ASCLEPIADES

Salve, DV! This is an excellent question. In his article titled "Composition of the Senate, A.D. 68-235" (The Journal of Roman Studies, 1957), Hammond illustrated the decline of patricians of Republican ancestry in the Roman Senate by providing statistical averages under the various emperors, starting with 16 percent under Augustus and declining to 4.5 percent under Nero. He further stated that the same decline was also seen among those families that had been elevated to patrician status under Augustus and Claudius. Of those 26 families, only 16 were still represented under Nero's rule, 9 under Vespasian, and a mere 6 under Trajan

Salve, guys!

Salve, guys! Lead poisoning has been tried to be linked with the decline and the fall of the Roman Empire for more than a century. It is a very extensive topic that surely deserves its own thread. Briefly, some of the most prominent flaws showed by many of these theories are: - The lack of an operative definition for "decline" and/or "fall". What social or political phenomena are these theories trying to explain? Exactly where and when did they happen? - An unrealistic appraisal of the clinical signs of saturnism. Vg, even if mild cognitive impairment is common, dementia (

Sounds like the Italian game of "bocce." Could it have been a Roman export to Egypt? Salve, guys! Quoting the end of the same article: "According to Bresciani, the game has no parallel in other civilizations. "I looked into similar ancient games, including ancient Roman games, and could not find anything like this. It really looks like it was invented in Egypt," Bresciani said."

Here are 3 of the most notorious client kingdoms of the Romans in Britain: Atrebates, later Regnenses or Regni Client status: 55 BC-70s AD Location: Roughly modern-day Hampshire and West Sussex (capitals now Silchester and Chichester) After his defeat of the Belgic Atrebates on the Continent, Julius Caesar had employed their king Commius in his unsuccessful invasion of Britain in 55 BC. Caesar left Commius as a client (i.e., nominally independent) king in Gaul, giving him additionally rule over the Morini. Commius maintained his loyalty through the events of 54 BC, but later began to conspire against the Romans, and fled to Britain, where he established himself as a king. He ruled through roughly 20 BC, although there may have been a second king named Commius. Commius was succeeded by three of his sons. First, Tincomarus, from 25/20 BC to 7/8 AD. He was more sympathetic to Rome than his father had been, and based on numismatic evidence styled himself rex, implying client kingship status under the Empire. He was expelled in 7/8 AD, seeking refuge with the Romans. After Tincomarus, the emperor Augustus chose to recognize his brother, Eppillus, as the next client king. After ruling jointly with Tincomarus, he apparently became sole ruler c.7 AD, and may have been the one who drove out Tincomarus. Eppillus was succeeded by another of Commius' sons, Verica, who reigned from Silchester. During his rule, the Atrebates were under pressure from the Catuvellauni to the east. After fifteen years of war, Caratacus of the Catuvellauni conquered the whole kingdom, and Verica was driven out of Britain in roughly 40 AD. As a Roman ally, it has been argued that the nominal goal of the Roman conquest of 43 AD to restore Verica to power. Following the Roman conquest, Cogidubnus, who was at some point given the Roman names Tiberius Claudius, ruled what had been the lands of the Atrebates. His people were now referred to as Regni or Regnenses (see the Regnenses article for discussion of the name). Cogidubnus was notably loyal to the Romans (see, e.g., Tacitus), and after his death, probably in the 70s AD, the kingdom became part of the Roman province of Britannia. Iceni Client status: c.47-60 AD Location: Roughly modern-day Norfolk Prasutagus was possibly installed as king after the revolt of the Iceni in 47 AD. The Iceni were allowed quasi-independence, with the expectation that the kingdom would revert to Roman control on Prasutagus' death. The king instead tried to leave control of the region, at least in part, to his children. When he died in 60 AD, the Romans seized control, prompting a second Iceni rebellion under Prasutagus' wife Boudica. Following suppression of Boudica's revolt, the Romans simply administered the territory as part of Britannia. Votadini Client status: c.140s-c.410 AD Location: Southeast Scotland and northeast England, including modern-day Northumberland The Votadini were a Brythonic people who lived under the direct rule of Rome Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall from 138-162 AD. When the Romans withdrew behind Hadrian's Wall in 164 AD, they left the Votadini as a client kingdom, a buffer zone against the Picts in the north. They maintained client status until the Romans pulled out of Britain in 410 AD. Through a series of linguistic changes, the Votadini became known as the Gododdin, and maintained a kingdom until their defeat by the Angles c.600 AD.

