lothia

Ave Civitas, Thank you for your replies. Travel, without a guide, seems to be have been very difficult business. Unless you knew where your destination was even stopping along the way could get you off your track. How could you ask someone in Raetia which road to take to some city in Macedonia if the Raetian didn't know anything about Macedonia (or maybe even where Macedonia was). Were travel not so serious and dangerous, then traveling could almost be comedic, going off on wrong directions, back-tracking, doing the Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" act trying to find the right road to Scupi. Again, thanks for your help. Tom

Ave Civitas, I was wondering if the Romans marked their roads with something beside a mile marker. For instance, when leaving one town, was their a sign, "Hicksvilla 12 miles" or were there markers "You are now entering Macedonia" And what about where roads intersected. Was there a "< Portus =| |= Rome >" sign up anywhere. If not, how did people know where they were when they traveled? Thanks

Ave Civitas, If you want a good over view of what life was like in the Western Empire in the last hundred years read Michael Grant's "the Fall of the Roman Empire" His chapters, each dealing with a separate topic that led to the fall of the Western Empire, give a good accounting of why the Empire collapsed. Reading this you can get a good idea of what life was like in the provinces. Tom

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Ave, Okay, I finally did find out. After the Diocletian divisions, Macrianopolis was the provincial capital and Tomi the capital of Scythia inferior. Look at : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Balkans_6th_century.svg Thanks for all your help. Do appreciate it. Tom

Hi Ghost of Clayton, That was a really informative link that led me to many more. Thank you very much, however, it did not identify the capital of Lower Moesia after the Diocletian provincial reforms. Great link, great information. Thanks. Tom

Ave Civitas, I guess it would depend upon when in Rome you are seeking provincial names. Diocletian subdivided many into smaller provinces giving them new names, and there were some that were abandoned for one reason or another. I would like to see some map or list that gave the provinces (page after page probably) as the political outlines of Rome changed. Tom.

Ave Civitas, You might want to take a look at "Circus Factions: Blues and Greens at Rome and Byzantium" By Alan Cameron It is expensive, but I got it through an inter-library loan. Had some interesting data among its pages. Tom

Ave Civitas, I have another problem, this one concerning Roman administration. Diocletian subdivided the province of Lower Moesia into Moesia Inferior and Scythia Minor. Prior to that time Tomis was the captial of Moesia Inferior. After the division, I imagine, but can not verify, that Tomis became the capital of Scythia Minor since it would be within its boundaries. My question is then, what became the new capital of Moesia Inferior. I have searched my texts and searched on-line and can find Tomis identified several times, but nothing after the partition. Thanks, you guys are great. Tom

Ave Civitas, Thank you very much for your response. Sonic, I appreciate your comment, and it is something I had not considered. Thank you for your time, and I will read your book. Tom

Ave Civitas, I am working on a story about the battle of Frigidus. My research reveals that Timasius, related to Theodosius's wife, Empress Aelia Flaccilla, so pretty high up on the pecking order. Theodosius placed him as commander of troops in the campaign against Eugenius and Arbogast. When the battle was over however, it was Stilicho who chose to keep the legions in the West. My question is, if Timasius was overall commander and Stilicho a subordinate general, why did Timasius not just say, "Sorry Flav, I'm taking the legions, bye." My guesses are: 1. Stilicho was made Magister Utriusque Militiae and that put him as supreme commander of the Western legions. However, that still does not give him control of the Eastern legions. 2. Timasius was relieved of command (with the intention of sending him back east) but the orders were overlooked when Theodosius took ill, so had no control over the legions. Any suggestions, thoughts, sources I may look up? Thanks again, Tom

Ave Civitas, You guys are great. I have another question about travel in the Later Roman Empire. I understand that there were times when Rome could not provide security to all of the land it "owned". 1. I would assume then that travel from one city to the next could be dicey. 2. I assume this did not preclude travel, but traveling in groups would be saver. 3. I imagine that life in the lesser villages was more hazardous than life in a walled city. 4. I would also imagine that merchants, loaded down with valuables would not want to travel from one city to the next without accompaniment (other merchants, armed guards, hired guards) My question is: Are my assumptions correct? Can someone point me in the direction of a good reference to this? Thanks again, tom

Ave Civitas, Thanks to you all. You guys, and this web site is fantastic. I appreciate all your help. Tom

Ave Citizens, I am writing a novel set in the Later Roman Empire (AD 390-400) and a minute, but elusive point came up. How did Romans keep out the cold? Today we can close the window. They are made of glass, and we can still see out. How did Romans shut out the light when they wanted a room darkened? We have shades, blinds, and curtains. What did the Romans use? I will post this same question at Roman Army Talk. Thank you guys. You are, as always, a great help. Tom

Thanks. I have read that book and recall the chapter headings using the hours. I will check it out at the library today. Tom

