ASCLEPIADES

Pompeii, for its consevation status.

Salve, amici!

London, Sept 17 : Rome's Colosseum is at the risk from vandalism and graffiti, the city's civic authorities have said. Visitors to the 1st-century amphitheatre are taking away "chunks of stone" as souvenirs despite the presence of guards and surveillance cameras, Angelo Bottini, the Superintendent of Archaeology for Rome, has said. He said, though most of the five million tourists who visited the Colosseum annually behaved responsibly, some covered it in graffiti, left their rubbish behind, and even picked up bits of the ancient structure. "Nothing surprises me any more," said Prof Bottini. Presently, Prof. Bottini has started an inquiry and has asked the police to reinforce patrols and closed-circuit television surveillance at the site and the adjoining Roman Forum, where tourists also pocketed souvenirs. He said even worse was the fact that tramps used the historic site as shelter at night. Prof Bottini said funds allotted by the central government for the restoration of the Colosseum had dried up two years ago and had not yet been renewed. He said the authorities are now drawing up plans to improve security measures at the entrance to the site. There are also plans to clamp-down on unlicensed "fake centurions" who charged tourists for posing with them for photographs with the Colosseum as a backdrop, The Times quoted him as saying. Sequitur

London, Sept 17: A suspected Roman grave at Corfe Castle in Dorset County, England has excited archaeologists. Michiel Bil, a Government worker from Holland, who is also a part of a metal detectors' club, accidentally made the discovery. "I found the large piece of lead and stone and I was very excited because I had my suspicions that it might be a coffin. I called the archaeologist over and they also were excited and now it will be properly dug up this weekend and filmed on TV," said Bil. According to a local Daily report, the BBC TV programme, the One Show, has already shown a film about the discovery. Previous searches at Corfe Castle have uncovered bronze Celtic coins and Roman burial pots, which are now housed in the Dorchester County Museum. Source: Dailyindia.com

Teheran, Sept 17: A British-Iranian archaeological team has discovered 30 historical sites belonging to the Parthian (248 BC-224 AD) and Sassanian (224-651 AD) era near Gorgan's Great Wall in northern Iran's Golestan Province. The experts from Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) and the University of Edinburgh and Durham University, started the second season of excavations on Gorgan's defensive wall in Kolaleh, Gonbad Kavus, and Turkmen port, all located in northern Iran. Hamid Omrani, the head of the Iranian-British team said, the majority of the Parthian and Sassanian historical sites have been discovered on the northern side of Gorgan's wall. Prior to this, during the archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Gorgan's wall, the team also succeeded in discovering the biggest fortress, 64 hectares in area, in one kilometre distance outside of Gorgan's wall, he said. Gorgan's great wall extended for 200 kilometres on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. It is the most ancient and the longest wall in Iran. In fact, it is the longest wall in Asia after the Great Wall of China. According to a Cultural Heritage News (CHN) Agency report, the Gorgan Wall was constructed to prevent invasions by the Heptai tribes from north side of the country. source: Dailyindia.com

Ave, GO! You're right indeed! Congratulations. This is the unedited English quotation of AC Celsus De Medicina, Liber IV, CH. VI, sec. I: "From the head we pass to the neck, which is liable to harm from diseases of considerable gravity. There is, however, no disease more distressing, and more acute, than that which by a sort of rigor of the sinews, now draws down the head to the shoulder-blades, now the chin to the chest, now stretches out the neck straight and immobile. The Greeks call the first opisthotonus, the next emprosthotonus, and the last tetanus, although some with less exactitude use these terms indiscriminately. These diseases are often fatal within four days." Your turn!

The translation of that quotation of "The Lifes of the Twelve Cesars": "He is said to have been tall of stature with a fair complexion, shapely limbs, a somewhat full face, and keen black eyes;" Try again!

And some other explanations are also in order: Actio is defined by Celsus (Dig. 44 tit. 7 s51) to be the right of pursuing by judicial means (judicio) what is a man's due. There are four actions proposed by Ticius in this case: I. actio de peculio. It allows the plaintiff (Ticious) to demand the pater familias by the debt that contracts his filius familiasor his servus as a result of the administration of the peculium that has trusted to him. II. actio mandati contraria. A mandate is the equivalent to the power of attorney in common law systems, an authorization to act (for an agent, as Ticius) on someone else's behalf (Sticious) in a legal or business matter. The contraria action means that Ticious is demanding Julianus a compensation for the mandate given to him by Sticius. III. actio de in rem verso. Enrichment without cause. Ticius is reclaiming to Julianus his enrichment (the land) via Sticius. IV. reivindicatio. Res vindicatio is a legal action by which the plaintiff (Ticius) demands that the defendant (Julianus) return a thing that belongs to the plaintiff. Exceptio was the extraordinary part of the formula that unlike the ordinary ones used by the actor, served like means as defense the demanded one. When certain circumstances of factual character occurred that they could lead to the acquittal of the demanded one if it alleged this one to them (in this case, the slave condition of Sticius), it asked the judge who inserted in formula one exceptio. Once again, the clue is the slave condition of Sticius.

