ASCLEPIADES

Salve, Lady N

Actually choosing his horse for consul (If this even ever did happen, I guess my theory would nothing but be silly if it's only a myth) is not even closely as mad as it may seem - It's merely a way to point out how worthless the consular position was by this time compared to the power of the princeps. On the question of literature, I actually thing you would find your best evidence in Suetonius working your way back from what seems to be reasonable and what seems to be rumours. The topic sounds very interesting by the way! A Urban Myth indeed. Our main gossipy source, C. Suetonius T. goes no farther than suggesting that "it was said" Caius (aka Caligula) even planned to award Incitatus a consulship in the cp LV of his biography, from almost a century later. Writing after an additional century, L. Cassius Dio told us more or less the same on his Romanika Historia (Liber LXIX, cp XIV); both authors presumably quoted from a common source (maybe Cluvius Rufus). And of course, Incitatus never appeared on any consular fasti.

Congratulations, Russell!

Gratiam habeo for the crack, AC. The same can be said regarding the Fall of Rome. Is there any measure and/or estimation on the economic impact of the building and maintenance of the Hadrian's Wall and related defensive lines? (ie, the Antonine Wall, the Stanegate, the Gask Ridge and so on)

Salve, Amici.

Salve, Amici

Gratiam habeo for your quiz, Carolyn. It is really a nice piece of didactic work. Merry Mithras!

Salve, M This issue has been extensively discussed on a previous thread. My own conclusion after all that: Lucius Brutus was a too mythological (ie, fictitious) figure to reach any useful conclusion regarding the patrician-plebeian social system. In any case, the indisputedly plebeian Marcus Brutus was indeed widely accepted as Lucius Brutus descendent, MT Cicero included. And as far as I know, patrician status inheritance was not optional (just ask Clodius).

Specially because, if he was the son of Sestius, why was his name Cornelius Scipio? Here comes Caius Suetonius Tranquillus, Vita Divus Iulius, cp. LIX, sec. II: Ad eludendas autem vaticinationes, quibus felix et invictum in ea provincia fataliter Scipionum nomen ferebatur, despectissimum quendam ex Corneliorum genere, cui ad opprobrium vitae Salvitoni cognomen erat, in castris secum habuit. "Furthermore, to make the prophecies ridiculous which declared that the stock of the Scipios was fated to be fortunate and invincible in that province, he kept with him in camp a contemptible fellow belonging to the Cornelian family, to whom the nickname Salvito had been given as a reproach for his manner of life". And here comes Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, Caesar, cp. LII, sec. IV-V: "On learning that the enemy were emboldened by an ancient oracle to the effect that it was always the prerogative of the family of the Scipios to conquer in Africa, he either flouted in pleasantry the Scipio who commanded the enemy, or else tried in good earnest to appropriate to himself the omen, it is hard to say which. He had under him, namely, a man who otherwise was a contemptible nobody, but belonged to the family of the Africani, and was called Scipio Sallustio. This man Caesar put in the forefront of his battles as if commander of the army, being compelled to attack the enemy frequently and to force the fighting". And here comes Cassius Dio, Historia, Liber XLII, cp. LVIII, sec. I: "When Caesar learned of this and saw that his own soldiers also were persuaded that it was so and were consequently afraid, he added to his retinue a man of the family of the Scipios who bore that name (he was otherwise known as Salutio)". The orthography of his agnomen varies considerably among the diverse translations of these sources.

Salve, AC We had recently a thread on the potential relationship of the waste of valuable reources (eg Hadrian's Wall Inner Moat or Vallum) with the eventual demise of the Roman Empire. I understand the Vallun was filled just like a decade after having been built... Any explanation for that issue? Wasn't it a huge waste of resources?

alve, Amici Does anybody know if there's a Turkish account on that battle?

Welcome, Sas A fair assesment of gender status in not so many words.

Little busy here; thanks in advance to anyone who might take my place.