Roman History Books and More

lacuscurtius and livius.org: informative sites about ancient rome

LacusCurtius - A Gateway to Ancient Rome, run by Bill Thayer, is one of the most informative websites on the subject. livius.org is operated by Jona Lendering.

Together, they have a blog with news about their respective websites: New at LacusCurtius & Livius, as well as book reviews and other news.

Enjoy!

Related articles

Roman Ruins HD for iPad is a terrific way to explore ancient Rome

hydraulos, or the water organ

The water organ features in our current read, Last Act in Palmyra, the Marcus Didius Falco mystery by Lindsey Davis.

Now our friend Robert of Matters Arising reminds me that he blogged the water organ in September:

I’ve been reading Lindsey Davis’s Falco series, and as the Roman History Reading Group is due to read Last Act in Palmyra in December, I thought I’d blog a few items.

One reason for our hero travelling to the Eastern edges of the Empire is to track down a missing hydraulis player. The hydraulis or water organ is said to have been invented by Ctesibius in the 3rd century BC. In Ctesibius’s version, water was used to regulate the flow of air through pipes to produce music from a keyboard, but as time went by the use of bellows became as popular as water. Both versions of the instrument died out in the West after the fall of the Western Empire, but survived in the East.

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  The above photo comes via the Wikipedia link. Click on image for larger view.

Note: The server of LacucCurtius may be tempoarary down, here is Smith's Dictionary on the subject.

strabo of amasia

In our current read, Augustus, the novel by John Williams, Nicolaus of Damascus writes letters to Strabo of Amasia, the ancient geographer and an exact contemporary of Augustus.  This Wikipedia page (as usual handle with care) has a link to a biography at Perseus Digital Library, and indeed the entire work can be found there:  Strabo, Geography

It is also at LacusCurtius: Strabo: The Geography. Bill Thayer writes:

As with most ancient authors, not that much is known of Strabo, and the Loeb edition's introductory material, by the translator Horace Leonard Jones, is about as good as one can get. The Loeb edition also provides a thorough bibliography, including a very summary discussion of the principal manuscripts of the Geography: that too will eventually find its way onsite, except for some few addenda made by the Loeb editors in the later reprintings and therefore still under copyright. Further good information, especially on editions and translations, may be found on Sarah Pothecary's site.

More editions can be found at the Internet Archive.

Loeb's Classical Library edition in print makes up 17 volumes with the Greek text and English translation side by side.

It certainly is an amazing work for its time.  Maybe we should put selections from The Geography on next year's reading list.

'meditations' a 'cross between a diary and a commonplace book?'

R.B.Rutherford asks this in the introduction to the Oxford World Classics 1998 edition of the "Meditations."

Definition: Commonplace Book

stoicism online

To better understand "The Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius, our current read, one should be a bit familiar with Stoicism.  Information can be found online at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

Stoicism

This image of Zeno of Citium (c. 334-262 BC), founder of the Stoic school, is courtesy Wikimedia Commons and can be found at the Wikipedia page for Stoicism (as usual, handle with with care).  That page leads to a list of Stoic philosophers.

glossa, a latin dictionary

A neat new Latin dictionary, online and downloadable to your desktop:
Glossa, a Latin Dictionary

What makes Glossa different from other on-line Latin dictionaries?  Glossa combines a unique interface with a commitment to full exploration of a Latin word's possible meanings. The type-ahead suggest feature allows words to be found easily as you type, and the database gives you full definitions of words, including examples from Latin literature and etymologies. The sidebar shows you where you are in the dictionary, giving you the ten words before the current entry and the ten words after.

Glossa is and will remain free. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Basically, you are free to use distribute or remix this material, provided that you provide proper credit (see details on the download page), do not produce the work for commercial purposes, and allow others the same rights with your new work.