I think a couple of hints are in order. The quid of this case is that slaves had no juridical personality or responsability; they depended entirely on their owners (domini), at least until they were manumitted. The servi were simply nstrementum genus vocale, ie talking tools. The Roman Pater familias was the lawful owner of his slaves and of all the earnings of the members of the familia under his con

Well, seriously, probably their ship technology was one of their main contributions. Once again, here it is the advance ship technology and the elementary ship technology.

Salve, Lady A! Here is a serious answer, next comes a childish answer and finally a sport answer

C. Julius Caesar?

No, whatever image you want. I'm also a rookie; but if you prefer, I can post the next one.

This one also comes from ACC, but it's harder: "Neque tamen alius inportunior acutiorque morbus est, quam is, qui quodam rigore nervorum modo caput scapulis, modo mentum pectori adnectit, modo rectam et inmobilem cervicem intendit... Ea saepe intra quartum diem tollunt: si hunc evaserunt, sine periculum sunt." "There is, however, no disease more distressing, and more acute, than that which by a sort of rigor of the sinews, now draws down the head to the shoulder-blades, now the chin to the chest, now stretches out the neck straight and immobile. These diseases are often fatal within four days. If the patients survive this period, they are no longer in danger."

Nope Here comes AC Celsus' unedited quotation: ( De Medicina, Liber I, Ch. II, sec. IV): "Scire autem licet integrum corpus esse, quo die mane urina alba, dein rufa est: illud concoquere, hoc concoxisse significat." "He can tell that his body is sound, if his morning urine is whitish, later reddish; the former indicates that digestion is going on, the latter that digestion is complete. "

Here is a good introduction to the Cohortes Vigilum Urbani I hope this stuff might be useful.

IOU an apology, you're right. My source confounded both Agrippinas. Congratulations! Here is the unedited pic. Your turn.

Salve, amicus! Your first medicus is Aulus Cornelius Celsus (even if he is probably not a physician): If he tells you that: "quo die mane urina alba, dein rufa est" (" if his morning urine is whitish, later reddish") What does it nean?

Nope. Try again!

Here is a quotation from De Vita XII Caesarum; Who is described here?: "Fuisse traditur excelsa statura, colore candido, teretibus membris, ore paulo pleniore, nigris vegetisque oculis,"

Salve, amici! Let's try another game. First, an easy one. Please identify this Lady:

Salve, amici! When this case was discussed by the Roman jurists (including the "Byzantine" ones), especially Julianus and Ulpianus, they had to determine the pertinence of the following legal actions: I. actio de peculio. II. actio mandati contraria. III. actio de in rem verso. IV. reivindicatio. V. exceptio in factum.

Salve, amici! Here I intend to post some real legal cases (quoted on primary sources). The original names may have been changed (obviously from my ignorance, not for their protection). You are expected to give your expert advice based on your Roman law's knowledge. Here's the first one: "Servus meus titio mandavit, ut fundum ei emeret, eique manumisso titius possessionem tradidit: quaesitum est, an longa possessione caperet." "My slave (Sticius) directed Titius to purchase a tract of land for him, and Titius transferred the possession of the same to the slave after his manumission. The question arose whether he could obtain it by long possession." Involved persons: Julianus (slave owner) Sticius (slave) Titius (freeborn = ingenuus). This case was originally published by Julianus. Have fun!

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. Here comes De Vita XII Caesarum, Tiberius, Ch. LXVIII: "...articulis ita firmis, ut recens et integrum malum digito terebraret, caput pueri vel etiam adulescentis talitro vulneraret." "...its joints were so powerful that he could bore through a fresh, sound apple with his finger, and break the head of a boy, or even a young man, with a fillip. " Here comes ibid,Caius, Ch. L: "... capillo raro at circa verticem nullo, hirsutus cetera. Quare transeunte eo prospicere ex superiore parte aut omnino quacumque de causa capram nominare, criminosum et exitiale habebatur." "... his hair thin and entirely gone on the top of his head, though his body was hairy. Because of this to look upon him from a higher place as he passed by, or for any reason whatever to mention a goat, was treated as a capital offence. ." And here comes Divus Claudius, Ch. XXX: "Auctoritas dignitasque formae non defuit ei, verum stanti vel sedenti ac praecipue quiescenti," "He possessed majesty and dignity of appearance, but only when he was standing still or sitting, and especially when he was lying down;"

Well, not completely. The Pontifex Maximus is still there (Benedict XVI); the Theocratic Absolute elective monarchy of the Vatican is sovereign over approximately 44 hectares and more than a billion of catholics, approximately one-sixth of the world's population. That said, here comes The Vatican Observatory . And also Do space aliens have souls? Cheers!