ante diem xii kalendas martias

•  Parentalia (Day 6)-- the period for appeasing the dead continues
• 203 A.D. -- martyrdom of Charalampias and companions in Magnesia
• 260 A.D. -- martyrdom of Leo at Patara (Lycia)
• 1559 -- birth of Isaac Casaubon

::Friday, February 18, 2005 5:22:58 AM::

Today's selection:

perspicacity @ Dictionary.com

matriarch @ Wordsmith

coulrophobia @ Worthless Word for the Day

::Friday, February 18, 2005 5:18:14 AM::

Carolus et Camilla in matrimonium (18.2.2005)

Carolus, princeps hereditarius Britanniae, et Camilla Parker-Bowles, amica eius diuturna, matrimonio coniungentur.

Nuptiae die octavo mensis Aprilis in castello Windesoriensi ritu civili celebrabuntur.

In matrimonio Parker-Bowles titulum ducissae Cornubiae habebit.

Cum Carolus rex factus erit, illa regina non fiet, sed coniux principissa appellabitur. Regina Elisabeth et princeps Philippus sponsis publice gratulabantur.

Antea filium reprobaverant, quod cum femina, quae divortium fecerat, consuetudinem haberet. Anno millesimo nongentesimo nonagesimo sexto princeps Carolus a principissa Diana diverterat. Ex illo matrimonio duos filios habet.

Nuntio de nuptiis dato maior pars Britannorum novum principis matrimonium comprobat.

Tuomo Pekkanen
Nuntii Latini, Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)
(used with permission)

::Friday, February 18, 2005 5:15:21 AM::

Some 'new' online texts:

Aeschylus, The House of Atreus: Agamemnon; The Libation-Bearers; The Furies (translated by E. D. A. Morshead)

Aristophanes, The Eleven Comedies (Volume 1)

Aristophanes, The Eleven Comedies (Volume 2)

Aristotle, Ethics (J.A. Smith, ed)

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Pausanias the Spartan; The Haunted and the Haunters

::Friday, February 18, 2005 5:03:57 AM::

T'other day we mentioned a reviewish sort of thing from the Scotsman of a new BBC series called What Have the Ancients Done For Us? Now, Classics in Contemporary Culture alerts us to the existence of a website for the program ... the Roman and Greek sections are rather well done, with some big names (e.g. Wallace-Hadrill, Cartledge, Hopkins) penning the articles.

p.s. there's other stuff at CCC to read as well ...

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:56:39 AM::

TRENT UNIVERSITY—The Department of Ancient History and Classics invites applications for a 10-month limited term position at the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Professor, depending on qualifications and teaching experience, to begin 1 September 2005. We also anticipate covering additional courses on a stipendiary basis. All appointments are subject to final budgetary approval.

Our teaching needs will include: AHCL 100 (The History of Greece, to the decline of the city states) at both our Peterborough and Oshawa campuses; Greek 100 (Elementary Greek) or Greek 200 (Intermediate Greek); AHCL 231H (Women in the Greek World, c.700-300 B.C.) and AHCL 232H (Women in the Roman World, 100 B.C. – A.D. 300), along with a 300-level theatre-based course in Greek Drama.  The ‘H’ denotes one-term courses; the others are all two-term courses.

It is expected that the limited term position will cover our needs in Greek History and Greek Language, but other combinations from among the courses listed may be possible.  The remaining courses will be staffed on a stipendiary basis.

Candidates should have completed, or be very close to completing, a PhD and be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching excellence.

Please submit a complete dossier, including curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, one writing sample, documentation of teaching effectiveness and graduate transcripts to: Professor Christopher W. Tindale, Chair, Department of Ancient History and Classics, Lady Eaton College, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8. Closing day for applications is March 11, 2005.

Enquiries: FAX: (705) 748-1131; e-mail: ctindale@trentu.ca

Trent University is an employment equity employer and especially invites applications from women, aboriginal persons, visible minorities and disabled persons. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

... seen on the Classicists list

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:51:43 AM::

Mark Goodacre of NT Gateway fame alerts us to a piece cited by Jim West in Catholic News which ultimately hails from Catholic World News (how's that for a citation trail!) giving some details in English on the St. Paul's tomb find mentioned here yesterday:

Vatican archeologists believe that they have identified the tomb in Rome´s St Paul Outside the Walls basilica, following the discovery of a stone coffin during excavations carried out over the past three years.