Glossa on Facebook
Go to the dictionary

Hat tip: N.S. Gill

definition of hendecasyllabos (pliny the younger letters)

Calling on the  experts:  I've  several times come across hendecasyllabos in Pliny's letters, and Betty Radice translated this as hendecasyllable.  A dictionary search gives me hendecasyllabic verse (with a reference to Catullus).  However, Wikipedia – as usual handle with care – insists on two different types of verse: hendecasyllable verse (Italian poetry) vs. hendecasyllabics (as used by Catullus – and Martial, it seems).  Is there a difference?

Latin text from The Latin Library.

IV.14

C. PLINIUS [DECIMO] PATERNO SUO S.

1 Tu fortasse orationem, ut soles, et flagitas et exspectas; at ego quasi ex aliqua peregrina delicataque merce lusus meos tibi prodo. 2 Accipies cum hac epistula hendecasyllabos nostros, quibus nos in vehiculo in balineo inter cenam oblectamus otium temporis. 3 His iocamur ludimus amamus dolemus querimur irascimur, describimus aliquid modo pressius modo elatius, atque ipsa varietate temptamus efficere, ut alia aliis quaedam fortasse omnibus placeant. 4 Ex quibus tamen si non nulla tibi petulantiora paulo videbuntur, erit eruditionis tuae cogitare summos illos et gravissimos viros qui talia scripserunt non modo lascivia rerum, sed ne verbis quidem nudis abstinuisse; quae nos refugimus, non quia severiores - unde enim? -, sed quia timidiores sumus. 5 Scimus alioqui huius opusculi illam esse verissimam legem, quam Catullus expressit:

pliny the younger, his life and letters

In our next book chat on October 21 we are going to discuss the Letters of Pliny the Younger (Plinius Secundus).  There are more translations in print, and the letters  also available online:

• Letters of Pliny the Younger at About.com
• Letters of Pliny the Younger at VRoma (Latin and English)

Jona Lendering at livius.org has an extensive (in 6 parts) biography of Pliny the Younger.  It's an all you want to know about ... and more essay.

For my next post on Plinius Secundus, I may explore JSTOR.

But there is also a beer called Pliny the Younger … maybe we should lift a cup in his honor …

did cicero coin the term populares? not

In Caesar's Women, Colleen McCullough has Caesar intimate that Cicero coined the term Populares, but did he?  That question arose during tonight's book chat.  Though the word seems almost a fixation of Cicero's, the answer is no and can be found at JSTOR:

Cicero and the Word Popvlaris [Cicero and the Word Popularis]
Robin Seager
The Classical Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Nov., 1972), pp. 328-338
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/638213

It has by now become a commonplace among the historians of the republic that optimates and populares were not political parties in any modern sense. Nevertheless the ghost of the 'popular party' still lingers in subtle disguises, the most insidious of which is donned whenever populares is translated as 'the populares', with all that the definite article may imply.  It is the aim of this paper to catalogue the principal functions and connotations of the word popularis in Cicero, with illustrative material from other sources, in the hope that such a demonstration may contribute to the final laying of the ghost. The first section is essentially a commentary on the definition of populares given in the Pro Sestio;  the second attempts to expound the various techniques that Cicero uses to combat an opponent who claims to be popularis.
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long-lived aristocratic women in the republic and the principate

Update 1:

• Scribonia, (Scribonia Caesaris) second wife of Octavian and mother of Julia the Elder (Julia Caesaris)
  age 84

---

Sir Ronald Syme's The Augustan Aristocracy, in a brief digression in the chapter "The Junii Silani," lists some long-lived women – another proof that women (at least well to do ones), once they were past child-bearing age, seem to have done as well as or even better than men in the life expectancy department:

