Skarr

I just checked my various sources and can't find a mention of the other Octavia. PP is right, it must be buried somewhere in the text.

I think a more modern analogy could be insurance. The Romans worshipped many gods as the forces that moved the world were mysterious and it was better to be on the good side of these forces than on the bad. Therefore, if a few simple prayers, a small sacrificial animal or some offering to a god would help, why not? I think it is like insurance, to buy some peace of mind to say, "I have done all that I can, the rest is upto the gods". Not performing this and then suffering disaster would invite "I told you so" kind of sentiments, I would imagine, from a highly superstitious populace. I think the whole metaphysical concepts of religion, origin, etc. etc. on the meaning or purpose came much later.

There are wars going on all over Africa as we speak. The press doesn't report it and for some reason, no one seems to care as long as they don't attack UN convoys etc. An occasional movie (Constant Gardner, Hotel in Rwanda) tries to raise some awareness but like everything else, we have all become desensitized to images of war and death. In our movies, our video games, etc. we depict killing with casualness, using all kinds of technology, real or imagined. It is as if we are all conditioned to accept violence on one level. However, on another level, we are told that the greatest evil is not the number of arms and guns that are available all over the world, from street gangs, to terrorist gangs to tinpot dictators across the globe but the flashing of a breast on public TV or other kinds of nonsense. Our priorities are lopsided and we spend more money still on defence budgets instead of solving energy problems or the population explosion which seems to squeeze resources slowly, across the planet. Our problems today are billion fold and we have too many divisive forces, from countries that are arming against one another, to countries arming to protect their superior status over the others, to countries that seem to survive only by exploiting its people and so on. Where will all this lead ? Who knows ultimately as we seem to heading for one global crisis or another - economic, natural, military, etc. etc. The simple fact is that we are too many and the Earth can support only a few or at least not that many, in comfort. There is no easy solution and perhaps there is no will to find one, collectively. All we can do until then is survive and live day by day.

PP, I think Octavian wants to somehow get even with Vorenus and feels obliged to him for saving his life. He doesn't want this obligation and is looking for ways to discharge this debt as he knows that sooner or later, with his uncle Julius trusting him (with his affliction), in a few short years, when he comes of age, he would be sure to be put in a position of command. The last thing he figures he needs is to be obliged to someone who would fall under his command. He is a Dominus and has already assessed Pullo and knows that he would do anything for a buck. But Vorenus is a man of honor and would decline anything, saying it was his duty to save him and nothing else. So, when Pullo approaches him about the problem obliquely, he immediately guesses it must be Vorenus and seizes the opportunity, using Pullo as a tool to get rid of Vorenus's enemy (although he doesn't know it at the time). He makes sure he can extract every bit of information though and it is he who is the 'torturer' in the scene, not Pullo. He later counsels Pullo not to reveal a word to Vorenus, which that dummy would automatically obey as he doesn't have a mind like Octavian, who's planning ahead to the day when he is caught in a delicate situation with Vorenus. There, if Vorenus recalls the incident where he saved Octavian's life, he can throw back the Evander incident in his face saying that if he saved his life, then he, Octavian, saved his honor, which would be the same as saving Vorenus's life. As a writer, I can see the possibilities here and I'm sure the guys behind the series are also planning ahead by setting up these interesting possibilities.

I would also be interested. However, Ursus, if you want to go ahead, that's fine with me.

I would second that, Favonius. There are quite a few nice people in the ancient worlds site though and I have been interacting with several. However, many of the groups there are dormant or dead and perhaps, it would be better if they had fewer groups. I have been trying to revive one group dedicated to writers but I think there are only a few out there who are willing to post anything. Well, I guess it all depends on how much passion you have for Rome and its history and I'm sure there are tons of lurkers and browsers who just like to read and then move on, without giving much thought to actually contributing anything. BTW, thanks for the support on the HBO Forums, I appreciate it. I had a few guys send me emails / nasty IMs and even post stuff about me in some of the threads. I honestly don't know what sparked their comments and am still at a complete loss as to the source of their hatred. I have responded to one at length and so far, not a peep from him. It's just amazing how some people are.