Catholic World News reports that a sarcophagus - or stone coffin - which may contain the remains of St Paul has been identified in the basilica, according to Giorgio Filippi, a archeology specialist with the Vatican Museums.

"The tomb that we discovered is the one that the popes and the Emperor Theodosius (379- 395) saved and presented to the whole world as being the tomb of the apostle," Filippi reports.

The discovery was made by a team composed exclusively of experts from the Vatican Museum. They had undertaken their exploration in response to a request from the administrator of St. Paul´s basilica, Archbishop Francesco Gioia. During the Jubilee Year 2000, the archbishop noticed that thousands of pilgrims were inquiring about the location of St. Paul´s tomb. The excavation effort was guided by 19th-century plans for the basilica, which was largely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1823.

An initial survey enabled archeologists to reconstruct the shape of the original basilica, built early in the 4th century. A second excavation, under the main altar of the basilica, brought the Vatican team to the sarcophagus, which was located on what would have been ground level for the original 4th-century building.

The Vatican archeologist said that Church officials would now have to decide whether to undertake further explorations around the tomb, to make the sarcophagus more visible.

In St. Peter´s Basilica, excavations that were begun in June 1939 finally uncovered the tomb of the first Pope in 1941. But it 35 more years before the Church officially attested to the authenticity of those remains, in a statement released by Pope Paul VI in June 1976. A similar span of years could elapse before the Church confirms that the tomb discovered in St. Paul´s Basilica is truly that of the apostle.

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:50:10 AM::

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:44:26 AM::

R.J. Clare, The Path of the Argo. Language, Imagery and Narrative in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius.

Koenraad Verboven, The Economy of Friends. Economic Aspects of Amicitia and Patronage in the Late Republic.

 John Buckler, Aegean Greece in the Fourth Century BC.

Rolando Ferri, Octavia: A Play Attributed to Seneca. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, vol. 41.

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:41:50 AM::

From the Times-Beacon comes news of yet another Roman Festival ... something might have been lost in translation inter alia:

The most esteemed ruler, his Heftiness, the Emperor Gluteas Maximus, was carried in on a Roman litter by slaves (teachers) at Pinelands Junior High School for the Fourth Annual Roman Festival.

Gluteas Maximus was eating grapes Feb. 10, adding to his weight, as the slaves struggled to bear him to the dais where the Praetorian Guard (students) stood watch over the royal family (more students and social studies teacher Kathy Smith).

All this was done to the ominous quick beat of drums indicating the approach of the boss of sauce. Four Roman maidens held up signs that told the crowd to "Cheer."

"Not everyone gets the name," said the emperor, otherwise known as Bart Defrancia, the drama teacher. "They think it must be Latin."

The Pinelands Greco-Roman Club and the history teachers created the annual Roman Festival.

Admission was $2 unless you wore a toga. Then it was free.

If you wanted to compliment someone you could say "Toga tua bona est" ("Your toga is nice.") or "Ubi illas soleas emis ("Where did you get those shoes?") or "Quid Romana puella in fahgac arena facit?" ("What's a nice Roman like you doing in place like this?").

[er ... say what? "What does a Roman girl do in a 'fahgac' arena?"]

Uncomplimentary phrases taught to the crowd included "Toga two suspina est" ("Your toga is on backward.") or "Toga mea escere" ("Eat my shorts.").

[er ... two? suspina? escere?]

Social studies teacher Matt Maleski said it was almost a show in itself getting ready for the event and hauling in the props.

There were last minute costume problems. Derek Klingel, 13, of New Gretna, said he had to wear his toga after all even though he was in the games. His mom, Carol Klingel, went out to the car and soon produced a toga.

"This was a lot less work than the Greek Festival," she said. "They sent home quite a few patterns for different types of togas Romans wore depending on their jobs. Different colors meant different things. I learned a lot."

Jake Bolton, 13, was wearing purple as a member of the royal family.

"This is just a blanket from home," he said of his toga with silver embroidery on the edge. "This is some jewelry we had and this is a a bed sheet."