Ave Civitas, I am doing the final editing of a novel set during the later Roman Empire. I am stuck. I down loaded a file on calendars and time in Rome. The daytime hours are pretty straight forward. 1st Hour, 2nd Hour, etc. In that file are listed the nighttime hours. However, their names seem to be a bit contradictory. What I have is: Hours before midnight Vespera, Evening Prima Fax, first torch Concubia, First Sleep Nocte Intempesta, Dead of the night between Midnight and dawn Inclinatio, Leaning Gallicinium, Northern Gaul Conticinium, Still of the night Duluculum. At daybreak (Dawn) However, when I look up the meaning of each of these, they do not seem to mean what the file said they meant, and, in some cases, seem to be misplaced in their proper chronological sequence. What I found their meanings to be are: before midnight Vespera, Evening - Yes, Evening Prima Fax, first torch - Yes, First Torch Concubia, First Sleep - Maybe, Early Night, Bedtime Nocte Intempesta, Dead of the night - Yes, the dead of the night between Midnight and dawn Inclinatio, Leaning - Yes, leaning (but why?) Gallicinium, Northern Gaul - No, this means Cockscrow, first light, last watch. Conticinium, Still of the night - Maybe, but misplaced. It means immediately after nightfall. Duluculum. At daybreak (Dawn) - Yes, Daylight. So, does anyone know what the nighttime hours were called? Thanks. Tom

Ave Civitas, I was given a book, Ad Invinitum, by Nicholas Ostler, by a fellow writer. It is a great book on the history of Latin, its development, and because I am writing a novel based in AD 335, very informative on the usage of Latin throughout the Empire at that time. It is a good read and I recommend it for people interested in Latin. Tom

am working on a short story set in AD 311 in Gaul. As part of the story, a character is caring for a member of the Bacaudae and I was wondering what the citizen had at his disposal to defend against searches of their premises. What authority did Provincial Governors, Duoviri, Senators have to order the search of a citizen's home when looking for fugitives, contraband, incriminating evidence that someone commted a crime. Thanks for your help. Me (lothia)

Ave, I am nearing completion of a novel about the rise and fall of Flavius Hannibalianus. I have hit a snag on events. I have many sources from which I draw, and there seems to be a descrepency in the date of the Emperor Constantine's 30th anniversary. Some report it as being celebrated in AD 335 and some in AD 336. I was wondering about this. I know that Romans, when they spoke of their annual calendar, used inclusive dates, such as the 28th of December would have been referred to as [the fifth day before the Kalends of January], (28, 29, 30, 31, and 1) as opposed to how I count days today [four days before the First] (29,30,31, and 1). If a Roman did count years like they counted days, this couild explain why the two reported dates. Thanks again, Me.

Ave, Thank you very much. The position of Provincial Governor completely slipped my mind. And, of course, the governor of the province where Carthage was situated would be the one the book was talking about. Thanks again. Me.

Ave civitas, I am reading "Constantine and Eusebius" by Timothy Barnes. There is a few lines that left me confused. I am hoping that someone can clarify the duties of these positions: --- A letter which he (Constantine) wrote early in 313 reveals that Patricius, the vicarius of Africa, Anullimus, the proconsul, and Heraclides, the procurator of the imperial estates, had standing instructions to provide money to the bishop of Carthage on request - which they had received from Constantine in person. --- Now, I know what a Vicarius is. Similar to a governor, but of a Diocese instead of a province. I know what the procurator of the imperial estates did, managed the upkeep, record the income, and handled other matters concerning "federal" lands. What I do not know is, What did the procurator do? Was he the military commander? Or was he something else. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

Ave Civitas, I have never heard of horseback racing in a hippodrome, but I was wondering if anyone had. Concerning the renaming of Tomis, Constantine I renamed it Constantina in honor of his half-sister, also of that name. I would imagine, though I cannot find a reference to it, that it was renamed to placate his half-sister after he ordered her son executed for his implication with the usurper on Cyprus in AD 334. According to Wikipedia (whose truth or accuracy is sometimes questionable) Constantine I ordered its rebuilding and renaming to Constantina. From this name came the city's present name, Constanta. I visited this city in 2006 doing research for my book, (excellent naval museum there) but I do not recall seeing a city plan that included a hippodrome, but most cities had one. Thanks again. I really appreciate your help. Me.

Ave, Thank you guys very much. I did not know about the pigeons being released after the races. I would imagine that only the best of racing chariots teams and the best on horseback would make it to the big-city hippodromes. But what about small city (Constantina (Tomis), and Tarraconensis (Tarragon)? I think they both had hippodromes, but unless some team is making the circuit, those cities would only feature 2nd rate race horses. And that makes me wonder about horse-back racing. Would little towns have them? I could imagine on their annual Wine Festival (or something) they would have the local people putting horses up in a race. I appreciate your help. me.

Ave, I am near completion of a novel about the rise and fall of Flavius Hannibalianus (AD 335 - 337). I have a collection of books that I use for reference (my private library) but I cannot find anything about betting practices in Rome. (Betting is mentioned, but the conduct of the practice is lacking) First, I am interested in knowing how betting on horse (and chariot) races were conducted. I am sure they did not have the modern-day betting windows. I also would like to know if bets could be made on contestants in the races who did not "Win", but came in second, third, etc. I would imagine that private wagers could be made between private citizens ("I bet my horse can beat your horse"), but was this wide spread and common among the registered (if there were any) bet takers. Secondly, Rome, like any civilization, lived on taxes. Were these bets (and the commission taken by the bet takers) taxed? Thank you very much for your help. Tom Chelmowski

Ave Civitas, Thank you for such a rapid response. Melvadius, that is a very useful site, not just for roads, but for bridges and aqueducts as well. Ludovicus, Thanks for the ideas of where to search. I had searched some of them, but others not, but now, soon. I will see if my library can fetch me a copy of the Barrington Atlas so I can see if it is worth my buying. Its new price is a bit pricey. I appreciate your help. I plan on sending my manuscript out in January perhaps, so it may be months before some agent or publisher bites. I will however, post here where the book does become available for sale. Thanks again for all your help. Me.