Roman History Books and More

roman britain at the DNB

The Dictionary of National Biography magazine for June (it seems to have come out a few days early) includes an article on Roman Britain covering the Roman occupation of Britain and its 'recovery' by historians and archaeologists. Unfortunately, although you can read the article, you can't read the linked biographies unless you or your library has a subscription.

historical figures in “the dream of scipio” – II : the cathars

In the 14th century part of our current read, The Dream of Scipio, Olivier de Noyen encounters two “heretics” and learns of their beliefs, one of which is reincarnation.  In the novel, this is traced back to the 5th century protagonist Manlius, his philosophical treatise on The Dream of Scipio, and his philosopher friend Sophia.

As in so much in the novel, there is a grain of truth to it, and we were reminded of the Cathars, which were quite familiar to some in our reading group.  Wikipedia (handle with care as usual) has an extensive article on Catharism, with a number of external links, one of which is Cathars and Cathar Beliefs in the Languedoc  (Cathars and the Cathar Crusade: history, cathar theology, crusade leaders, explanations, maps and source documents).

lemuria, lemuralia – feast of the lemures

In Rosemary Rowe's latest mystery novel, A Coin for the Ferryman, Libertus has to solve a murder within two days, before the Lemuralia, the Feast of the Lemures, to avert evil spirits affecting the building of a new roundhouse. (Things are getting worse by the hour, but of course he comes through … review of the book forthcoming)

According to Smith's Dictionary  (via LacusCurtius):

LEMURA'LIA or LEMU'RIA, a festival for the souls of the departed, which was celebrated at Rome every year in the month of May. It was said to have been instituted by Romulus to appease the spirit of Remus whom he had slain (Ovid. Fast. V.473, &c.), and to have been called originally Remuria. It was celebrated at night and in silence, and during three alternate days, that is, on the ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth of May.  During this season the temples of the gods were closed, and it was thought unlucky for women to marry at this time and during the whole month of May, and those who ventured to marry were believed to die soon after, whence the proverb, mense Maio malae nubent. 

book review: roman woodworking

Roman Woodworking by Roger B. Ulrich (Cambridge University Press 2007)  is a comprehensive and fascinating work on Roman woodworking, aimed at classicists, historians, and modern woodworkers.  However, it is a great source too for ordinary folk with an enquiring mind and interested in the Ancient Roman world.  And fiction writers looking for background information should take note.

The author, Professor of Classics at Dartmouth College, writes in his Introduction:

“This book treats Roman woodworking from a broad perspective, building upon the works of predecessors and offering new analysis and evidence. Greater emphasis will be placed on tangible evidence than on speculative reconstructions … the present volume aspires to examine the language and the practice of Roman woodworking through the types of literary and archaeological evidence just described, in a way that a classicist, historian, or modern woodworker can understand.”

obelisks

In book 17.4  of his History, Ammianus Marcellinus describes how Constantius had an Egyptian obelisk in the Circus Maximus erected in Rome in 357 and gives a brief list of obelisks brought to Rome. He also provides a translation into Greek by someone called Hermapion of the hieroglyphic inscriptions on one obelisk, although it is not clear from his words which obelisk he is referring to, Constantius' or one of the obelisks brought over earlier.

We read Gibbon's account of the obelisk back in January. He certainly seems to have thought Ammianus Marcellinus was referring to Constantius' obelisk. Of course, Gibbon was writing before Champollion's decipherment of hieroglyphics, and his note on the obelisk reads thus:

He gives us a Greek interpretation of the hieroglyphics, and his commentator Lindenbrogius adds a Latin inscription, which, in twenty verses of the age of Constantius, contain a short history of the obelisk.

site rec: tertullian.org

Roger Pearse's site, tertullian.org, is not unnaturally mainly devoted to Tertullian, one of the first Christian writers we know of who wrote in Latin. However, even those whose interest in Tertullian is minimal should not pass this site by.

Amongst the many goodies on offer, is an article providing an overview of the survival of classical texts from antiquity down to the invention of printing and the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. Although more detailed information on particular books (see for example LacusCurtius's transcripts of the introductions to various Loeb editions and Roger Pearse's own manuscripts page) can be found relatively easily, this is the only overview I have been able to find on the web. The article is quite short (it printed out to 14 pages), and is obviously relevant to Olivier de Noyen's adventures in our current read The Dream of Scipio. The quest goes on down to our own day as the recent discovery of a palimpsest containing works of Archimedes and Hyperides and a commentary on Aristotle shows.

book review: rome's gothic wars – from the third century to alaric

(Catching up on my backlog)

Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity)*  (Cambridge University Press 2007,  Table of Content), by Michael Kulikowski, is a needed addition to the subject of the Goths and the Roman Empire.  It's a must-read for all interested in this era of history and hopefully encourages readers to further exploration.