Salve, guys and Ladies! As you were saying:

Gratiam habeo, MPC. I would like to ask you: -Why and for whom was the Paradoxa written? -How much of this stoic stuff in the Paradoxa can be attributed to Cato himself and how much to previous authors like Zeno or Chryssipus? -What did Cicero himself think of these 6 Paradoxa and of the stoic stuff in general? -Not being a stoic himself, why did Cicero wrote so much about them? Thanks in advance.

Salve, K. Of course, you're right. Anyway, I am going to leave a last clue: This city is in an island. Cheers and good luck!

Salve, V! ONLY FOR FROGEATERS (of any country).

Salve, guys and Ladies! I am beginning to feel a bit schizophrenic talking alone. ANOTHER CLUE: This was one of the first cities that accepted christianity. Cheers and good luck!

Salve, guys! OK, a non-graphical hint: This is a Bona Fide Roman city located in an indisputable Hellenic region.

Salve, JPV. Ars gratia artis. Art is the reward of art. Keep on with that cool work!

Non est, quod gratias agas, CO

Salve, guys! Claudius increased notoriously the role of freedmen in his administration and the four you mentioned (all of them Greek) became the core of the impirial court, getting for themselves an impressive amount of power and money. Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was the secretary of correspondence (praepositus ab epistulis). He had an important role in the preparations for the conquest of Britain. It was Narcissus who betrayed Messalina to Claudius. Agrippina minor ordered Narcissus' execution shortly after Claudius' death. Marcus Antonius Pallas became the secretary of the treasury. Originally a slave of Antonia Minor (Claudius' mother), he was possibly the one that was sent to deliver evidence to the emperor Tiberius concerning the murder of his son Drusus by Sejanus. He was a firm supporter of Agrippina Minor from the beginning and retained his post during the earlier reign of Nero, but was eventually killed by Nero's orders. Narcissus and Pallas were probably relatives. Gaius Julius Callistus, originally a freedman of Caligula, became secretary of justice and law. He died before Claudius. Tiberius Claudius Polybius assisted Claudius in his literary, and historical pursuits before the emperor's accession and got a bureau for miscellaneous issues ('a studiis'). He was a friend of Seneca. Claudius eventually executed him for treason.

Salve, CO! Strictly speaking, the death of Valeria Messalina was the result of a summary execution. I don't know of any Classical author who denied that she was convicted in fraganti for adultery, bigamy and no less than high treason, among other possible charges. Here, Suetonius' Life of Claudius: 26

"Libya has freed six foreign medical personnel who were convicted of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV and sentenced to death. In jail since 1999, the five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, today. The president of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov promptly pardoned them. All six have maintained their innocence throughout. They have also claimed that they suffered torture to extract confessions. International HIV experts testified at the trials that the infections began before the six arrived at the Benghazi hospital. They said the infections were more likely the result of poor hygiene. Last week, Libya lifted the death sentences following a US$460 million financial settlement, which works out to US$1 million to each HIV victim's family. However, Libya insisted on further concessions on relations with the European Union and aid. A deal between the E.U. and Libya, mediated by Qatar, ended the diplomatic standoff. The foreign minister of Libya, Abdel Rahman Shalgham said the E.U. promised to provide "life-long treatment" to the infected children, as well as aid to "improve the Benghazi hospital" where the children were infected. Further, he claimed that deal will allow for "full cooperation and partnership between Libya and the European Union." "We hope to go on further [in] normalising our relations with Libya. Our relations with Libya were to a large extent blocked by the non-settlement of this medics issue," said Jos

This is highly unlikely... As far as I know, no medical research lists suborning spies, confiscating private property, forcing senators' wives into prostitution, raping dinner guests, and torturing political opponents as symptoms of lead poisoning. Salve, guys! Since a long time, lead poisoning has been frequently quoted as a contributor to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire (A SHORT LIST HERE), commonly with a lot of misinterpretations, not being the minor one the lack of an operative definition of "decline" or "fall". I don't know of any medical research that lists social, economic, administrative and/or military collapse as symptoms of lead poisoning.

