Aurelia

Really interesting article. Love the name "Hot Flanks" - might consider using it when signing up in another discussion board.

What do you guys make of the article below? Given where it was published, I'm not sure whether to take this seriously. I'm not doubting the existence of influential black Africans around ancient Mediterranean civilizations, but the claims in this article seem to be stretching reality a bit. Here are a few passages: Source: Atlanta Black Star

Here are some of the highlights for October! Marcus Agrippa: Right-hand man of Caesar Augustus The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt Secret Chamber Revisited: The Quest for the Lost Knowledge of Ancient Egypt Dangerous Days in the Roman Empire Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca The Roman Army: A History 753 BC - AD 476 Veni, Vidi, Vici: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Romans but Were Afraid to Ask The Inner Lives of Ancient Houses: An Archaeology of Dura-Europos The Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns and the Roman Empire, AD 430-476 (Christian Roman Empire)

German Auction House Sells Macedonian Coins Allegedly from Amphipolis (source: Greek Reporter) In light of this summer’s excavation of a monumental tomb at Amphipolis in northern Greece, a recent auction of ancient Macedonian coins by the German house Gorny and Μosch has raised eyebrows in the art world. The 15 ancient coins, dating from the era of Alexander the Great and his father Philip II of Macedon, are all said to derive from the area immediately surrounding Amphipolis, Greece. The coins are set to be auctioned in Munich in October. The estimated asking price is 500 euros, though they could sell for as high as 2,500 euros, or perhaps even more. Greek journalist and folklore writer Giorgos Lekakis says that the coins depict ancient Greek gods and heroes. Highlight of the collection include: - A tetradrachm from 356-355 BC. On the front side it depicts Zeus wearing a laurel wreath and on the back side it bears the name of “PHILIP” and a horseman waving. - A tetradrachm from 355-349/8 BC that also depicts the head of Zeus with a laurel wreath. On the back side it shows a man riding a Pegasus, a branch of laurel or palm and a cancer (crab). - A tetradrachm from 336-323 BC. On the front there is the head of Hercules and a lion’s head and on the back side it reads “KING ALEXANDER” and depicts Zeus. - A stater from 330-320 BC. On the front it depicts the head of Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet. On the back there is the name “ALEXANDER,” a lightning bolt, a bow and a club.

Paris actually has quite a bit to offer the Romanophile visitor. I remember visiting the underground exhibition on the Ile de la Cité. I also attended a wonderful concert held at the Roman Baths (Thermes de Cluny). These and many other hidden treasures are often overlooked by the average tourist, but they are definitely worth a visit. I'm including below an interesting article about Paris aka Lutetia as it was known in Roman times. Had Georges Eugène Haussmann not undertaken to tear up chunks of old Paris, much of the city's very early history would have remained hermetically sealed beneath its medieval layer, forever lost. Only the odd clue or snippet of information about Roman-era Paris had trickled down prior to the 19th century—in Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic Wars (52 BC) for a start, where the oppidum of the Parisii—a tribe of Celtic Gauls—on an island of the river Seine (Sequana) is first mentioned. Their settlement was known as Lutetia, or as the French now call it, Lutèce; the name Paris appears for the first time only in the 3rd century AD. Another half a millennium elapsed before the famous chronicler of the History of the Franks, Gregory of Tours (circa 538-594), reported the discovery, in a Paris gutter, of an ancient bronze serpent and badger, which his contemporaries interpreted as a premonitory sign that the city would be destroyed by fire—an interesting sidelight but revealing little about Lutetia. The first reference to an urban Roman monument was discovered only in the 12th century: an unsigned document mentions the "great circus" and "immense ruins" of the "arena", with specific reference to their location "by the church of Saint Victor". The famous medieval abbey of Saint Victor, a place of great erudition and beauty complete with cascading rivulets and fragrant orchards, was situated around the present Place Jussieu, now home to the ugly asbestos-ridden sprawl of the University of Paris VII. A section of the Roman aqueduct was unearthed in the Latin Quarter in the 16th century, and two ancient cemeteries, in the rues du Faubourg Saint Jacques and Faubourg Saint Marcel, were located in the 17th. More at France Today

It's the Daily Mail so I'm not surprised...

