NUNTII: Moving Away From Cincinnatus ...

The Chicago Sun-Times once again shows its Classical side in regards to Wesley Clark. An editorial opens:

As Wesley Clark plunges into the campaign for the Democratic president nomination, he would be wise to recall the warning of a shrewd Roman historian. Tacitus wrote of a gifted but disastrous political leader: "Capax imperii nisi imperasset." This crabbed Latin judgment is famously hard to translate but its rough meaning goes: "He would have made a very fine emperor if, poor fellow, he had not actually become emperor."

A bit free, I suppose. It's probably a statement on the 'expected level of learning' in the audience that the author of the opinion piece didn't identify the "gifted but disastrous" leader as Galba. Then again, I'm not sure Galba can be characterized as "gifted", save perhaps in terms of ancestry.

In any event ... here's the rest of the article ...

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 8:57:17 PM::
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NUNTII: Aquileia

Stars and Stripes has a touristy thing on Aquileia ... it includes a decent photo of the remains of the Roman forum there as well as a segment of a mosaic. Check it out ...

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 8:49:02 PM::
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TTT: Top Ten New Testament Archaeological Finds of the Past 150 Years

Under that lengthy headline, Christianity Today has an okay article. The top ten are as follows:

1. Shroud of Turin
2. Fragment of John 18
3. House of Peter
4. Qumran Scrolls
5. Pilate Inscription
6. Assorted Herodian sites
7. Scythopolis
8. "Jesus boat"
9. Burial box of Caiaphas
10. James Ossuary (which they still think genuine)

The full article ...

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 8:42:47 PM::
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REVIEWS: Recently in BMCR

Elizabeth Speller, Following Hadrian: A Second-Century Journey Through
the Roman Empire.

Pat Easterling, Edith Hall (edd.), Greek and Roman Actors: Aspects of an
Ancient Profession.

Geraldine Herbert-Brown (ed.), Ovid's Fasti: Historical Readings at its
Bimillennium.

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 8:25:39 PM::
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RES GESTAE

As we mark the anniversary of Augustus' birth, it might be worth rereading the Res Gestae, which exists in numerous copies on the web:

Skidmore (Brunt and Moore trans.)

Ancient History Sourcebook (Davis trans.)

USask (Stiles trans, with additions by Porter)

The Latin text is at:

The Latin Library (Latin students might be able to handle translating sections 9 and 10)

Speaking of students, the students at Kenwood Academy have put up a Res Gestae home page which includes photos of portions of the Res Gestae in Latin and Greek.

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 6:05:18 AM::
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THIS DAY IN ANCIENT HISTORY

ante diem ix kalendas octobres

• Mercatus
• 63 B.C. -- birth of Octavian, the future emperor Augustus
• 25 B.C. -- dedication of the Temple of Neptune (and associated rites
  thereafter)
• 23 B.C. -- restoration of the temple of Apollo (and associated rites
  thereafter)

I also have the following as 'possible', but have not been able to confirm it:

• 480 B.C. -- Athenian naval forces under Themistocles defeat Xerxes' Persian
  force in the narrows of Salamis

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:53:56 AM::
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NUNTII: Roman Precedent

A Jewish settlement has taken a page from Livy and has decided to use geese to protect it:

AS a multi-million-dollar barrier is being erected in the West Bank to protect Israel from Palestinian militants, a Jewish settlement has decided to entrust its security to a gaggle of geese.

West Bank settlers use geese for protection According to the Yediot Aharonot daily, the residents of Adei Ad in the West Bank were inspired by tale of how geese helped protect ancient Rome.

According to legend, when the Gauls invaded Rome a detachment clambered up the hill of the capitol so silently that they went unchallenged. But while striding over a rampart, they disturbed some sacred geese and awoke the garrison leading to their defeat.

While the teacher in me cringes and ponders whose defeat the 'their' refers to, here's rest (not much more) ...

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:43:52 AM::
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SQUIRREL FODDER

For reasons I can't quite understand, the work of Anatoly Fomenko seems to hit my screen on a semi-regular basis. Now, however, it's in the form of an actual press release, the headline of which should be enough to explain my own headline:

New scientific research points to the evidence suggesting Jesus Christ was born in 1053 AD and crucified in 1086 AD

So now AF has it out in book form ... a 600+ page book. Here's the rest of the release .... For more info on the 'theory', check out the 'New Tradition' website.

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:37:44 AM::
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NUNTII: The Tailor Who Became a Governor

Arutz Sheva's Torah column relates a story from the Midrash which has a Roman theme and a good lesson. Here's the intro:

During the days of the Roman Empire, says the Midrash, in the city of Tziporin, a Jewish village located to the west of Tiberius in the upper Galilee, lived an ordinary tailor by the name of Yusta. He served as the local tailor of the city's residents and had his spot along the main street, where he would sit all day and tailor cloth.

During a visit to mighty Rome, this simple man somehow managed to encounter the emperor and find favor in his eyes. As a gesture, the emperor offered to grant Yusta any wish he had. This tailor requested to be appointed as governor over his native city, Tziporin.

... and the rest ...

::Tuesday, September 23, 2003 5:29:07 AM::
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