando and Scarlett really our top choices? Flavia

I like Eddie Izzard, one of the few comedians who has done sketches on Pliny the Elder and Julius Caesar!

DIEM NATALEM FELICEM, NEPHELE! And hear! hear! to all the sentiments so far expressed. I have a theory that Nephele is twins and while one of her is working at the library, the other is researching our questions and composing clear and comprehensive answers. For MY birthday I would like a 'Nephele' as a present: my own personal Rome-expert!

My Latin teacher friend offered this better solution for number 4: amissus an surreptus: equus canus cum ephippio hippoperisque. praemium offertur. (lost or stolen: a hoary horse with saddle and saddle-bags. A reward is offered).

Sometimes easier to correct what someone has already done! 1. Aulus Probus Floridius: haruspex, mercator sacrarum gallinarum et orator; peritissimus ad horoscopos operaque varia. (Haruspex, salesman of sacred hens and orator; very skilled in horoscopes and random tasks) 2. venales: orationes de legibus. quaere apud Tabernam Portus Ostiae (for sale: texts about laws. ask at the Ostia Harbour Tavern) 3. Argentarius: pecuniam faenori minimo do. (Money-dealer: I give money at very low interest) 4. Equam meam peto - corbis stratumque quoque abest - praemium offero (I seek my mare - basket and saddle are missing - I offer a reward) 5. Petitur: tabellarius acer. (he is sought: a swift errand runner) Any comments? Corrections?

Salvete, omnes! The producer of the Roman Mysteries TV series (loosely based on my books) wants Latin phrases for the following English: Aulus Probus Floridius: Haruspex, sacred poultry dealer and orator. Odd jobs and horoscopes a speciality For sale - law texts. Apply above the Ostia Harbour Inn. Money lender - good interest rates. Lost or stolen - grey horse with saddle and baskets. Reward offered. Wanted - willing boy to run errands. English to Latin is notoriously difficult... Any of you Latin scholars want to have a go? Gratias ago! Flavia

'He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!' (Thought I'd be the first to get that one in! ) Flavia

What a useful table of Roman wines! Thank you Nephele and Primus Pilus! I am especially interested in the two Egyptian wines -- Mareoticum and Taenioticum -- and will certainly include them in The Scribes from Alexandria, which I'm working on now!