Thanks for the hard work. We all appreciate it!

Do you mean the 2010 mini-series? If not, I have no idea what you're talking about...

The title is a bit misleading as, according to the article, the wing housing the Pergamon Altar will be temporarily closed for renovations. When first reading it, I thought the whole altar would be removed permanently.

And another one. Love the background music. :-)

Interesting footage of the temple being excavated in the 50s!

Cicero is probably not "sexy" enough for Hollywood.

I wish I had the time to do it! But with 2 part-time jobs, and a small child to take care of, I'm afraid I would just lag behind...

I was reading some opinion pieces in the British media about the Scottish referendum this weekend. Many comments from Scottish independence supporters were understandably bitter but I was struck by how some people really took it personally. One guy said he cut contact with friends and family whom he knew had voted no to independence - he unfriended them on Facebook and literally stopped talking to them. I understand the disappointment but to allow differences of opinion to destroy personal relationships is kinda scary. It's almost tribal.

The Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining ancient world wonder, have stood for nearly 5,000 years and have watched countless visitors come and go. For many, visiting the Pyramids is a lifetime goal to be crossed off the bucket-list. Yet, as a result of economic or other concerns, visiting the world’s oldest man-made wonder is not always possible. In an attempt to bring ancient Egyptian history to the comfort of your home, Google’s Street View now allows you to take a ‘virtual walk among the stunning monuments and rich history‘ of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Google’s Street View now allows users to not only virtually visit the Giza Necropolis, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world housing the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, but also covers the world’s first Pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara. However, while ancient Egypt has captured the imagination of many across the globe – from school children learning about the Pharaohs to everyday museum-goers and academics – Egypt’s history extends far beyond the ancient civilization. In a testament to Egypt’s vast history, Street View’s virtual tour now also features Abu Mena, one of the oldest sites of Christianity in Egypt; the Hanging Church, one of the oldest Coptic Christian churches in the world; the Cairo Citadel, a medieval Islamic fortification and historic site; and the Citadel of Qaitbay, a 15th-century defensive fortress on the Mediterranean coast in Alexandria. Source: Egyptian Streets

I wonder what will come after Scotland (especially if the majority votes "yes" to independence). Catalonia? South Tyrol? Flanders?

I guess I'll also wait until it comes on TV...

Hmm, then I wonder where the R1b gene comes from. Perhaps the Celtiberian tribes?

Very cool photos, Peter. Thanks again for sharing. Unfortunately, Pompeii and Herculaneum are the only two sites I've visited around Naples. The other one I've visited is Paestum, further down south (click on pic below).

Very interesting, thanks for posting. I may have missed this bridge last time I was in Rome. Sad that it survived more or less intact for centuries, only to be vandalised in "modern" times.

Hello Peter! Welcome to UNRV! Thanks a lot for sharing your photos with us. I too have had the pleasure of visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum and your pics brought back memories.

However, this is precisely what the historian in the article seems to be stating: that ancient warriors (e.g. in Ancient Greece) did not suffer from PTSD because they were used to the brutal conditions of those times. I'm not sure if I agree with that, I mean, even if one is used to living in a brutal society, all the violence must still have some sort of negative psychological effect on a person. Maybe to a lesser extent but still...

Hmm, the customer reviews on Amazon.com seem to be mostly positive. But I wouldn't be surprised if the book turned out to be mostly a rehash of well-known facts...

I love Gladiator, and just watch it for what it is: great entertainment (and Russel Crowe is not too bad to look at either - an added bonus)!

Welcome Valka D'Ur and Axel to UNRV!