Roman History Books and More

the abduction and murder of verginia

Our current read, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy From the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (Circa 1,000 to 264 B.C.) by T.J. Cornell, which we start this cycle with Chapter 11, The Twelve Tables, touches briefly on the story of Verginia, her abduction, and her murder.

Around 450 BCE, the decemvirs (Decemviri Legibus Scribundis Consulari Imperio) were charged with drawing up a legal code.  The history of the Law of the Twelve Tables (Lex Duodecim Tabularum) and its extant excerpts can be found here.  The laws were drawn up during two consecutive decemvirates.  Appius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis Sabinus was a member of both decemvirates, and the story goes that he was an evil man – thus portraying the Claudian trait of violence and arrogance – and lusted after Verginia, the daughter of Lucius Verginius.  He had her abducted, claiming she was actually a slave of one of his freedmen. In the end, Verginius asked to question his daughter himself and stabbed her to death.  This affair led to the overthrow of the decemviri. 

Livy compares this to the rape of Lucretia and the overthrow of the monarchy in 509 BCE.  Read at History of Rome, Book 3 [3.44 ff.], called in the OCD "a magnificent narrative."

fois gras in the ancient world, and more

Enjoy Dorothy King's post of today:  Recipes: Foie Gras is a Semitist Issue

The ancients did stuff geese already, as seen in this relief fragment (look at bottom left):

Fragment of painted wall relief from Tomb Chapel
Egyptian, Old Kingdom, late Dynasty 6 or later, 2323–2150 B.C.
Giza, Egypt
Overall: 45 x 39.5 cm (17 11/16 x 15 9/16 in.)
Limestone

third century battlefield at kalefeld, germany, discovered

I've been loosely following the recent news (mostly in German) that an ancient battlefield has been discovered at Kalefeld in the administrative district of Northeim in the state of Lower Saxony.  This is close to Göttingen, in the foothills of the Harz Mountains.  (I used to live in Northeim when a young child.)  Findings indicate that the battle took place in the early 3rd century CE, at a time when it has been generally assumed that no Roman forces went that far east of the Rhine river into that particular section of Germania.

(Photo Credit: C. S. Fuchs, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalspflege)

It's too bad that the main press release and a news video are in German only, but rogueclassicist David Meadows has an extensive round-up of the news, and both Adrian Murdoch of Bread and Circuses and Gabriele Campbell of Lost Fort cover the issue and speculation at length.

mainly for german speakers: mainz/moguntiacum on wikipedia …

… but non-German speakers might enjoy the images

In the book chats we recently talked about Roman Mainz – see my web page – when we discussed Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem, and earlier this month The Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis.

The German Wikipedia page Mogontiacum (as usual handle with care) is a comprehensive one, though it says that it still needs editing ("bearbeiten").  It includes a list of the legions that were stationed in Moguntiacum.

The first image on the page is a section of the Tabula Peuteringiana (see also here and at livius.org) showing the area including Roman Mainz, courtesy Wikimedia Commons:  click on image and look for the red arrow pointing to "Mongontiaco":

I'm still trying to find a list of the various types of pictorial symbols on the map.  Assistance is greatly appreciated.

the roman bridge of cendere: a neat page by jona lendering

The Roman Bridge at Cendere,
built by the Sixteenth legion Flavia Firma.

(from New at LacusCurtius and Livius.Org)

napoleon's egypt blog

I just discovered this interesting blog which goes back to 2007:  Napoleon's Egypt

There are a number of Napoleon related links listed, and a French one dedicated to Josephine.

And there is also Juan Cole's book:
Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East

time to resume serious reading: continuation of 'the beginnings of rome' by t.j. cornell

It's the holiday season, I know, I know!

However, this is a reminder that we resume reading  The Beginnings of Rome: Italy From the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (Circa 1,000 to 264 B.C.) by T.J. Cornell on January 7, continue on January 21 and finish on February 4).

We'll start on the 7th with Chapters 11 and 12:

11  THE TWELVE TABLES

1. The Decemvirate
2. The Valerio-Horatian Laws
3. The nature of the code
4. The laws: slavery, debt and nexum
5. The laws: family and property
6. The laws: economic implications
7. The laws: social distinctions

how writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days

Daily Routines:
How writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days

Hat tip Andrew Sullivan

the oxford roman economy project

The Oxford Roman Economy Project

A research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council for the period 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2010 and based in the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford.

Parts of the site are restricted to members of the project only.

Research context

This research programme addresses the fundamentals of the Roman imperial economy and will provide a detailed analysis of major economic activities (agriculture, trade, commerce, mining), utilising quantifiable bodies of artefactual and documentary evidence and placing them in the broader structural context of regional variation, distribution, size and nature of markets, supply and demand.

kalkriese/varus battle museum website: an update

Again, when checking and updating the links on my website, I found a new – or in this case revised – website.  I got to the page
Kalkriese/Varusschlacht:

The project and museum website, Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land GmbH - Museum und Park Kalkriese, has been completely redesigned, in German, English, and Nederlands and includes an extensive sitemap, called Content.  It is worth exploring.

