2007 Ancient / Classical History Features

12/30/07 - 5 Stoic Mottoes for the New Year
This is intended as a hopefully helpful, but somewhat lighthearted look at ancient philosophical beliefs that would make five fine New Year's resolutions for today. They are meant as a counter to typical New Year's resolution.

12/29/07 - Glossary
Panaetius, Athens, Stoicism

12/26/07 - Summary of Book XIX of the Odyssey
Information on the 19th book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

12/22/07 - Glossary
Julian Calendar, Gregorian Calendar, Galilee.

12/21/07 - Glossary
Argos, Argus, Chthonic, Circe, Opalia, and Pantheon.

12/19/07 - Summary of Book XVIII of the Odyssey
Information on the 18th book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

12/17/07 Intercalation
Glossary entry on the word describing what astronomers and priests do to fix calendars.

12/15/07 The Star of Bethlehem and Dating the Birth of Jesus
According to Colin J. Humphreys in "The Star of Bethlehem -- a Comet in 5 BC -- and the Date of the Birth of Christ," from the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Jesus was probably born in 5 B.C., at the time that the Chinese recorded a major, new, slow-moving comet -- a sui-hsing, or star with a sweeping tail in the Capricorn region of the sky.

12/13/07 - Latin Terms in English
A list of Latin terms that are part of the English language.

12/12/07 - Summary of Book XVII of the Odyssey
Information on the seventeenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

12/11/07 - Glossary
Many of these terms are Latin terms used in English; others are pretty basic terms from the classics.

• Pro Rata
• Pro Tempore
• Quid Pro Quo
• Sui Generis
• Summa Cum Laude
• Tabula Rasa
• Q.E.D.
• Persona Non Grata
• R.I.P.
• Rigor Mortis
• Reductio ad Absurdum
• Ad Hoc
• Sub Poena
• Ad Hominem
• Pro Forma
• Magister Militum
• Iambic Pentameter
• Troy
• Sisyphus
• Achilles' Heel
• Iliad
• Veni, Vidi, Vici - I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
• Ur
• Plotinus
• Christianity
• Phaethon
• Jesus
• Renaissance
• Byzantine
• Lupercale
• Darius

12/03/07 - Summary of Book XVI of the Odyssey
Information on the sixteenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. .

12/01/07 - Glossary
In revising the first three letters of the glossary, the following items have been added: Bhagavad-Gita, Cithaeron, Anat, Achaea, An, Amaterasu, and Altars.

11/30/2007 - Seleucids
The Seleucids were successors of Alexander the Great in the eastern part of his empire until 64 B.C.

11/29/07 - Topics in Ancient Greece
This page pulls together some of the pages on this site on popular topics on the history of ancient Greece.

11/29/07 - Plays of Aristophanes
A brief description of the surviving plays by Aristophanes.

11/28/07 - How Did Hercules Die?
An explanation of the death by poison garb of the great Greek hero Hercules and a relevant passage from the ancient mythographers.

11/28/07 - Nippur
Glossary entry on Nippur.

11/28/07 - Alluvium
Glossary entry on Alluvium and Alluvial Plains.

11/28/07 - Summary of Book XV of the Odyssey
Information on the fifteenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

11/23/07 - Supine Quick Tip
The supine is a verbal noun found in these two constructions.

11/20/07 - Praetorian Guard
This is one of those items that the longer I put off writing anything the more inadequate I felt, but I wrote this very short explanation, anyway. The Praetorian Guard is most noticeable in Roman history of the Imperial Period.

11/19/07 - Principate
The Imperial Period is sometimes divided into two periods, the first of which is the Principate. The later one is the Dominate. This is a short glossary entry.

11/21/07 - Summary of Book XIV of the Odyssey
Information on the fourteenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

11/15/07 - Bas-Relief
Glossary entry on this type of sculpture.

11/14/07 - Summary of Book XIII of the Odyssey
Information on the thirteenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

11/10/07 - Ancient Historian of the Fall of Rome
Edward Gibbon is associated with the concept of the Fall of Rome because of his monumental work on Roman history called The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, but was he the first?

