FLavius Valerius Constantinus

Sorry but there is already a thread on this in the After Hours Forum. Link

You know, for some reason now, I can't really say Justinian is like Nero without Theodora. There just isn't a Byzantine Nero with out the immense power of Justinian which can be manipulated by the madness of Theodora.

May I add that the Christian religion minorly kind of made the common Roman more peaceful and anti-violence while the Gaul/German were still better fitted for fighting.

Well I wouldn't consider it the worse Roman legacy. Like really, as if every American even gave a care about the metric system except for the scientists whose works require them to. Otherwise,lets keep simple.

I believe that's the general agreement of this thread with exception of the communism part. Really, as Neos Dionysos pointed out, just look at the tetrachy concept.

Although it was a serious vexation, the Romans were still militarily effective. It was just because they didn't need to pointless go further and conquer without benefits.

Very nice blog you've got there Andrew Dalby!

I see,yet I can't really evaluate how Vietnam would relate closely to the Roman situation with the Caledonii. Vietnam has political significance in the Cold War unlike the pointless Roman former occupation of Caledonia.

For some reason, we've been having heated arguments about Caesar. Obviously one of the main questions is whether Caesar was a failure or a success. In my opinion, Caesar's success/failure should have more relevance to his political moves. Militarily, you can't put up much of a fight saying Caesar didn't accomplish great things. In the political fray, Caesar might have been shrew. He appealed to the plebeians, yet not all the senators. I believe the mistake was that his actions spoke too loud about his ambition which obviously threatened the senators and that was a good lesson for Agustus to learn too. Example, you have Cleopatra. In a way, she was seen as Caesar's queen and she was despised by the Romans, so that is another mistake Caesar made because the thought of being ruled by a foreign queen whose culture is considered despicable doesn't appeal too well. Though his end could signify failure, I still believed he was also a success aside from military success because of his politicals reforms really did help out the lowerclass Romans and which could have been impossible with the patrician class still in power. Sorry for the jumbled mess, I'm simply saying why can't Caesar be both failure/success.

Just wondering, but did guerilla/hit and run warefare used by the Caledonians hamper the Roman infantry in any way. I just remember a discovery channel documentary saying that the Roman patrols had tough times after the Picts decided to no longer do pitched battles.

link CHARLESTOWN

link to article Flip side of World Heritage status By Seth Kugel The New York Times MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2006 IZAMAL, Mexico Off a lazy plaza in the historic center of Izamal, Mexico, across the street from a Franciscan monastery built in 1561 on top of a Maya pyramid, a small market putters along. Behind open arches painted golden yellow like every other colonial building in town, poor quality T-shirts cover the walls, their silly English slogans clearly targeted at local residents, as are the avocados and chirimoyas sold by an older woman nearby. But squint a little, and it's easy to imagine a different future for this small Yucatan town. The bargain "No Problem" and "Sport Attitude" jerseys morph into crisp, overpriced Izamal T-shirts; the woman is still there, but selling knickknacks to tourists who've just toured the pyramids or the monastery, El Convento de San Antonio de Padua, with its nearly 1-hectare, or 2-acre, atrium. Then they will head off to picturesque hotels that do not yet exist. If municipal officials have their way, Izamal, or at least the convent, will be designated the eight-hundred-and-somethingth Unesco World Heritage site, and that new tableau will be all but ensured...

*Frets* just wait till you see the numbers written as words(though I doubt the Romans would want to write in words, but how are you gonna pronounce the number if you can't say the words.) its absolutely horrible to memorize them all, even with the fractions, not to mention memorizing both the cardinal and ordinal variety.

Well that paragraph of mines is main for pointing out the use of contraception and that females did use it to avoid maternal duty, 'but not all of them' did. Just saying the ones who wanted more sexual freedom was more likely to use it. If you think its too controversial, then I take the complete paragraph out.

I'll assist too in whatever way I can.

It wasn't my only material, it was just my main source which I felt that this book was very specifically detailed compared to others. This book was from a series which I read almost of them that was called the Ancient Society and History. I suppose I could also add primary works of the ancient authors too as reference and also books called the Roman family and social history of Rome by Geza Afoldi too which provided some extra stuff. By the way I would like to note that I really just summarized the facts which I read in the book so really, the majority of this article are really her ideas.

Yes Pliny the Elder did. He records that the Greek historian Polybius sailed down along the west coast of Africa in ships lent to him by his friend Scipio Aemilianus during or during the 3rd Punic War around 146 B.C. He may have seen the 'Theon Ochema', the Chariot of the Gods, a mountain. Yet it is still in doubt because modern day scientists haven't been able to travel the same path yet.

