Arvioustus Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 What is so amazing about this time period is the personalties were so amazing and wouldn`t you like to meet one of them. I am sure the great majority of you have to choose Jesus,believer or not, just because of what he brought to the world and the changes that occured. Caesar of course, arguably one of the greatest generals of all time. Some say he was just a merciless poltician who commited illegal wars for his own gain. Perhaps he even engineered the start of these wars himself,always having an excuse. You have to look at his battles though, the men fought hard and valiantly for him. Perhaps even more so than any sodiers have for a leader. Many,many examples from the Helvetii(Celtic tribe who were alwys battling the Germanic tribes and keeping them in check!), Vercingetirix and the Celts(also many Germanic Belage too),Ariovistus and the Germanic tribes all succumbed too Caesar. You have to remember the Romans were so seriouisly outnumberd(exact figured not certain but probable)...aginst the Celts sometimes at leat 10 to 1,Germans sometimes anywhere from armies of 250,000 to 430,,000 on one account with Caear having only 80,000!!!! He also made statemnetns:crossing the Rhine for 18 days while the German tribes cowarded...yes cowarded. Sometimes dropping their weapons and drowning in the Rhine. How can many say he was not a great general?! Cleopatra...I just want to meet her:) Hannibal..of course, may-be more brilliant than Caesar? Perhpas? Spartucus...bravery personified. Many more I am sure on your list and I must conclude: just amazing this perios in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 I'm sure this falls under some other thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arvioustus Posted January 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 Imperium forum incorrect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germanicus Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 Welcome Arvioustus. The thread is fine. Another exsists that I can see regarding what Emperor you'd like to meet, but this is different. I'd like to have met Julius Caesar - no one ever denied him a magnetic personality....and no Cato I would NOT have stabbed him for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 I'd like to have met Julius Caesar - no one ever denied him a magnetic personality....and no Cato I would NOT have stabbed him for you LoL, he might make it worth your while though. I'd rather meet emperors and generals from the late empire, seeing as the atmosphere was completley different from that of the late republic/early principate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil25 Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 I think one point to be made is that all these people would be totally alien to us - even assuming we could understand their language and accent, they worked within a totally different frame of reference to us. I remember about 20 years ago being on a london bus. As usual, for me when I've nothing better to do on public transport, I was studying the faces of my fellow passengers to see whether any bore a passing resemblance to a historical figure (of any period). there was one blond young man with hair that stood and fell rather as Alexander the Great's does in statues (a style copied incidentally by Pompeius Magnus). As I looked at the lad, who could physically have passed I suppose as Alexander - it dawned on me that I would never see in the modern world anyone who would carry themselves, or have the look in the eye, that Alexander must have had. A man who considered himself the son of God, whose confidence could win him battles against staggering odds, who could defy convention in many ways, must have been overwhelming - his charisma; the (probably to us extreme) arrogance of his manner and air; his assumption of superiority must be something gone from this world. people speak of the almost tangible majesty that surrounds HM The Queen today (I mean in personality terms) that affects them when they meet her. That must have been true in spades of Alexander... or Caesar, or Cleopatra, or Augustus... What I am saying is that we would have to make so many allowances in meeting the sort of people mention in the title of this thread, that we almost would not be meeting them... To meet them on their own terms would, I suspect, mean that we simply would not understand their approach to life (belief in fate, luck, attitude to human life, slavery, women) and - I suspect - we would dislike them so much that we would loathe them. Moreover, their bearing, gestures, use of the voice and expression, might have references that we would not even begin to understand. How could we judge them, since their civilisation and belief systems were not ours, and ours are not theirs. And on what basis would you assume you meet (say) Caesar? As an equal? (Did he have any - and how would he react to such assumption?) As a slave? As another soldier or politician? As a friend? or an enemy? As someone he liked, or found useful? Or as a rival? Balbus the financier must have known a different Caesar to that whom Cato, Cicero or Pompeius were familiar with (and each of them might have known a different facet of Caesar. All that said, I would be fascinated to see Caesar (but maybe to be a fly on the wall during his triumph, or watch his assasination, rather then to meet him); to see Antonius and Cleopatra and to understand what the Donations of Alexandria was all about; to be among the crowds when Jesus walked the Galilean hills. One thing I am sure - that all our preconceptions of the "look" of the past, and academic explanations of cause and effect, would be shot out of the sky in seconds. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 To answer the original question, I've always admired Caesar and Augustus for their respective abilities. However, Augustus does not seem to have had much of a sense of a humor, and Caesar could take his own magnificence a little too seriously. I think I might have more empathy for Vespasian's singular cynical wit. He would have been an interesting person for whom to serve as an underling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Goblinus Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 I'd have to g with Diocletian, for his hard work in rebuilding the mepire and warding off it enemies, or Justininian for his military ventures, and the Corpus Juris Civilis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 (edited) I think I've mentioned that I wanted to meet Constantine and Caligula somewhere before. Other people that I want to meet would be probably the beautiful women of Rome. I want to meet Constantine because I want to ask him what Christianity truly meant to him and how he would envision the Church/world today. I'd like to meet Caligula himself and find out Caligula's true personality, whether he was, well you know. And oh yes, Ulpius Traianus! Edited January 14, 2006 by FLavius Valerius Constantinus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neos Dionysos Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 Aurelian... he restored the order of the world and had accomplished what Diocletian is credited for, (ending the 3rd Century Crisis). He recovered the Gallic Empire, the land of the Palryme Empire, further defeated the Goths after Gallenius before him, defeated the Alemmeni, and was about to undertake a massive invasion of Persia, at the perfect time, when two kings had died in a only 2 years and a weak one was in charge, the perfect chance to really deal a hard, crushing blow on Persia, but alas, consipiracy abounded and his Praetorian Guard killed him on the eve of the campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 There are many i'd like to meet: I've mentioned famous figures i'd like to meet before, but some other people i'd like to meet are Gaius Marius, Pompeius Magnus, Cato, Marcus Antonius, Cicero, Tiberius, Cladius, etc. etc. I agree with Ursus as well: It would extremely interesting to meet or even serve under Vespasian. I would also like to meet Constantine XI Palaeologus. I believe he had the makings of greatness, and under different circumstances would have brought stability and prosperity back to the Roman Empire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sextus Roscius Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 To choose one, I'd personaly love to meet Cicero, he has always been a sort of role model to me, I've love to see what his ideas on everything were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLavius Valerius Constantinus Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 To choose one, I'd personaly love to meet Cicero, he has always been a sort of role model to me, I've love to see what his ideas on everything were. Is that because Cicero defended Sextus Roscius on charge of patricide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sextus Roscius Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 I do love his defence of Sextus, but I agree with his philosophy. I also think he was a great politician and lawyer who knew that politicians don't make good generals and therefore didn't become one. I also admire his skills as a lawyer (I plan to go into law) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullafelix Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 To choose one, I'd personaly love to meet Cicero, he has always been a sort of role model to me, I've love to see what his ideas on everything were. I understand your desire completely but I suspect that after the first four hours you would have wanted to smack the arrogant sanctimonious old windbag about a bit....really Personally I would love to have met Sulla (gosh what a surprise). I thnk he had a certain sense of hard edged style. Anyone who can address the Senate to the screams of the dying (he was excuting a few thousand blokes outside) with words to the effect of " I am a reasonabe man you have nothing to fear from me" may be a pyschopathic git...but he has a sense of humour, I like than in a dictator! Sulla Felix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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