11/10/07 - Eusebius
Glossary entry on the ecclesiastical historian and biographer of Constantine, Eusebius of Caesarea.

11/09/07 - Kalends
Definition of the portion of the Roman calendar known as the Kalends.

11/09/07 - Age of Pericles
In Age of Pericles, the Greeks produced great literature, philosophy, drama, and art.

11/06/07 - Greater Syria
Greater Syria held a vital position as a land bridge between three continents and connecting the major bodies of water. It was the hub of a trade network involving the ancient areas of Syria, Anatolia (Turkey), Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Aegean.

11/06/07 - Summary of Book XII of the Odyssey
Information on the twelfth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters. Also a quiz.

11/04/07 - Who's Who in Greek Legend
Major heroes and characters from the Trojan War, with illustrations and links to references on this site. An update.

11/04/07 - Archimedes
Glossary entry on Archimedes, a Greek mathematician from Sicily who helped make a military stand against the Romans. An update.

10/31/07 - Sozomen
Glossary entry and sources used by the ecclesiastical historian Sozomen.

10/31/07 - Socrates
Glossary entry and sources used by the ecclesiastical historian Socrates.

10/31/07 - Theodoret
Glossary entry and sources used by the ecclesiastical historian Theodoret.

10/31/07 - Orosius
Glossary entry and sources used by the ecclesiastical historian Orosius.

10/30/07 - Historia Augusta
An explanation of what the Augustan History is and the emperors covered.

10/30/07 - Summary of Book XI of the Odyssey
Information on the eleventh book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

10/29/07 - Historians of Ancient Roman History
To be conscientious about writing about ancient history, you should try to look at the ancient written sources. Here are names and dates, by periods covered, for the ancient historians.

10/27/07 - The Fall of Rome
Another revision, rather than a new article; this time not so much a major as a crucial revision. Previously I had carelessly written that Odoacer deposed the emperor Romulus Augustulus in Rome. By 476 A.D., the Roman emperors were not actually in Rome. The emperor was in Ravenna. I also added another book on the end of the empire that came out, like the other two, in 2005. (Makes you wonder what happened to us that year.) At any rate, Alessandro Barbero's book wasn't published in English until 2007.

10/26/07 - Review of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World
Donald G. Kyle shows that sports are part of social, civil, and religious life. Although we may not know whether sport emerged from ritual or hunting and warfare, or started on its own, sport and the competitive/aggressive spirit has always been with us. If you've ever wondered about the sports analogies of life and the ancient tradition behind and popularity of the Superbowl, World Cup, or Wimbledon, you should read this book.

10/23/07 - Summary of Book X of the Odyssey
Information on the tenth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

10/22/07 - Zeus at Dodona
J.B. Bury (A History of Greece, p. 49) says that during the Dorian conquest of Greece, the formerly venerated sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona became "a lonely outpost" because the area lapsed "into comparative barbarism." The sanctuary was the oldest Greek oracle.

10/19/07 - Topics in Greek History
These are major topics you should know about ancient historical Greece.

10/18/07 - Peace of Nicias
A quick look at the Peloponnesian War's Peace of Nicias.

10/18/07 - Deucalion and Pyrrha
A founding and flood myth of the ancient Greeks.

10/16/07 - Summary of Book IX of the Odyssey
Information on the ninth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

10/12/07 - Peloponnesian War Timeline
A revised article on the events of the Peloponnesian War.

10/11/07 - Peloponnesian League
The Peloponnesian League was started in the 6th century by Sparta at a time when it was not at odds with Athens.