All, This is an update. I've found a writer / researcher for my project. I still need someone to help us with Nordic / Germanic history, tribes, etc as this will also play an important role in the first part of the novel (ancient history relevant to say 140 - 100 BC). In case you know of someone who has this knowledge and may be interested in participating either as a writer or researcher, please send me a private message or contact me via email. Thanks

Jordon, even without the previews, there is a brief shot of the slave woman who hears Caesar breathing heavily and then a little later, she sees Octavian come out followed by the great man, who looks exhausted. The only reason the slave woman is there is to spy on Caesar and report back to Atia, who wants to know everything. Although this is fictional, I agree with Primus that this sort of speculation about Octavian was never made to the best of my recollection and is therefore a real stretch by the writers. I guess they want Atia as a character to be really extreme and relentlessly use both her daughter and son to get Caesar's favor. Well, I almost pity the poor lady, the real Atia, who was nowhere nearly as manipulative as portrayed in this series. Oh..how we malign the dead! However, can't say that I'm not enjoying it either. It will be interesting to see how Octavian rebuts this accusation. Atia has already accused him of girly behavior as Octavian shows little interest in cavorting with the slave girls, unlike the traditional virile male descended from the Julii. I think she's fearful he will not be respected as a man when he comes of age due to his lack of manliness compared to Caesar or Antony. I'm sure both of them must have been pretty hard to control at Octavian's age, considering the number of women that must have been readily available for their use. I guess this is a subtle way of saying that Caesar's claim to be descended from Venus should make him and others in his line of the Julii naturally promiscuous. I don't buy this but as I said, this is all fictional and in the interests of drama, you may have to live with certain historical inaccuracies. Will that stop me from watching Rome? Absolutely not! There is no doubt, of course, that Caesar was a pretty ardent lover and actively courted many women. However, I don't think it is necessarily a genetic trait as is implied by Atia.

Everyone, I'm looking for writers to collaborate with me on a novel that I'm working on. I want to form a team of four, with myself as lead editor. (I've posted this on various Rome related forums, as I really want to reach out to as many people as possible who may be interested in this kind of project) The story will be set in 100 BC and I'm looking for three collaborators to participate with me in this project with the fruits to be shared equally once we go to press or film or whatever. So, if you ever wanted to write and publish, etc. this is your chance. I don't want to reveal too much here and I want to involve people who are serious about this and who can display commitment as I'm talking about a real project here and it will involve some effort on your part, if you are selected to join. So, for those writers or even researchers who are interested in participating (of course, in your spare time and only if you're interested) please go www.ancientworlds.net (my user name is Skarr Valerius there) and then click on my latest post in the ResPublica Group to read a synopsis. I would prefer if you did not comment here on the story but on the ancientworlds.net site as we are going to form a private group there to work on this project. Anyone is welcome and if my story interests you, all you have to do is become a member on that site to participate. "Rome" fans will love my story outline and there are tremendous possibilities to develop this. If you do visit that site, thanks in advance for looking. -- My new novel set in ancient Rome, during the Late Republic, is now available. Check it out when you get a chance!

You can now order my book either from the amazon.com us site or uk site as it has been listed in both places. Please visit my web site and from there, you can order at either site.

Sorry, made an error in my calcs. The silver denarius weighed around 3.5 grams or .123 troy oz. So, an 'as' is worth even less, around 8 cents if you figure around $ 7 per troy oz based on today's silver prices. [ I have used the old 211 BC standard for this calculation and later on, if you figure the debasement of the denarius, it was worth 16 ases and then, 1 as would be more in the region of 5 cents based on its weight in bronze). The plural should be actually 'ases' although I have seen 'asses', which may lead to the confusion. A middle class citizen around the time of the Republic would have had roughly around 100,000 ases at the high end or $ 8,000 net worth around 211 BC and subsequently, due to the debasement, around $ 5,000. So, by comparison, Crassus having $ 10M makes him enormously rich. Everything is relative. At the time of the monetary reforms in 211 BC, one denarius was equivalent to 10 ases or 4 sesterces or 1 sestersius was worth 2.5 ases or 20 cents and later, during 133BC, even less at around 12.5 cents.