Salve, Lady FG! You will have to excuse me, but I'm curious. Can you please upload your selection or a link to it? (Of course, we can always wait for the Book). Thanks in advance.

Salve, CO! Once again, this comes from Suetonius' Life of Caligula: 19 Besides this, he devised a novel and unheard of kind of pageant; for he bridged the gap between Baiae and the mole at Puteoli ... many have supposed ... that it was to inspire fear in Germany and Britain, on which he had gardens, by the fame of some stupendous work. 43 He had but one experience with military affairs or war, and then on a sudden impulse; for having gone to Mevania to visit the river Clitumnus and its grove, he was reminded of the necessity of recruiting his body-guard of Batavians and was seized with the idea of an expedition to Germany... 44 ... All that he accomplished was to receive the surrender of Adminius, son of Cynobellinus king of the Britons, who had been banished by his father and had deserted to the Romans with a small force; yet as if the entire island had submitted to him, he sent a grandiloquent letter to Rome, commanding the couriers who carried it to ride in their post-chaise all the way to the Forum and the House, and not to deliver it to anyone except the consuls, in the temple of Mars the Avenger, before a full meeting of the senate.

I knew about the other days of the week, and was pretty sure about dimanche, but since my good dictionaries are packed away, I couldn't say 'without a doubt'. Thanks for the confirmation, A! Non est, quod gratias agas, Doc.

Salve! Nope, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator had four known children, one of them with Julius Caesar (Ptolemy XV Caesar aka Caesarion) and three with Mark Antony, a couple of twins ( Alexander Helios "Sun" and Cleopatra Selene "Moon") and Ptolemy Philadelphus. Only Cesarion was killed by Octavius ("One Caesar is enough"). Here is the account of their fate by Cassius Dio(Book 51): "5 Such were these two (Antony and Cleopatra) and such was their end. Of their children, Antyllus was slain immediately, though he was betrothed to the daughter of Caesar and had taken refuge in his father's shrine, which Cleopatra had built; and Caesarion while fleeing to Ethiopia was overtaken on the road and murdered. Cleopatra (Selene) was married to Juba (II of Numidia), the son of Juba; for to this man who had been brought up in Italy and had been with him on campaigns, Caesar gave both the maid and the kingdom of his fathers, and as a favour to them spared the lives of Alexander and Ptolemy. " And here is it by Plutarch (Life of Antony) "87 Antony left seven children by his three wives, of whom Antyllus, the eldest, was the only one who was put to death by Caesar; the rest were taken up by Octavia and reared with her own children. Cleopatra, the daughter of Cleopatra, Octavia gave in marriage to Juba, the most accomplished of kings". Juba and Cleopatra returned to Numidia but were forced to leave it and move to Mauretania, which flourished under their rule. Their children were Cleopatra (possible), Ptolemy and Drusilla This Ptolemy was the last king of Mauritania and had very bad luck with his cousin, the emperor Gaius (Caligula). Here, Suetonius (Life of Caligula): "35 ... After inviting Ptolemy... to come from his kingdom and receiving him with honour, he suddenly had him executed for no other reason than that when giving a gladiatorial show, he noticed that Ptolemy on entering the theatre attracted general attention by the splendour of his purple cloak." The famous queen Zenobia of Palmyra (III Century AD) was supposedly descendant from Ptolemy of Mauritania.

Salve, guys! Probably the best people to judge the degree of "Jewishness" would be the Jews themselves. THIS IS THE FAQ PAGE OF THE JEWS FOR JUDAISM SITE.

Salve, MPC! Being Cato a stoic, did he leave any philosophical works? I haven't been able to find them in the Web.

Salve, guys and Ladies! I have been always curious about why the reign of Gaius didn't end with any significant setback for the Empire. What do you think about it?

Salve, MPC! Methinks had he done that, the Caesarians would just have had another reason to kill him after the Liberators' defeat.