I suppose I'm gonna change the topic of that paragraph.

I believe that paragraph of mines refers to the very late Republic, but you might be right however. If you can provide me with another specific list of facts that proves that the population grew substantially in the late Republic, then I'll take your advice and change that paragraph. But don't you think contraception might have declined the population.

Social Status of Women during the Kings and Res Publica System of Nomenclature: As many all know, the Roman citizen had three names; the praenomen, nomen, and cognomen. However, women had only gentile names and the family name, but no individual names or identity. Names such as Cornelia, Caecilia, Tullia and as such were not personal names. When a family had more than one woman, then the words Maior (older) and Minor (younger) would be added to clear confusion. If there were more than two, words such as Prima, Seconda, and Tertia were added. Female praenomina did use to exist, but vanished right before the historical era. Regarding female names, this subject is very complex and argued oftenly. In studying this subject, there are three types of female names. The first type was a single name which was the feminine form of the father’s name or of the gens such as Anicia, Roscia, and Aulia. The second type is gentilicium plus the father’s praenomen followed by filia. The third type was the very rare, it included the praenomen which undoubtedly says that females had first names and such names were Rutilia, Caesella, Rodacilla, Murrula, and Burra were common female praenomen which were derived from in terms of color, probably the from the color of hair or skin the women was described in such a way. From male-derived names, they were Gaia, Lucia, Publia, Numeria and others. Others as recorded by Festus and Varro: Caecilia, Taracia, and Titia. The practice of giving females first names is not true in Roman society for the Romans can blame the Etruscans who regularly called women by their first name and this Etruscan practice was eventually mixed with Roman culture. Female Discontent and Bacchic Cults: During a poisoning trail held in 331 B.C. many important people died and thus 160 women had been condemned for the act. This certainly signals a problem with Roman society which now looked up females with malicious misconceptions. Later on around the second century, a whole series of sumptuary laws had been established which placed rigorous limitations on female luxury and so the status of women deteriorated, plebeians and patricians alike. Now in 215 B.C., the law lex Oppia forbid women to wear excessive jewelry or colored clothing and twenty years later it was repealed. However, the lex Voconia made that those women could not inherit more than 200,000 asses which certainly brought the anger of female patricians. Thanks to the discontent, the Bacchic cults grew. Female members in this cult committed many strange rites which somewhat expressed their independence in terms of sex, emotions, and vulgar acts. Later in history, Bacchanalia brought greater scandals which became intolerable. Contraception: During the very late Republic, the female population was widely affected by the growing use of contraception. Although many methods were ineffective as contracepts, yet many would to good use. To the underclass female population, and so contraception to some was an economic privilege in the way that they might avoid maternal duty. Less not to say every female wanted to avoid motherhood. Funeral Inscriptions: In reading funeral descriptions, one can see what an honorable woman in Roman society would have done and lived in such a mannered way. Two such prime examples belong to Claudia and the laudatio Turiae. In the eulogy of Claudia, what she wanted everyone who read this inscription about her was her conjugal devotion, motherhood, and pleasant demeanor. It all really mattered about those attributes which should draw admiration. As for Turia, she says her marriage was rare being that it lasted forty-one years. During her life, she sold all her jewels in order to save her husband from political persecution. Yet also in her life, she was not able to bear any children. Being the good wife she was, she offered divorce to her husband so he can marry another and have children with that women and Turia herself would consider those children her own. He refused her offer because he feared he was trading a good wife for something of an unknown quantity. And all her life, she remained with her husband. Yet not every women was like Claudia and Turia, and these different women were considered degenerate and a corruption to society. Conclusion: Whatever so, Roman women had unprecedented freedom instead of having to be considered biological tools with the sole purpose of procreating. Roman women were not tied to the household forever, they could go out and dine with others and do many other things. These women were a fundamental instrument in the transmission of a culture which was perpetually entrusted to them in every era. Women did their duty in bring up their children and being faithful to their husbands. In some way, women had substantial influence in the lives of their men and with brought great honor to them. Main Source: Pandora's Daughters by Eva Cantarella Minor Sources: The Roman Family by Suzanne Dixon Social History of Rome by Geza Afoldi

You know, Mexico has much more important problems to deal with other than artifacts. I mean smuggling artifacts is bad, but then trafficking drugs/illegal immigrants is worse, which they should really be dealing with and in my own view, America should keep building the massive steel barriers along the border.

Is that because Cicero defended Sextus Roscius on charge of patricide?

Has anyone got a good source for Constantine in mind because I am obviously very interested.