Segestan, an important correction to your analysis. First of all, your original premise of what an 'as' is worth is incorrect as it did not refer to the value of an animal but a copper or bronze coin. Most coins were valued according to their weight and the denarius is a silver coin and was worth about 10 asses (plural of 'as) and later as the moneyers began to dilute its value by including less silver in terms of weight, 16 asses around the time you quoted (133 BC). The denarius therefore originally (as a factor of 10, the Romans favorite consolidation unit in terms of numbers) were worth in terms of weight around .3 troy oz or say 3 denarii were worth around $ 6 or $ 7 using a modern equivalent value for the silver weight. Therefore, the value of one 'as' or copper coin could not be $ 500 US but more in the region of 15 cents, which would change your estimates quite a bit.

Is it only me or does Caesar seem lethargic in every episode? I'm still waiting for the dynamic personality that he was, where he would march along with the other soldiers, jump into a ditch and dig along with the other soldiers, move around the camp and generally kept busy doing a hundred different things from giving dictations to two clerks simultaneously to engaging in conversations with his legates who had a hard time keeping up with Caesar. He looks extremely weary and almost defeated, not the confident portrayal I expected. I must say that I'm disappointed although I'm pleased with the overall series so far and have become a fan.

Well, I hope the googlebot also picks up my web page [he he..], as I have a lot of things to say about Rome and have done so on the HBO Forum. BTW, nice layout PP and be sure to check out my new site [click on my signature link]. I used a Roman gladius in my name and the services of a web designer. Hope you like it.

Everyone, Check out my new promotional site listed under my signature and let me know what you think.

Thanks, longbow. Yes, it should be available worldwide. You can request it if you don't spot it on a shelf as your local bookstore should be able to easily order this for you. Unfortunately, as I'm not a big name author, bookstores will stock this on their shelves only if there's a demand from readers such as yourself. My publisher has sent my books already to Borders / Barnes & Noble for putting it on their shelves. However, I think that since I'm relatively new, they may have one or two copies of the book on display at the most. As I said, I'm not sure how this whole publisher / bookseller deal works and I'm learning.

All, For those who are interested, I thought I will post an extract of the exciting Prologue to my new novel, "Barbarians in the Republic - The Long Journey to Rome". Primus Pilus has featured this on the Roman Book list page and I thought it might be a good idea to publish this extract here, so that you can read a sample of my writing and also decide whether or not this book is for you. The novel will be released worldwide on September 15, 2005 according to my publisher and should be available at www.amazon.com and at a bookstore near you. I think you may have to request for a copy as shelf copies may be available only at certain stores (Borders, B&N etc. according to my publisher). Please bear with me on this as I haven't the foggiest idea how this whole business works and all I can do is write. I'm hopeless at any kind of selling or marketing and I'm hoping my work will get noticed and sell itself (wishful thinking !). Thanks in advance for looking and hope some of you like what you read here. Extract from "Barbarians in the Republic - The Long Journey to Rome". [Material protected under copyright of author, Skarr One. All rights reserved. No part of this may be copied or reproduced without express permission from the author] Begin Excerpt Prologue Somewhere near the borders of Germania and Northern Gaul

Txs, Viggen. I think the publisher has already submitted this. The date it will become available for sale (or pre-order) etc is September 15, 2005. I have no idea how the publisher and Amazon work and I think all of this will become active or available for sale only on a particular date. Hopefully, the image of the book, synopsis and review will all appear on the above date. In the meantime, I came across a killer site for various ancient worlds (apart from Rome, they have Greece, Egypt, etc. etc.) You guys on unrv.com may be interested. I just joined and am checking out their various forums and groups. This is a paying site, however, and may not suitable for everyone. The site is at : http://www.ancientworlds.net

