G-Manicus

I'm about 1/2 way through and so far, so good. There was one really funny moment in the book though. It's at the point where Crassus has Spartacus penned up in Southern Italy after two separate attempts to break through Crassus' lines. Holland states: "Both were repulsed, to Crassus' immense relief, for he, like his quarry, was starting to grow desperate. Time was running out. An enemy far more threatening than Spartacus was looming on the horizon. After five years in Spain, Pompey was on his way home." LOL!

So, on the issue of whether Pompey was truly a great general or just a somewhat lucky opportunist you lean towards "great."

... or books about Marius v. Sulla would fit the bill as well.

Anyone have any recommendations for a good biography on Gaius Marius?

See initial post for complete listings Monday 4/21/08 Spartacus (2004) HDNET Movies - 8:00 pm Spartacus leads a slave revolt against the powerful forces of ancient Rome. Based on the novel by Howard Fast. Based on the book by Howard Fast. Tuesday 4/22/08 Engineering an Empire History International - 10:00 pm Next showing: The Byzantines The classical learning and science of the Byzantine Empire gives rise to the Renaissance. Tuesday 4/29/08 Scariest Places on Earth Sci Fi - 7pm Next showing: Curse of the Roman Gladiators Ancient gladiators, who died in battle at the Coliseum, haunt the city of Rome today. Wednesday 4/30/08 Spartacus (1960) HBO Signature - 6:35 am A gladiator slave leads a revolt in decadent Rome and attempts to lead his followers to freedom.

One vote for "Great"

Various books I've read have painted Pompey as something less than Magnus-like as a general. While he was awarded triumph after triumph and was beloved by the people as a military genius, many accounts I've read portray him as a bit of an accidental hero, an opportunist whose achievements were overblown and exaggerated. For example, his mop-up mission against Spartacus' troops which ended up stealing Crassus' thunder. Or his defeats at the hands of Sertorius in Spain. Or taking over Lucullus's command in the East after all the heavy lifting had been done. What say ye, my UNRV brethren, on the topic of Pompey's greatness? Would you liken him more to an Alexander? Or to a Captain Parmenter of F-Troop fame?

I don't get the concept of doing "shots." It tastes like crap and just gets you **** faced in record time. Oh, and you feel really good the next day too!

Back for another go round. The Tivo site I use to search listings has finally been fixed. It used to spit out 30+ days of hits in tripilicate making it a pain in the *** to sift through. Friday 4/18/08 Superweapons of the Ancient World Military Channel - 12:00 pm Next showing: The Claw Greek genius Archimedes creates a secret weapon that plucks Roman warships from the sea. Saturday 4/19/08 Rome HBO 2 - 09:00 pm Next showing: Stealing From Saturn Caesar seeks to consolidate his hold on Rome; Atia throws a party; Pullo delivers Quintus Pompey to Caesar. Monday 4/21/08 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Encore Love - 4:00 am A con-man slave and his sidekick fake a courtesan's funeral to fool a pimp in ancient Rome. What the Romans Did for Us History International - 9:30am Next showing: Edge of the Empire Good communication skills were the key to the Roman military's success. The Lost Gods Smithsonian Channel - 11:30 am Next showing: The Romans The rise and fall of Rome and the gods it revered. Tuesday 4/22/08 Smart Travels: Europe With Rudy Maxa Discovery Channel - 6:30am Next showing: Bath and South Wales Ancient Roman spas; the mystical town of Glastonbury, England; the Wye River Valley; Tintern Abbey inspires poet William Wordsworth. Day of Discovery NRB Network - 8:30 am Next showing: Romans: The Letter That Changed the World De Haan and DeYoung visit archaeological sites of the Roman Empire, from which the Apostle Paul sent a provocative letter of faith, religion and life, still impacting people today. Wednesday 4/23/08 The Battle for Rome Military Channel 9:00 am Next showing: Rebellion Gen. Titus Flavius Vespasian returns from banishment to rule the Roman Empire. Lost Worlds History International - 10:00 pm Next showing: City of Armageddon Overlooking the Holy Land's Dead Sea is the ancient fortress of Masada, where Jewish rebels besieged by Roman soldiers staged a last stand until committing mass suicide. Friday 4/25/08 Moments in Time Investigation Discovery (ID) Channel- 4:00 AM Next showing: Letters From the Roman Front Artifacts help to re-create the life of Roman armies. Rick Steves' Europe HDNET - 7:00 am Next showing: Provence: Legendary Light, Wind and Wine Roman ruins in Nimes; Avignon's papal palace; Van Gogh's Arles; the Rhone. Gladiator (2000) Cinemax - 2:40 pm Condemned to arena fights by corrupt Roman leader Commodus, Gen. Maximus seeks revenge for his family's deaths.

Man law!

It was bad enough when the froo-froo crowd started putting limes in their beer. Now they're throwing oranges in there too? Oh, the humanity!

Fosters (it's Australian for "beer")

I grew up a NY Islanders fan and was actually at the game in 1980 when they won the first of their four consecutive Stanley Cups. They beat the Flyers 5-4 in OT. We were sitting 4 rows from the ice, directly parallel to the goal Bobby Nystrom scored in to win the Cup. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Our seats were right next to the runway where the Islanders came in and out of their locker room and I reached and touched the cup when they brought it by. Just like with baseball in 1994 though, I stopped following hockey when they canceled the 2004-05 season.

Horton Hears a Hoo The Bee Movie

Yeah, but what have they done for us lately?

Just finished "Mayday" by Nelson DeMille. I'm currently reading "Rubicon" by Thomas Holland and "69 AD: The Year of the Four Emperors" by Gwyn Morgan.

I plan on picking up a case of Foster's on the way home as my "snack du weekend"

He's got good handwriting.

Thanks, Neph. That's interesting stuff.

Sounds like they've got their Livia's confused. By the way, here is Morgan's passage about his stepmother adopting him:

LOL!

Thanks, GPM. Morgan says that Tiberious cut the inheritance down to 50,000 because he wanted it for himself. Morgan does say that Galba's stepmother was a "Livia Ocellina" who apparently was quite fond of him and adopted him upon her death. Was she a relative of THE Livia perhaps? I'm not well versed enough in Roman naming conventions to know how it all works.

I'd recommend this instead:

I'm currently reading "69 AD: The Year of the Four Emperors" by Gwyn Morgan. In discussing Galba, he indicates that Livia bequeathed him the sum of 50,000,000 sesterces upon her death. He doesn't explain why this might have been. I know Galba served under Augustus and all that, but is it odd that Livia would leave him such a sum? What was the nature of their relationship?

I downloaded this last week at Wowio. I'm about 50 pages in ... so far, so good.