Virgil61

Two years two weeks or so. Missed this place, but the real world gets hectic sometimes. Who's still here that I know?

This seems to be the current conventional wisdom from the newest crop of writing on the late antiquity. Peter Heather, Stephen Mitchell and a few others would agree with this I think. The new mass migrations coupled with an internal crisis of leadership (Honorius comes to mind) leading to a loss of a major recruiting territory (Dalmatia) and bread-basket (N. Africa to the Vandals).

I think the influence goes both ways. A lot of Mexicans with families that I know in the Pacific NW tend to assimilate "American" values after a generation or two.

Happy B-Day Ursus!

Congrats doc! Something to be very proud of.

For purposes of the Germanicus discussion here are the contents of the 'Tabula Siarensis' discovered in 1982 in southern Spain. It contains Senatorial decrees and comments on the death of Germanicus, including the discussion of establishing arches in his honor. I believe one of the arches was discovered only a few years later near the Rhine. Tabula Siarensis

The worst? Augustus/Octavian by far. He put the final nails in the Republic's coffin, he buried it in addition to murdering/proscribing hundreds if not thousands of Roman elites. How he's gotten away with it over the centuries in terms of historical memory is beyond me. Stability my rear end. The best? Still too early to tell.

Interesting review on Carthage P; you're right there's not much on their history or culture out there. Looks like Amazon's got some used copies for a decent price.

Another important excerpt: LESSONS FOR TODAY

It's interesting to see the Punic Wars from the modern military profession's perspective vs the historian's. Here is an excerpt for those unwilling to go for 47 pages: FACTORS IN ROMAN VICTORY There were eight major strategic limiting factors that together contributed to Carthage

Very interesting read from the U.S. Army War College: LINK Comparing Strategies of the 2d Punic War: Rome's Strategic Victory Over the Tactical/Operational Genius, Hannibal Barca by LTC James Parker U.S. Army

Well that was something! Planet Terror's a good 'bad' zombie flick with a great cast and a real 70s B-movie feel to it. Death Proof takes a while to get started but ends on quite a romp and big on referencing 'Vanishing Point'. Both movies were given an aging treatment complete with scratchy and melting film, missing reels, etc. The fake movie trailers for non-existent films are hilarious. I'd say you get your money's worth of blood, gore and a decent car chase.

At 84 and a chain-smoker, that's not a bad run.

One of the great American writers has passed on. Sometimes great books, sometimes not so great, with Vonnegut as the NY Times says you love him or you hate him. I've read Slaughterhouse Five a couple of times; reflecting his time as a POW during the fire-bombing of Dresden wrapped in a science fiction story. It's probably his greatest contribution to literature. And so it goes.

For 'cost effective' see List'o links. All online stuff.

APPOMATTOX C. H., VA., Ap 9th, 1865. GEN. R. E. LEE, Comd'g C. S. A. GEN: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., (see Surrender Letters) I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside. Very respectfully, U. S. GRANT, Lt. Gen. ------ HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, April 9, 1865. GENERAL:

Almost the whole hip-hop, gangsta rap culture is garbage. Yes I'll admit that some things like early-NWA rise above the norm, but by and large its been a detriment to black youth in my opinion. I will admit to laughing when I see suburban white kids in Seattle acting like they're growing up on some inner-city 'mean streets'.

Outstanding find, thanks for sharing.

It has been done in the past: Your Level of Education? Is this worthy of being a sticky?

First Communion being celebrated with the whole family, followed by lots of Italian food.

On the marble floor? Zebra steaks for everyone!

What immediately comes to mind is far less reliance on (or the existence of) local 'buffer' states such as Herod's Judea having absorbed them instead.

That's an intriguing idea. How does Everitt come to this conclusion? Not sure exactly since he doesn't source that paragraph, or a lot of other statements. Here's the relevant paragraph--pg 241 in the hardback version for those who'd like to sing along--which contains two quotes: Much of the Roman public believed that there were too many liberti: they were swamping the citizen body, diluting its Italianness. This appears to have worried Augustus too, who expressed a wish in his will to "preserve a significant distinction between Roman citizens and the peoples of subject nations." It is reported that when Livia once asked him to make a Gallic dependent of hers from a tribute-paying province a citizen, he refused, offering exemption from tribute instead. he said: "I would rather forfeit whatever he may owe the Privy Pure than cheapen the value of Roman citizenship."

No historian has ever suggested this motivation. The standard explanation is that Octavian curtailed manumission to relieve demands on the corn dole. Previously, slave owners could relieve themselves of the cost of feeding their slaves by passing off the costs to the state via manumission. The other motivation [from Anthony Everitt's Augustus] is thought-provoking; Augustus was worried about manumission and subsequent citizenship enfranchisement's effect on the 'Italianness' of the population with perhaps a view towards pandering to the prejudice's of the average Italian. It's been over 20 years since I've read Syme's work; I've ordered a new copy from Amazon to fix that.