Roman History Books and More

... and another book chat baby

Carson Skelly, age 7 weeks (typo corrected!)

strabo's 'geographica': musings

Reading Strabo's Geography, I am absolutely amazed! Not only by the easy to read content and critical analyses of his sources, which latter surely were not easy to evaluate given the scientific state of the times, but also by the physical research done: imagine putting all those sources together!

No file folders, no computer to keep one's notes organized and handy, only scrolls and tablets …  ;-)

As to Homer, Strabo maybe could recite Homer verse by verse, what do you think?

mary beard: 'the classic woman?'

This month is Women's History Month, and here comes an article by Mary Beard:

The Classic Woman?
Mary Beard looks at the new ways of thinking about what life was like for women in Greece and Rome.

To study gender is to study a lot more than 'women'; it is to study a set of oppositions and differences that underscore almost every aspect of ancient (and modern) life.

read all

haiti relief effort still needed

There is a cholera outbreak in Haiti! You can help by donating to the organizations listed at the top of the right-hand column or here:

• Doctors Without Borders | MSF USA
• Partners in Health
• Americares

book chat baby ...

Ada Grace O'Connor, born September 12, 2010

film sense in the 'aeneid' (for jstor 'and 'arion' subscribers only)

An intriguing question: What would the Aeneid look like as a movie?

Fred Mench explores this in Arion, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Autumn, 1969), pp. 380-397:

Film Sense in "The Aeneid"
Fred Mench
Arion, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Autumn, 1969), pp. 380-397
Published by: Trustees of Boston University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20163209

The literary critic should study not only philology or comparative literature but also the techniques employed by the film maker if he wishes to appreciate those literary works that utilize a kinetic visual approach (montage, variation of viewing angle, alternation of close-up and distance shot, and the like) … Most people who think of Vergil's artistry in visual terms tend to describe him as a painter, citing, for example, the backdrop painting of the harbor scene ( 1.159-69)  … Vergil is much closer to being a film director than a painter or a dramatist. The canvas or the stage set must be presented essentially all at once … A painter or playwright can accomplish some of this in a limited way but it would be difficult to sustain.  It is this flexibility that we associate with the cinema which is a hallmark of Vergil's great epic.

Read all

mary beard: civilian casualties, leaks and the ancient view

Worth reading:

Civilian casualties, leaks and the ancient view

By and large, Greek and Roman military command had it relatively easy when it came to leaks, civilian casualties and the PR side of warfare. To put it at its crudest, the imperial Roman legions would go off to conquer some bit of foreign territory, they would do it any way they could and come back home and boast about it. Not many people in Rome knew or cared about war crimes. It was winning that mattered.

Of course, it looked different from the barbarian point of view, but the barbarians got very little chance to put their point of view at Rome.

But even in the ancient world, it wasn't quite so simple.

Read on

the view from my window, between storms

I posted this during our Pompeii chat tonight, and a group member thought this was apt, it looked like an ash cloud …

The view from my window, 8:10 PM

it's always nice to hear this

A recently new member of our book chats writes:

I can't tell you how much I am enjoying my study of Ancient Rome.   The twice-a-month chat motivates me to do my reading thoughtfully.  You and the others have graciously shared your knowledge and insights and I am extremely grateful for that.  I only wish that a hundred years ago, when I was a schoolgirl translating Caesar and Cicero, that I had known the context of it all – too much emphasis on Person-Number-Tense-Mood-Voice, not enough thrill of the the story.

That makes it all worthwhile!

illuminating hadrian's wall, saturday, march 13

Beverly J. sent some pictures with this comment:  "It must have been incredible! Here are some pictures that I got from the We Dig Vindolanda site. There are only 230 of them!!"

Lindsay Powell posted items from Illuminating Hadrian's Wall on Facebook. You can become a fan of this event.

a history of the romans in germany as told in stamps

Mainly for German speakers … but you might enjoy the stamps anyway.