10/10/07 - Summary of Book VIII of the Odyssey
Information on the eighth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

10/07/07 - Mary Renault's Theseus
Bingley looks at two classics by Mary Renault that cover the story of Theseus, The Bull From the Sea (1962) and The King Must Die (1958). He writes: "Ms. Renault's story follows Plutarch's biography of Theseus, supplemented by early 20th century archaeological discoveries and anthropological speculations. Few scholars nowadays would accept the idea of a cultural, political, and military struggle between invading Indo European Hellenes who worship a sky god and indigenous pre-Indo Europeans who worship the earth mother in a matriarchal society where the Queen's consort is killed each year as the dying and rising god of vegetation, let alone the idea of the Kentaurs (Centaurs) as Neanderthals. Nevertheless, The King Must Die and to a lesser extent The Bull From the Sea remain utterly compelling as recreations of a legendary age."

10/06/07 - Review of The Day of the Barbarians
For those non-specialists who want a clear look at the background and probable events at the Battle of Adrianople or the barbarization of the Roman Empire, or for those whose favorite period of Roman history is the Late Empire, The Day of the Barbarians: The Battle That Led to the Fall of the Roman Empire, by Alessandro Barbero, should be on the short reading list.

10/03/07 - Summary of Book VII of the Odyssey
Information on the seventh book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

09/28/07 - Social War
The Social War was a civil war between the Romans and their Italian allies. Like the American Civil War, it was very costly in terms of lives and economics.

09/25/07 - Ancient Historians
One of Greece's contributions to the world was the development of the genre of history. History emerged from other styles of non-fiction writing, particularly travel writing. There were also ancient biographers and chroniclers. Here are some of the major ancient writers on topics related to ancient history.

09/25/07 - Summary of Book VI of the Odyssey
Information on the sixth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

09/24/07 - Proto-Indo-European
Explanation of what is meant by Proto-Indo-European.

09/24/07 - Age at Accession
An update. This is a list of the Roman emperors highlighting the age at which they assumed power.

09/22/07 - Sulla
Sulla was a Roman political and military leader involved in the Roman revolution.

09/21/07 - Boeotia
Glossary entry on the region of ancient Greece called Boeotia.

09/18/07 - Summary of Book V of the Odyssey
Information on the fifth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

09/17/07 - Foods of the Ancient World
We have some idea of what people ate in the ancient world based on literature describing routine meals or out of the ordinary feasts, including works praising types of wine and honey. Archaeological evidence occasionally creates new insights into ancient consumption patterns. There are remains of artifacts that enhance our knowledge of dining and food preparation. We also have a good idea of what foods were imported to Europe from the New World at a date much later than Classical Antiquity.

09/13/07 - Ancient Rome Glossary Additions
Tria Nomina, Agnomen, and Suffect Consuls

09/12/07 - Cimbric War
The Cimbric War was eventually won by the Romans but not before they suffered a serious defeat at the hand of the northern tribesmen.

09/011/07 - Summary of Book IV of the Odyssey
Information on the fourth book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

09/09/07 - Jugurthine War Quiz
Answer these questions after you have read the Jugurthine War profile.

09/08/07 - Jugurthine War
The Jugurthine War was one of the occasions in which Roman citizens were massacred in a foreign town and Roman soldiers were forced to go under the yoke. Ultimately, the Romans won the war, but not through skilled battle formations.

09/07/07 - 8 Roman Military Leaders You Should Know
This is a revised, rather than a new article. Half of these military leaders, Horatius, Brutus, Camillus, and Cincinnatus, come from the early years of the Republic when patriotic legends were forged. The other four come from the late Republic and the Empire, periods that are far better documented.

09/05/07 - Summary of Book III of the Odyssey
Information on the third book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

09/04/07 - Major Topics in the History of Ancient Greece
To get an overview of Greek history, you should know something about each of these topics.

09/04/07 - Achilles
A profile of Achilles, the fastest of the Greek heroes, about whom the Iliad was written.

09/01/07 - More Latin Words in English
A list of words in English that come directly from Latin or from Latin via the Romance languages.

08/30/07 - Roman Expansion in the Mediterranean
After gaining control of Italy, Rome expanded her empire into the Mediterranean. At first, Rome came into conflict with other states when she came to the defense of her allies.

08/29/07 - Spanish Wars
Basic information on the Spanish Wars.

