Auris Arrectibus

Thanks Ian! I already asked Hagith Sivan on this issue. Her new book about Galla Placidia should be published any moment. She replied that Galla's date of birth remains very hypothetical and that she had no answer to my question. Maybe not the early years of Galla Placidia herself was of influence on historical events, but that very period in 387-388, was the marriage she was born from of great importance for the motivation of Theodosius to battle with usurper Maximus instead of recognizing him as an emperor. Recently widowed (385) Theodosius was very enamoured and willing (Zosimus tells us) to the young Galla presented by her mother Justina (or was that war just a political and not a manupulated decision?). So what happened in the first years of their marriage? 388 The option of the birthdate of Galla Placidia in 388 could only be so if there wasn't a first born by the name of Gratian (as reported in Historia, 1985). If there was, 388 is not likely, ruling out the possibilty of her being a twin-brother of Gratian. Because of lack of documentation and research by contemporary historians, as Oost mentioned a bit irritated in 1965, I think this also could not be excluded. J.B. Bury must have a reason to ignore Gratian as an historical fact in his History of the late Roman Empire in 1923 using Gibbon's Decline and fall of the Roman Empire from 1776 and Zosimus Historia Nova from ca. 500 AD as sources. Maybe this event was not dug up again by scholars until 1985. By my knowlegde Oost also never mentioned Gratian in his article SOME PROBLEMS IN THE HISTORY OF GALLA PLACIDIA in 1965 nor in his 'Galla Placidia: a biographical essay' in 1968. So I add this son Gratian as a new aspect. Evenso, because the marriage of Theodosius and Galla was in "early spring" of 387, March/ April that is, Gratian still could be born in the last days of 387 or the first months of 388. Theodosius was 41 by then and Galla 18 max. Then there are a few months for the newly weds and could 388 still be right. So: the last months of 388. 389 If you consider that Theodosius left for a campaign to the West approximately in June or July 388 (fact is that he attended the battle of Sava on July 28th 388), there are even more months for the couple to determine Galla Placidia's birthdate in 389. Justina left Constantinople for Italy in 388 with her children, except Galla. Reason not to travel could be a pregnancy. Or to look after her stepsons Arcadius (10) and Honorius (3)? The first expelled her from the palace during the absence of Theodosius: Galla and a child. Was it Gratian or already Galla Placidia? So 389 in March at the most is a possibility. 392 Theodosius returns to Constantinople in November 391. That makes July 392 the first occasion for her date of birth. 393 Because Galla dies at childbirth in 394 from their son John, the latest date could be March 393, calculating 9 months back. Summary possible intervals: 1. End of 388 - March 389 Not likely, because sources like J.B. Bury, Gibbon and Zosimus state that the marriage was at the end of 387 (also Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 1849). If you add up 9 months from Gratians birth, it's simply not possible. Or Gratian is a lapsus historiae or Galla Placidia was her twin brother or the marriage was in the early spring. On what can we invalidate or verify these thesis? 2. July 392 - March 393. This makes Galla Placidia 18 years old during the sack of Rome in August 410 by Alarik, being the key-figure for successory in the West for Honorius not able to have offspring. Please comment on this! Jeroen H de Lange, Amsterdam

Hi Neos D, Melisende and DecimusCaesar, For the last couple of months I'm trying to get a good picture of the intriguing life and times of Galla Placidia, after my visit to Ravenna last summer and again last October.Her date of birth is a mystery! So I analized theone page easy available from Stewart Irvin Oost

Born and raised in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Not from Germania Inferior like Macerinus, but from the land of the Frisians. See the map below, like 50km NW of Trajectum (Utrecht) and 200km NW of Mosa Trajectem (Maastricht). That's one more for Europe! In reply to the comment on Ireland/UK in the same group: The Netherlands are topografical correct situated in Europe, but there are about 40 different languages in 50 countries. Not much of a linguistic unity, I guess. No problem with that in this poll, though! Well, where am I from? See:

Hole in one. Already thought it was too easy. That's ok

Okay, my turn! Pay attention, everyone: Auris arrectibus (prick up your ears)! This picture was taken last summer. Little girl in front is my daughter, who did a paper presentation at school this winter about what you can see inside. Have fun!

Hi Viggen, Try this site for information: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/SportScience.htm Don't forget: The statues or vase pictures the ancient Greeks left us were made with the same idealistic intent why we photo-shop today. And the statues that never the less were not much appreciated, didn't last as long till our days. Still, the athletes had "lifting" programs (the use of dumbells I dispute, 'cause I think they were use specificly to get more range at the the longjump) and skilled themselves in gymnastics by the use of body-weight resistance. Look up some core stability exercises! Have fun, Jeroen De L'Ange

Not France or Germany, but the site is in Europe... It's Switzerland, at the Colonia Augusta Rauracorum (or Augusta Raurica), near Basel, at the bank of the Rhine river.

Could it be Archaia Kamiros at the Island of Rhodes (7th BC)? Jeroen de L' Ange, The Netherlands

Hi Lanista, maybe I can help you out. What's the poblem? Jeroen de L' Ange The Netherlands

Lapsus Linguae: And this one is easy to explain. Caesar is commonly wrong pronounced as "Seesar". At school and later at the university I learned that it should be like "Kaisar". For the "C" is by etymology of indo-european to modern european words linked to guttural "K". And the "ae" combination to "ai". See e.g. latin "aer" as the same as "air" in Englisch. So literally the name and later on title "Kaisar" in German, "Keizer" in Dutch, "Kejser" in Denish en "Kejsare" are the phonetic equivalent of "Caesar". Jeroen de L'Ange, The Netherlands

Well, that would be nice. I would like to meet several. For starters: Catullus and ask him what kind of music or musician he like to compose to his lyrics "Soles occidere et redire possunt", because it must be the best love-song ever. And then, travelling back in time 300 years to Quintus Sulpicius, what did he reply to Brennus "Vae victis quote" when he went home? I'm curious. Was this the start of defending-by-striking-first, what led to the expansion of the empire? Then 800 years forward to the marriage of Galla Placidia and her Visigoth lover in Narbonne, her stay in Barcelona and follow her back to Ravenna ending up in Rome. Tell me about your adventures, starting in exotic Constantinople. Did she felt to be a Roman princess or a Visigoth queen, or a pre-modern European when I tell her what the European Community is about. And to ask her what she think about secularism in modern society and diversity of religion which still set fire to conflicts, as she tend to tolerate different opinions about christianity side-by-side in Ravenna. In times of turmoil........ Did she knew or could predict what would happen in the next couple of years? Jeroen de L' Ange, The Netherlands

While doing research as an spare-time scholar on the fascinating life and times of Galla Placidia on the net and while visiting Ravenna in Italy, every topic refers to author Stewart Irvin Oost. Trying to read the original source, I can only find the first of the ten pages "Some problems in the history of Galla Placidia" (Classical Phyilology) Oost wrote in 1965. It's a pity that Oost's findings are not available for any interesting and hidden for purchase. See http://www.jstor.org/pss/268409. For example, to me it's not clear when Galla Placidia was actually born, somewhere between 388 and 393. Oost states that it should be at the end of 392 or 393. Then the first page ends. Not satisfying: What's on the other 9 pages? Could anyone, who has access to this source or knows what's the content inform me? Jeroen De l' Ange, The Netherlands