• Livia, "the relict of Rutilius Rufus (cos. 105), also the aunt to Livius Rufus, tribune of the plebs in 91."
  age 93
• Livia Drusilla, "whose father had been a Claudius adopted by the famous and ill-starred tribune."  Widow of Augustus of course.
  age 86
• Junia Tertia, widow of C. Cassius the Liberator, daughter of Servilia Caepionis and half-sister of M. Brutus. "Her funeral paraded the emblems of twenty noble houses, the germane not being there: 'preafulgebant Cassius atque Brutus eo ipso quod effigies eorum non visebantur.'  (Tacitus, Ann.III,76,2)."  She also famously passed over the emperor in her will. (see below) *
  age about 95

gaius maecenas, patron of the arts

Gaius Maecenas, friend and counselor of Augustus (until he fell from grace) was an important friend of Horace, whose Satires we will be discussing next week.  N.S. Gill has more: 

Who Was Maecenas

Definition: A wealthy descendant of Etruscan kings, Gaius Maecenas was a Roman literary patron and writer whose works have not survived except as titles and in fragments.  He was born April 13, c. 70 B.C.

The equestrian Maecenas was an advisor and friend of Augustus. Maecenas as well as Agrippa fought for Augustus during the civil wars;  Agrippa the more so since Maecenas was often in Rome where he served as magistrate. Maecenas is mentioned as having fought at Mutina, Philippi and Perusia, according to Propertius, in the 1911 Encyclopedia.

The name and patronage of Maecenas is associated with Vergil, Horace, Propertius, and Varius.  read on

Here is a typical 19th century Schinken, At Maecenas' Reception by Stepan Bakalovich:

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
click on image to enlarge

gaius lucilius, writer of satires, and his influence on horace

Gaius Lucilius (Wikipedia, handle with care), c.160–103/2 BC, is considered the earliest Roman satirist.  (Other sites give his dates a c.180–102.)  Only fragments of his work remain.  He was a Roman citizen of the equestrian class and belonged to the circle of Scipio Aemilianus.  Horace was influenced by him, and Lucilius appears in several of the latter's satires:

BkISatIV:1-25 Horace praises and also criticises him.
BkISatIV:26-62 An example of a great Satirist.
BkISatX:1-30 Horace’s criticism of his style.
BkISatX:50-71 Lucilius’ own criticism of others.
BkIISatI:1-23 He wrote about Scipio Africanus.
BkIISatI:24-46 Horace considers Lucilius a better man than himself.
BkIISatI:47-86 Lucilius’ satires were tolerated.

Jacques Perret in his Horace points out similarities, such as being part of a circle around the patron:  Aemilianus/Maecenas, the independence of being an equestrian, chroniclers of little groups, etc.  He writes, "[Horace found], in Lucilius, the assurance that one could build a literary work around one's own person.  Perhaps no Greek author would have have encouraged him in that direction."

quick afterthought after tonight's chat: bagaudae

Wikipedia seems to have a reasonable page on them:

Bagaudae

play what the romans played, on your mac (sorry, windows users!)

hat tip Caroline Lawrence

Now you can play what the Romans played on your Macintosh computer.  Using the latest in Artificial Intelligence, we’ve recreated this ancient game for your enjoyment.  It’s completely free, and is licensed under an Open Source license.

Welcome to Latrunculi for Mac OS X

Latrunculi at Smith's Dictionary (LacusCurtius)

LATRUʹNCULI (πεσσοί, ψήφοι), draughts.  The invention of a game resembling draughts was attributed by the Greeks to Palamedes (Abacus, § 5).  The game is certainly mentioned by Homer, who represents the suitors of Penelope amusing themselves with it (Od. I.107). Others ascribed the invention to the Egyptian Theuth (Plat. Phaedr. p274d);  and the paintings in Egyptian tombs, which are of far higher antiquity than any Grecian monuments, not unfrequently represent persons employed in this recreation.   read on

wikipedia and weasel words

Looking at Catiline on Wikipedia, I came across the term Weasel Words, very helpful for all of us who do look at Wikipedia but with the proviso "handle with care."