Even the custodian, Jose Pagan, dressed for the occasion, wearing a short yellow toga and laurel leaves in addition to shorts, shirt, socks and athletic shoes.

The annual Roman Festival featured chariot races and the stars of the Circus Maximus (the gym): pupils Nick Livio, Christian Chasmer, Brian Harder and George Carey.

The teachers played the horses, pulling each chariot in hotly contested races.

During the chariot races, the crowd called out "Celerius! Celerius!", which means "Faster! Faster!" and "Ite! Ite!", which means "Go! Go!"

There was a lot of cheating: the touching of chariot wheels that looked like the horses were dong it on purpose, flogging of opponents with short pieces of fabric from time to time, a horse who lost his white slip-on shoes and a chariot overturning against a wall requiring one competitor to be dragged off the course during a race.

Then came the Championships of Roman Ball, an authentic Roman game played by the finest athletes, and field hockey -- Yes! Field hockey! -- another Roman favorite played by Pinelands best.

The Caesar Augustus Competition of Knowledge starred Alyssa Florio, 14, last year's Caesar Augustus, asking questions of Kelsey Brower, Erin Eastburn and Melissa Boldridge, who filled in for Jeff Sledden, who was ill.

Then came the best of the best, the Gladitorial Games to shouts of "Verberate!" ("Thrash him!"), 'Iugula" ("Get him!") and "Hoc habet!" (He's had it!").

"It's fun," said Hayley Valencia, 12, who moved to Little Egg Harbor from up north last August. "That's why I join most of the activities."

At the end of the festival, the even heftier Emperor Gluteas Maximus, who had munched throughout, was born away by his litter bearers.

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:39:17 AM::

In case you were wondering when Vesuvius would blow next, New Scientist has this brief item:

VESUVIUS is sinking, making the kind of eruption that buried Pompeii in AD 79 less likely, according to Andrea Borgia from the European Development and Research Agency in Rome, and his colleagues.

The slumbering volcano, which last erupted in 1944, sits on a layer of sediment. "The volcano is sinking into the sediments," says Borgia. Satellite radar measurements of the volcano's height show the central cone is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 millimetres per year, while an arc-shaped ridge is rising up at the foot of the slopes. Borgia says these features, and fissures that have appeared in the flanks, are caused by the sides of the volcano spreading out (Geophysical Research Letters, vol 32, p L03303).

He argues that gas from the magma beneath will escape through the cracked sides, lessening the risk of an explosive eruption. Instead, rivers of lava may flow down the slopes. "They will be very destructive as well, but maybe people will be able to run away," Borgia says. [more]

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:28:30 AM::

Colloquium session
Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) annual meeting
Montréal, Québec (Canada)
January 5-8 2006

Food is an important part of culture and identity.  Archaeologists, zooarchaeologists, archaeobotanists and other specialists are fully aware of the scope of their researches and the various sub-disciplines of archaeology have now moved beyond the lists of taxa or daunting type-series. This colloquium session invites specialists of various fields to discuss what bioarchaeological remains and/or material culture can reveal on the role of food in cultural and social identity and on the relation between human and their environment in the past.

Any queries can be addressed to the session organiser at the address below.  The AIA attracts mainly specialists of the Classical periods and Antiquity but participants working on other periods are also most welcomed to submit a paper.  Title, abstract (max. 250 words), contact information, professional affiliation and the amount of time requested (10, 15 or 20 minutes) must be submitted by 11 March 2005 to the session organiser.  Please note that the AIA will accept papers given in English or French.  Information on the AIA, the annual meeting and travel funds is available online at:  http://www.archaeological.org
 
Manon Savard
Université du Québec à Rimouski
300, allée des Ursulines Rimouski (Québec)
G5L 3A1
Canada
Phone : (+1) 418 723-1986 ext. 1225
E-mail :  manon_savard@uqar.qc.ca

... seen on the www

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:25:09 AM::

8.00 p.m. |DCIVC| Seven Wonders of the World: Ghosts of Wonder
dna

DCIVC = Discovery Civilization (Canada)

dna = 'description not available' (in case you were wondering)

::Friday, February 18, 2005 4:22:24 AM::