And take note:  2000 Years Varus Battle: What happens in 2009?

for german speakers: colonia claudia ara agrippinensium at wikipedia

I am in the process of checking and updating the links on my website, a laborious process made easier with the Firefox link checker, and came across the excellent German Wikipedia page for Roman Cologne:

Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium

Reconstruction of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
(Romano-Germanic Museum, Cologne)

I may find similar pages as I progress with the link checking on other travelogue pages and will post them here.

turning 100 at carnegie hall, with new notes

... and this hot from the presses:

Arts / Music (New York Times)
Turning 100 at Carnegie Hall, With New Notes
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Published: December 12, 2008
Classical music tends to lionize the great composer cut down in youth, but Elliott Carter made a mockery of that trope, with a celebration of his 100th birthday at Carnegie Hall.


Elliott Carter arrived early for Thursday night’s Carnegie Hall concert.
Daniel Barenboim was to play Mr. Carter’s “Interventions.”
Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

a tribute to elliott carter by stephen soderberg

  … the way it all goes along: A tribute to Elliott Carter by Stephen Soderberg

On December 11th, Elliott Carter will turn 100.  In 1971 Aaron Copland said of his friend,

"Most composers hit their stride fairly early. Elliott Carter was an exceptional case. He had reached the age of forty before he began producing music that aroused special attention. Since then, during the past twenty years, he has gradually produced a body of work so original in conception and so imaginative in execution that we can proudly point to it as among the finest examples of musical creation that we in America have -- or that any other country has."

Now, in 2008, it has been sixty years since Carter "began producing music that aroused special attention" -- sixty years creating music that continues to astonish and challenge performers and audiences worldwide.

read on

Image:  Elliot Carter
from The musical languages of Elliott Carter by Charles Rosen. (Washington, DC: Music Division, Research Services, Library of Congress, 1984). Performing Arts Reading Room, Library of Congress.

Happy 10oth Birthday, Elliott Carter!

updated diodorus siculus on lacuscurtius

Excellent news!  Bill Thayer has been adding to his Diodorus Siculus pages:  The Text of Diodorus Siculus on LacusCurtius.

He explains the background here.  This means that we now have Books 1 through 32.  Quote:

Still, this pseudo-end of Diodorus is in the best tradition of ancient texts: after managing to write soberly for 3000 pages, he finally caves in and concludes Book 32 with a rather long tale about hermaphroditic prodigies, unnatural intercourse, and the biology of the hyena: enjoy.

roman trier, an update

My 1999 travelogue of Roman Germania included a visit to Trier, the Roman Augusta Treverorum.  At the time, I had excellent links to pages from the Universität Trier website.  I recently discovered that they had all disappeared into cyberspace and on inquiry was told that they will not be brought back.  I had it on my to-do list to look for replacements, but before I got to it, Jona Lendering on the blog New at LacusCurtius and Livius.Org last week pointed to pages about Roman Trier which he has created and is still adding to. 

Accordingly, and gratefully, I have updated my page TRIER — COLONIA AUGUSTA TREVERORUM and linked it to Jona's pages. 

For the (non-Roman) remaining links from the Uni Trier site that had gone missing I found similar information on Sacred Sites and Religious Places in Germany.  Though some people might not consider the Karl Marx House a "sacred" site …  And I wish I had the time to rescan my photos with today's improved equipment …

Basilica, Trier, 1999

the view from my window

First Snow of the Season
Stamford, CT, December 7, 9:15 AM

the fountain of arethusa, arethusa and alpheus

In the novel The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw, Archimedes and the King's sister Delia have clandestine meetings at the Fountain of Arethusa.

Arethusa Fountain, Ortygia, Syracuse, Wikimedia Commons

In Greek mythology, the nymph Arethusa, daughter of Nereus, is pursued by the river god Alpheus and transforms herself into a stream. (Wikipedia, handle with care)

the first punic war

As mentioned in a post below, the Archimedes novel The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw it set in the time of the first siege of Syracuse, during the First Punic War.  Although the conflict was between Rome and Carthage, Syracuse was drawn into it.

Most of what we know about the war comes from Polybius.  He can be read both at livius.org: First Punic War and at LacusCurtius, Polybius: The Histories.

This informative page, First Punic War, comes from Wikipedia (as usual handle with care).

First Punic War between Rome and Carthage
(Ancient/Classical History at About.com)

Theodor Mommsen: The History of Rome, Chapter II
The War Between Rome and Carthage, Concerning Sicily

Recent treatments: 

The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy (2002)
The First Punic War, A Military History by J.F. Lazenby (1996)

Altar of Hiero II, Wikimedia Commons

season's greetings!

from Bailey the Unknown Reindeer

Hat tip: Stamford fellow blogger Chris.  His comment: "my favorite part is at 1:17."

archimedes of syracuse

A young Archimedes is the protagonist of our next book, The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw, set during the time of the first siege of Syracuse at 264 BC – join our chat on Wednesday, December 17.

Wikipedia (as usual handle with care) has an extensive page about Archimedes of Syracuse.

There is also another Archimedes site, "a collection of Archimedean miscellanea under continual development with the following contents . . . "  It includes pages about the then Royal Family of Syracuse.