Weasel words are words or phrases that seemingly support statements without attributing opinions to verifiable sources. They give the force of authority to a statement without letting the reader decide whether the source of the opinion is reliable. If a statement can't stand on its own without weasel words, it lacks neutral point of view; either a source for the statement should be found, or the statement should be removed. If a statement can stand without weasel words, they may be undermining its neutrality and the statement may be better off standing without them.

notes to 'roma, the novel of ancient rome' numen, hercules and cacus

This is more or less a dictionary, covering the first chapters of Roma,the Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor.

numen (veneration of objects)

Before gods, there were numina, see Roman religion » History » Early Roman Religion » Veneration of objects (Britannica Online). 
One of such 'objects' is Fascinus, whose amulet has a special meaning to the Potitii and Pinarii in the novel.

Hercules and Cacus

Cacus is monster that terrorizes the villagers and kills a Pinarius.  Hercules appears with his oxen and dog and manages to slay Cacus.  In the novel, Hercules becomes the first god to be worshiped.  Ara Maxima Herculis (Platner).

The story is narrated in Aeneid 8.195ff., Book 8  (Dryden translation, Gutenberg) and Ovid's Fasti, Book I, January 11: The Carmentalia (Tony Kline).

Beham, (Hans) Sebald (1500-1550): Hercules killing Cacus at his cave, from The Labours of Hercules (1542-1548). Engraving, 1545. (Wikimedia Commons)

rogatio, lex, and jus

In tonight's chat we encountered the Licinio-Sextan Rogations of 367 BCE.  So, what is a rogatio?

Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875 (via LacusCurtius) has the answer:  "The word Rogatio (from the verb rogo) properly means any measure proposed to the legislative body, and therefore is equally applicable to a proposed Lex and a proposed Plebiscitum …"

The above can be found in the entry Lex:

Lex is defined by Papinian (Dig. 1 tit. 3 s1):— "Lex est commune praeceptum, virorum prudentium consultum, delictorum, quae sponte vel ignorantia contrahuntur, coercitio, communis reipublicae sponsio." Cicero I (de Leg. I.6) defines it thus:— "Quae scripto sancit quod vult, aut jubendo, aut vetando" (see also de Leg. II.16). A Law is properly a rule or command of the sovereign power in a state, published in writing, and addressed to and enforced upon the members of such state; and this is the proper sense of Lex in the Roman writers.
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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.

veleda, bructerian prophetess

Veleda was the Bructerian prophetess whom Falco – and Justinus – tangle with in The Iron Hand of Mars, or read next Wednesday.

Jona Lendering has more about Veleda:

The word Veleda seems to be a title:  it has been assumed that it is a Latin rendering of the Celtic word 'prophetess', but there is a problem – she was not living in a region where Celtic languages were spoken.  Perhaps West-Germanic, 'to have power', is a better parallel.  The Veleda we know about predicted the successes of the Batavians when they revolted against the Roman empire (69).  It is not known whether she merely prophesied, or actively incited the rebellion.

read on    

Veleda at Wikipedia (as usual handle with care) gives more references.

coriolanus

Update 2:  Here you can listen to the Coriolan Overture.

Update 1:  Bingley wrote about Coriolanus on About.com:

• Coriolanus Biography
  Bingley's Biography of Coriolanus Who Was Originally Known as Cnaeus Marcius
• Coriolanus
  Plutarch's Biography of Coriolanus and Shakespeare's Coriolanus Play

Last Sunday we went to the opening concert of the 2008/2009 season of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra.  After the National Anthem, the first order of business was the Coriolan Overture by Beethoven (followed by Symphony No. 9 in C major (D.944) – The Great for big as opposed to little and better known to me as Symphony No. 7 – by Schubert;  and the Emperor Concerto No. 5 for Piano & Orchestra in E flat major by Beethoven, soloist Vladimir Feltsman).  The program note for Coriolan says,

No doubt the protagonist’s temperament—iron-willed, passionate, uncompromising and moved to reckless bravery—resonated deeply in Beethoven’s psyche; he saw in Coriolanus a mirror of himself.