08/28/07 - Spanish Wars Chronology
Rome waged wars to win the territory of Spain and add it to its empire between the years 153 and 133 B.C. This is a chronology of the events.

08/27/07 - Manumission Tax
The Lex Manlia created a new tax on freed slaves.

08/27/07 - Licinian Rogations
A quick look at the Roman Licinian Rogations of 367 B.C.

08/25/07 - Summary of Book II of the Odyssey
Information on the second book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

08/23/07 - Seleucid War
A quick overview of the fighting between Rome and Syria between the second and third Macedonian Wars.

08/20/07 - Macedonian Wars
A quick overview of the four Macedonian Wars.

08/19/07 - Review of Adrian Goldsworthy's Roman Warfare
Adrian Goldsworthy's Roman Warfare is an excellent introduction to how the Romans used their soldiers to become a world power.

08/17/07 - How Do You Say "Fearless and Determined in Latin?
A forum poster asks how to translate a motto into Latin. Find out what additional information is required before the English can be translated into Latin.

08/13/07 - Review Classical Mythology and More A Reader Workbook
As its title suggests, Classical Mythology and More - A Reader Workbook is both a workbook and reader of the myths of ancient Greece and Rome. The workbook requires outside research and reasoning, and also supplies bits of lore and, occasionally, simple recipes. The reader is suitable for middle school students, but with some oversight, since it doesn't gloss over awkward or sexual topics.

08/11/07 - Summary of Book I of the Odyssey
Information on the first book of the Odyssey, a summary, notes, and identification of major characters.

08/11/07 - Roman Treaties
During Rome's period of expansion, from the fall of the monarchy in 510 B.C. until the mid-third century, she gradually spread her dominion over all of the Italic peninsula making treaties with all she conquered. Rome's treaty arrangements were varied. Sometimes, even within a single conquered city-state there were multiple arrangements.

08/08/07 - Expansion of Roman Power
At first, Rome was just one small city-state in the area of Latin-speaking people known as Latium, on the west side of Italy, or, more accurately, the Italic peninsula. From about 510, when the Romans threw out their last king, until the middle of the third century B.C., Rome was making and breaking strategic treaties with neighboring groups in order to help it fight wars of conquest. In the end, Rome emerged as the undisputed leader of Italy. Here is a quick look at the events leading to Rome's domination over the peninsula.

08/07/07 - Cannibalism in Greek Mythology
Medea is considered a horrible mother because she killed her children, but at least she didn't kill them in secret and then serve them to Jason at a "reconciliation" feast, as Atreus did. The cursed House of Atreus actually contains two instances of cannibalism. One story from Ovid's Metamorphoses that is singularly and uncharacteristically nasty involves rape, disfigurement, and imprisonment, with cannibalism as revenge. Here are stories of cannibalism from Greek mythology.

08/06/07 - The Iliad on the Greek Hero Bellerophon
Sisyphus, the ancient Greek who was punished eternally in the Underworld by having to push a rock up a hill, had a grandson named Bellerophon who was too handsome for his own good. Whether his father was Poseidon or King Glaucus of Corinth was not known.

08/03/07 - Tarentum and the Pyrrhic War
Tarentum was a wealthy commercial center with a navy, but an inadequate army. When a Roman squadron of ships arrived at the coast of Tarentum, the Tarentines sank the ships, killed the admiral, and added insult to injury by spurning Roman ambassadors. To retaliate, the Romans marched on Tarentum, which hired soldiers from King Pyrrhus of Epirus (in modern Albania) to help defend it.

08/03/07 - Early Republican Wars
The Romans formed treaties with neighboring villages and city-states to allow them to join forces either defensively or aggressively.

08/01/07 - About the Samnite Wars
The Samnite Wars helped establish Rome as the supreme power in Italy. There were 3 of them from 343 - 290 and an intervening Latin War.

07/31/07 - Review of To Be a Roman
To Be a Roman, by Margaret A. Brucia and Gregory N. Daugherty, is designed for young students, especially those beginning Latin, so that they will have the background for what they will soon be translating. It's better than that, though, since it provides a thorough overview of those aspects of Roman daily life that anyone would be interested in.

