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Please make yourself at home !
(To a slave) : Bring more cushions for our footstools.
17 November MMIX. On this day we celebrated the bi-millennium of the birth of Caesar Vespasianus Augustus, founder of the Flavian dynasty. Games and puzzles, articles and graffiti made it a most memorable event, together with the Re-enactment of the Year of the Four Emperors. Ave, Imperator !
Have you been to Reate recently ? The Cato Consular Library has just opened there. All Rome is talking about it ! The most wonderful tour takes you around the place telling you everything you’ve always wanted to know about Cato the Censor. There is nothing like it even here in Rome.
This plaque, available at the library, is offered as a souvenir. I think the praefectus should be made consul this year for doing such an outstanding job.
Some olives before we dine ? From the Villa Venafra, where else ! A very dear friend introduced me to a new supplier in the Subura, the Oleum et Bacca.
Here is a label from a jar of their olive oil. The steward of the Villa took me on an instructive tour of the olivetum. Rarely have I passed a more enjoyable day in the country. If you appreciate the finer things for your table, or simply for a sore muscle, I urge you to make an appointment for the tour at the first opportunity.
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There is so much to see in Reate. This fine painting is available at the villa of Lucius Terentius Furianus.
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The ever dependable Senex contributed greatly to Neptunalia. This plaque is a token of the summer entertainment he provided.
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My first Saturnalia ever was a night to go down in history. Truly a magnificent start to the festival ! A wonderful banquet in an exquisite setting, exceptional entertainment, the company of friends, and the food....
Best of all were the presents. This divine plaque, created by Alal-Sin Malachus.
I also received some delightful poems by Senex Caecilius, and beautiful cards from some of Rome’s most talented citizens. They are on display in the Bibliotheca.
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34 Articles
Hercules, Evander, Aeneas and the Triple Triumph of Augustus, Sep 2, 2011 - 15:01
On 13 August 29 B.C.E., Augustus began his three-day triumph as
victor over Marc Antony and Cleopatra. The date chosen had three-
fold significance for Augustus. It was associated with Hercules
Invictus, the earliest Hercules cult in Rome, celebrated at the Ara
Maxima in the Forum Boarium. It was equally associated with Evander
to whom legend attributed the establishment of that cult. Finally, it
was also associated with Venus Victrix to whom Pompey dedicated a
theatre on that day to celebrate his triumph. Venus was held to be the
mother of Aeneas, ancestor of the gens Iulia. How were the
three figures of Hercules, Evander and Aeneas brought together to
symbolise the advent of a new golden age, the Age of Augustus ?
Hannibal’s Use of Elephants, May 7, 2011 - 15:18
Perhaps the most-repeated anecdote concerning Hannibal is his
crossing the Alps from Gaul into Italy with thirty-seven elephants.
That feat made a profound impression on ancient writers such as Livy
and Polybius. Ultimately, however, the famous general of Carthage
had a relationship with these animals that resulted in tragedy rather
than triumph. Why ?
Seleukos IV, the Romans and the Temple of Jerusalem, Mar 31, 2011 - 16:00
In 70 C.E. Titus Flavius Vespasianus captured the beseiged city of
Jerusalem, putting an end to four years of Jewish revolt. That uprising
was one of a series of conflicts of Jews between themselves and with
the Greek- and Latin-speaking worlds. One of the longest conflicts
began after the reign of Seleukos IV Philopator (187 - 175 B.C.E.) and
is narrated from the point of view of strict, pious Jews in the Jewish
Bible (2nd Maccabees 3.1 - 4.6). Though relations between Seleukos
IV and his subjects in Judaea had been excellent at the start of his
rule, inter-Jewish rivalry and a desperate financial situation disrupted
their entente. A recent archaeological discovery sheds further
light on the genesis of the souring relationship.
Tips For Creating A Personalised Garden, Jun 4, 2010 - 19:19
From the Society of Labourers of the Hortus Reatinus. Like a
domus,
gardens have their own characters and atmospheres. Some are
instantly
familiar, such as the haphazard abundance of Cicero’s gardens in
Baiae,
others are more formal such as those of Pompey’s Portico in Rome. It
is not
enough to know what kind of plants you like. Below are a few
guidelines to
help create a unique style, a personalised garden.
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