The book may appear controversial to some:  Aside from presenting the history of the Goths from the 3rd century CE to Alaric, the author looks at modern views on Gothic history, a touchy subject among modern scholars, who “support their own positions with an intensity that most people reserve for their favourite football team or rock band … I am no exception.” (He certainly isn't…)

new book: justinian’s flea – plague, empire, and the birth of europe

Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe by William Rosen – Viking USA and Jonathan Cape UK – has just come out.  Mr. Rosen is a former editor and publisher, and this is his first book.  On first look, the book is extensively researched and reads well.

From the publisher:

A richly told story of the collision between nature’s smallest organism and history’s mightiest empire

The Emperor Justinian reunified Rome’s fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals who had separated Italy, Spain, and North Africa from imperial rule.  In his capital at Constantinople he built the world’s most beautiful building, married its most powerful empress, and wrote its most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome’s fortunes for the next five hundred years.  Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed five thousand people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.

another online gibbon edition

In connection with our June/July chats on Gibbon:

The online edition I've used so far is The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which interestingly enough is on the Christian Ethereal Library site.  It's very navigable, as this example shows.

By chance, I just stumbled on another online edition.  It can be found at www.worldwideschool.org/ at the The Hart Library.  It looks attractive, but is just the straight-forward text.  Nonetheless, here it is in its TOC version.

Vol 1
Vol 2
Vol 3
Vol 4
Vol 5
Vol 6

book review: the last roman – romulus augustulus and the decline of the west

Our friend Adrian Murdoch has written another excellent book, The Last Roman: Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West.  Sutton Publishing Ltd. 2006.  Unfortunately, it does not seem to be on the U.S. market yet, so the above links to Amazon UK.

In his introduction, he writes “It is valid to ask whether one should attempt to write something that purports to be a biography about a character of whom we know so little.   The answer has to be yes for three reasons.”  As he sees it, the reason are:  the human aspect of the drawn-out collapse of the Western empire;  a growing popular interest in this period of late antiquity; and to make the case that 476 was important, “The idea of decline had become so contagious by the time Romulus was placed on the throne that it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

He certainly attains these aims in this lively written, easy to comprehend book, aimed at persons with a general interest in Roman history.  It's a comparatively small one (190 pages in my review copy), but densely packed with information.  I highly recommend it.  It is also an entertaining read.

Full review

gladiators' graveyard discovered in ephesus

The BBC has an article on a recent discovery of gladiator remains in Ephesus:

Gladiators' graveyard discovered
By Monika Kupper and Huw Jones
2 May 2007
BBC Timewatch

Scientists believe they have for the first time identified an ancient graveyard for gladiators.
Analysis of their bones and injuries has given new insight into how they lived, fought and died.  Read on

There is also an earlier article:  Gladiators 'fought in Cheshire' (17 February 2007).  “Gladiatorial games, the bloodiest of ancient Rome's traditions, were probably held in the heart of genteel Cheshire, archaeologists say.”

The above image, courtesy BBC,  is titled Gravestones helped identify the site as a gladiator graveyard.

View all blog entries on Gladiators

the greek and roman galleries at the met – continued

Here is the latest version of the web pages about the New Greek and Roman Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

From the site:

“The New Greek and Roman Galleries house art created between about 900 B.C. and the early fourth century A.D., tracing the parallel stories of the evolution of Greek art in the Hellenistic period and the arts of southern Italy and Etruria and culminating in the rich and varied world of the Roman Empire. The astonishing assembly of works on display—some never before seen by the public—bring to life the visual and conceptual roots of Western civilization.
Read more about the works on view, or see a list of images of selected highlights”.

historical figures in “the dream of scipio” – I

Participants of our reading group often are interested in who in the various novels we discuss has been a real-life person.  Often the Introduction or the Afterword have the answer.  The Dream of Scipio has neither, so Bingley and I have done some sleuthing.  Note: All Wikipedia articles should be handled with care.

The three protagonists, Manlius Hippomanes, Olivier de Noyen, and Julien Barneuve are fictional characters, although there are shades of Sidonius in Manlius, and Petrarch in Olivier.

dream of scipio – mediaeval background: pietro lorenzetti (also: beata umilta)

In our current read, The Dream of Scipio, Olivier's painter friend Pisano recalls his studies with Pietro Lorenzetti in Siena.

Pietro Lorenzetti aka Pietro Laurati (c.1280-1348) and his brother Ambrogio Lorenzetti helped introduce naturalism into Sienese art and in turn Pietro imparted it to the fictitious Pisano.  The latter's experimentation in naturalism in Avignon gains him an unexpected assignment from Cardinal Cecconi. 

Read more about Lorenzetti at Wikipedia (with the usual caveat) and about the Sienese school.

anicius manlius severinus boethius

(I do so wish historical novels had an index!)  Anyway, the name of Boethius crops up occasionally in our current read, the novel  The Dream of Scipio.

“Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (born: circa 475–7 C.E., died: 526? C.E.) has long been recognized as one of the most important intermediaries between ancient philosophy and the Latin Middle Ages and, through his Consolation of Philosophy, as a talented literary writer, with a gift for making philosophical ideas dramatic and accessible to a wider public.”  Read more at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosphy.

At Wikipedia, nicely illustrated (as usual, handle with care).
Consolatio Philosophiae (Latin and English)
Texts at Project Gutenberg:

The Consolation of Philosophy (English)
The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy (English)
The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy (Latin)

In print:  The Consolation of Philosophy: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics)

and another comparison to the roman empire…

"The only sure thing that can be said about the past is that anyone who can remember Santayana’s maxim is condemned to repeat it.  As a result, the danger of not understanding the lessons of history is matched by the danger of using simplistic historical analogies.  Those who have learned the lessons of Munich square off against those who have learned the lessons of Vietnam, and then they both invoke the bread-and-circus days of the overstretched Roman empire in an attempt to sound even more subtle and profound."

Amen!  to Walter Isaacson's above comment introducing his on the whole favorable review of  Are We  Rome?:  The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America by Cullen Murphy in the New York Times:

Books / Sunday Book Review

The Empire in the Mirror

By WALTER ISAACSON

Published: May 13, 2007

Cullen Murphy examines parallels between the United States today and the world of ancient Rome.

The question is: Do we need another of these books?  Is it a bandwagon thing?

the ahn trio – an evening of contemporary music

Last night we attended the last performance of the season at the Greenwich (Connecticut) Center for Chamber Music which mostly show-cases young artists.  The concert featured The Ahn Trio, consisting of South Korean, Juillard trained sisters: Angella Ahn (violin) and twins Maria Ahn (cello) and Lucia Ahn (piano).  Their website is a bit funky, but you can listen to them perform.  Their performances have had mixed reviews as far as their mastering techniques are concerned, but I found them not only lively but impressive, and they are still young enough to have a potentially great career ahead.

While the group does perform standard classical works, and its recording of trios by Dvorak, Suk, and Shostakovich has won Germany's prestigious ECHO Award in 1998, the sisters have created Ahn-Plugged, commissioning and/or show-casing modern composers of various styles, including jazz and heavy metal (of sorts).  Which makes them very much okay in my book!

book: law and empire in late antiquity

Jill Harries, the author of the Sidonius book mentioned below, has also written Law and Empire in Late Antiquity.  Here is a  Bryn Mawr Classical Review.

A brand new book on Roman legal history of hers is Cicero And the Jurists – Bryn Mawr Classical Review.

more on sidonius apollinaris

Gaius Sollius Modestus Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 430 – after 489), poet, diplomat, bishop, is “the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul” according to Eric Goldberg (see below).  He was one of four late antiquity Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity.  His letters have been compared to a literary Herculaneum, preserving under the accumulated centuries the most varied evidences of late Roman provincial life. (wikipedia and O.M. Dalton)

Bingley already briefly blogged Sidonius below, with his letters at the Early Church Fathers site.  (Click on the page symbol at top and bottom to continue the letters content.)

The Fall of the Roman Empire Revisited: Sidonius Apollinaris and His Crisis of Identity Eric J. Goldberg.  (Essays in History, The Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia).

dream of scipio – mediaeval background

A marvellous overview of Europe in the 14th century is Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror", which I was absolutely enthralled by when I read it 25 years ago.

This introduction to Avignon for tourists includes on various pages brief biographies of the popes who reigned from Avignon (Olivier de Noyen's was Clement VI), a history of the city, and photos of the city in general and the Papal Palace in particular.

Wikipedia has articles on the Avignon papacy  and Clement VI. The Catholic Encylopedia's view of Clement VI.

Boccaccio left us a description of conditions during the Black Death in his Decamaron. Another site has a useful directory of resources on the Black Death.

I'm not sure whether Cardinal Ceccano was Olivier de Noyen's patron (Ceccani in the book), but this Provence tourist site has pictures of his palace and of other sites round Avignon. Gersonides, Rebecca's master and Olivier's teacher, on the other hand, is apparently a well-known figure in mediaeval Jewish philosophy. The Stanford Enclyopedia of Philosophy has a long article on him, as does the Jewish Encyclopedia, under his Hebrew name, Levi Ben Gershon.

request for starter book suggestions on roman history

In this comment, a reader poses the question:

"…I managed to land a job as a tour guide in Rome.  Now, one of the things I get asked a lot by normal people (that is, probably not all the interested before but could become interested) what would be some good starter books for Roman History.  Most of what I know comes from lectures and scholarly materials and the classics themselves, which are not going to fly with a lay audience, so I've been looking for other options.  I feel a bit uneasy recommending something like McCullough (although I do) because she's so long.  I had read good thing's about Goldsworthy's new Caesar biography, although I haven't really looked for it in Italy.  And I feel tentative about something like Tom Holland's "Rubicon" because it struck me as a bit pulpy (but then again, could be more appealing to the normal reader than most other things)."

Any helpful comments are appreciated!