Die Römer auf Deutschen Briefmarken

Images are here:

• Stadtjubiläen I
• Stadtjubiläen II
• Andere Städte
• Ereignisse
• Bauwerke
• Fundstücke
• Alltagskultur
• Kulturerbe
• Und sonst
• Was fehlt

Hat tip: Lindsay Powell

on 'credentials' and the 'credulity of men'

Yesterday, I posed the question on Facebook: 'Do you tend to look for the "About Us" page when visiting a website?' (This in connection with web design.) All respondents did, and there was concern about quality and credentials of a website.

So here comes David Powell with a note by Bill Thayer about credentials, which leads into Sir Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica, or Vulgar Errors, Chapter V, Of Credulity and Supinity, at the same site.

Enjoy the read!  (image courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

'the best book loan in literary history?' courtesy peter stothard

I can't resist posting this literary history of a book loan, via Peter Stothard's blog:

The best book loan in literary history?

carter: 'a celebration of some 100 x 150 notes' (1986)

Hat tip: Michael Nelson

Elliott Carter at age 100+ is still alive, kicking, and composing.  A week ago last Sunday I attended a performance of his latest, Zukofsky Songs for clarinet and soprano – Thomas Martin, clarinet and Lucy Shelton, soprano – at the Tanglewood Music Center's contemporary music festival in Lenox, MA.  The work was co-commissioned by the Tanglewood Music Center, the Nash Ensemble, and the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival.  It consisted of nine songs to poems by Louis Zukofsky, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The composer was in the audience and took his bow. He is simply amazing!  I had heard he looked frail, but he didn't seem much different to me than at last year's festival which was solely devoted to his music.

gone fishing …

… but may do some blogging still.

n.s. gill on ancient eclipses

Ancient Eclipses
(Ancient Classical History at About.com)

"Nothing there is beyond hope, nothing that can be sworn impossible, nothing wonderful, since Zeus, father of the Olympians, made night from mid-day, hiding the light of the shining Sun, and sore fear came upon men."
Archilochus

We may know there's a scientific explanation for them, but solar eclipses continue to exert an almost magical power over us.  It's not at all clear we've decreased in gullibility since the days when Columbus used his fore-knowledge of an eclipse to hoodwink the Jamaicans.  And even though we know better, during each total solar eclipse, there will be people blinded by the too tempting sight of an eclipsed sun.

read on  (Image: Thales of Miletus)

book chat august recess

There will be no book discussions in August, as usual.  Meanwhile, we are entertaining reading suggestions for 2010 so that we'll have a schedule ready sometime in September, giving members sufficient time to look ahead, and maybe get some books on their holiday list.

Enjoy your summer and your summer reads!

Norwalk, CT, Harbor, July 10, 2009

a view of capri (in re tiberius)

Capri From Punta Campanella (Wikimedia Commons)

Capri (Wikipedia, handle with care) with nice images.

'return of the roman' – an essay by allan massie

 Knowledge of Latin may be in decline, but novels, films and documentaries about the Romans have never been more popular.  We are still dimly, unconsciously, aware that our culture grew out of classical civilisation.
Allan Massie
Prospect Magazine Blog
November 2006 | 128 » Essays » Return of the Roman

In his short book "The Future of the Classical," Salvatore Settis, director of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, writes that "the marginalisation of classical studies in our education systems and our culture at large is a profound cultural shift that would be hard to ignore."  At the same time, he asks: "What place is there for the ancients in a world… characterised by the blending of peoples and cultures, the condemnation of imperialism, the end of ideologies, and the bold assertion of local traditions, and ethnic and national identities in the face of all forms of cultural hegemony?  Why seek out common roots, if everyone is intent on distinguishing their own from those of their neighbour?"

The points are well made, the questions pertinent, though the implication is not always as cogent as Settis supposes. After all, one characteristic of the Roman world was a very similar "blending of peoples and cultures," as eastern gods and goddesses were introduced to Rome and worshipped there, and as the emperors came more often from the provinces than from Italy, let alone Rome. 

      read on

Hat tip: Robert Greaves

this looks almost roman …

;-)

Ruins of a mansion on Sheffield Island, Norwalk, CT
July 10, 2009