On one level, life is always about survival and on another level, dependency is sometimes encouraged (either by religion or by families who act out of a sense of misguided altruism, without regard to the individual's own wishes - Terry Schaivo case, for example). I think it's tough to generalize what should be done in a situation, especially when you are not part of it. I guess that if there's a disaster and you are in a position to help, by all means go and help. However, if the disaster would ultimately threaten your own survival, I guess the question here would be - who decides and do we have enough information to make this decision. The bottom line is that none of these questions are easy to tackle as we live in a diverse, fractured society with even more fractured ways of making any kind of decision. The smallest error could be criticized in a big way and large errors may go completely ignored, like the fact that until disaster struck, no attention was paid on the levees holding back the sea (just to use an example of the enormity of our short sightedness - after the fact, I think there are thousands who are saying 'I told you so') In a sense, we are like the fractured Republic during the days of Marius and Sulla and we probably need a Caesar in our midst. We do have a senate that is split into factions based on ideology instead of people. We have very few leaders left and it seems like TV is the new rostra where heads will be displayed. Who knows where this will all lead? One thing is for sure. Nothing lasts forever. The oil in the ground seems to be running out and so is our collective patience with everything we see around us. It seems as if no one has a clue anymore and we are all fascinated by TV and keep watching people consistently shoot themselves in the foot. It just proves that even after 2,000 years, nothing's really changed. Everyone hopes that one day there will be a place where you could live in peace, an Utopian paradise where every human want and need would be taken care of. This is, of course, pure wishful thinking as human beings are so full of greed and so much desire, even paradise could become a boring place in a very short while. If there's a problem the world is not addressing, it's this - there are too many people for the amount of resources available. As long as you have this imbalance, you will have global problems which will only increase in magnitude as time goes on. It's a simple fact of life and unless some radical (non fossil based) technology is discovered soon, the energy crisis will soon dominate everything else.

Thanks, Primus. That was gracious of you to act so fast in listing my book.

Thanks, Viggen. I have a new update on my book and have just been informed that it will be released on September 15, 2005 to bookstores. If you're interested in reading my book, please ask for it as they may not have it available on the shelves in all stores, except for a few big stores like Borders or Barnes & Noble. In any case, it should be available online at Amazon, etc. and in case you have difficulty in locating a copy, you can always contact me via private message.

Cato was a senator who believed in returning Rome to its glorious Republic days of yore. His refusal to compromise meant that he would wear togas as close to black as possible and also go without a tunic, as well as shoes. This was a form of 'protest' by Cato against the current times and he liked to stand out as an austere, severe personage who believed in the old values, preferring simplicity over ostentation. The black toga or the 'toga pulla' was worn not only in times of mourning but also in times of crisis. Cato believed with all his heart that the greatness of Caesar was only because of the ruin he was causing to the Republic and therefore saw the rise of Caesar as a crisis for the Republic. However, he grossly underestimated Caesar and refused to change with the times, leading to his ultimate downfall along with the rest of his supporters. Adamant to the last, he believed in eternal life and willingly took his own life rather than submit to Caesar. There's one thing to be said about Cato - he was firm to his own principles, however behind the times he may have been, as the virtual leader of the Optimates.

Primus, I've sent her an email and I'll be glad to review this for unrv.com in case someone else already hasn't done so.

Well, as a writer, I did think you made a decent effort to portray your character with detailed descriptions of his army and the battle. However, it seems a little dry and biographical and the style I think is suited more to a profile or documentary kind of account and not really structured as a story. I think you might come up with something based on your material by sticking to the classic story structure / format, which is fairly simple - A beginning, a middle and the end or climax. I think if you could rewrite your material using this structure and use some personal details about the character's life - his family, his childhood, something more personal that would enable the reader to relate to the character in a personal way, that would make this much more dramatic and also give it significance. I think the key is to introduce your main character in a personal way and tell your story in a very intimate personal manner and let all the history / battle you describe form a backdrop. This will engage the reader from the very start as what you want to do with all stories is to allow the reader to participate in your story and this is something you'll have to practise. From personal experience, I can tell you that it is never easy to work on a story. You'll go through a number of rewrites, edits and re-edits. A story is therefore like a piece of sculpture and you keep chipping away, chipping away until you get that polished gem you're looking for. Good luck on your writing. I think you have made a good start but you would need to do a few rewrites before it's ready for publication. If you do need help and / or guidance, once you've thought about your story concept and filled in personal details etc and structured your material, let me know. I'll be glad to help and you can contact me via private message.