07/30/07 - Brutus
Lucius Junius Brutus (6th C. B.C.), the nephew of the last Roman king, Tarquinius Superbus, led the revolt against the king and proclaimed the Roman Republic in 509 B.C., according to the legends.

07/30/07 - Roman Republican Battle of Lake Regillus
At the beginning of the 5th century B.C., shortly after the expulsion of the Roman kings, the Romans claim to have won a battle at Lake Regillus that Livy describes in Book II of his history.

07/30/07 - Ancient Rome and Italian Geography
Italy is bounded by the Alps and the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and Tyrrhenian seas. A peninsula, Italy has a long coastline.

07/29/07 - Overview of the Roman Family
The Roman family was a larger unit than our modern nuclear family. It included generations of relatives living together and the household slaves all under the dominance of a patriarch. This patriarch or pater familias had the power of life and death over those under his control.

07/27/07 - Roman Family and the Exposure of Infants
One aspect of Roman society that tends to horrify modern people, an aspect that isn't limited to the Romans, but was practiced by many others, excluding the Hebrews and Etruscans, is the practice of abandoning their infants.

07/25/07 - Plato on the Story of Atlantis
Was Atlantis real? We'll probably never be able to prove such a rich and powerful land that suddenly went belly up in the Atlantic Ocean never existed. The story of Atlantis is usually referred to as a parable and as such is not intended to be taken literally, but there is nothing in the story that proves it's made up. Even serious geologists can't entirely debunk it.

07/25/07 - The Kings List for the Neo_babylonian Dynasty
Information on the kings of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty.

07/20/07 - Overview of the Commentaries on Caesar's Gallic Wars
Julius Caesar wrote commentaries on the wars he fought in Gaul between 58 and 52 B.C., in seven books, one for each year.

07/20/07 - Some Greek and Latin Bases and Word Derivations
The following chart shows common word bases and sample words built from them. All the words here are formed from two bases on this list.

07/19/07 - Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix was a Gallic tribal leader

07/19/07 - Arverni
The Arverni were a Gallic tribe whom Caesar encountered during his Gallic campaigns of the 50s B.C.

07/17/07 - Summary of How Caesar Won When the Gauls Revolted in Caesar's Gallic Wars
One of Gaul's most colorful historical figures is Vercingetorix, who acted as war chief for all the Gallic tribes who were trying to throw off the Roman yoke during the Gallic Wars. Vercingetorix and Caesar are the main figures in Book VII of De Bello Gallico, Caesar's narrative about his wars in Gaul, although the Roman allies, the Aedui, also play a large role.

07/15/07 - Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
The Egyptian gods and goddesses were mostly anthropomorphic == human shaped == deities who behaved like humans and walked among mortals. Gods were not worshiped in the same way throughout Egypt or throughout time. Particular locations and pharaohs favored one set of gods over another. Here is a summary list of some of the major gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt and their primary functions.

07/13/07 - Aristotle on the Terminology for Tragedy
Index of terms used by Aristotle to describe and define ancient Greek tragedy.

07/14/07 - About the Office of the Consuls
Following the expulsion of the kings of Rome, the Romans invented a new leadership position that was a limited term of absolute power.

07/13/07 - Review of A Pocket Guide to Writing in History
A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, by Mary Lynn Rampolla, is a great modern companion to Strunk and White's 1918 gem, Elements of Style, for all students who have to write papers. It is particularly useful, as the title implies, for students of history.

07/12/07 - Confusing Pairs of Greek and Latin Words
The following are some confusing pairs or triplets of Greek and Latin roots that are used to make English words, especially in the scientific fields.

07/06/07 - Pharaoh Thutmose III and the Battle of Megiddo
The Battle of Megiddo is the first battle that was recorded in detail and for posterity, since Pharaoh Thutmose III's military scribe inscribed it in hieroglyphs at Thutmose's temple at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor).

07/04/07 - Problems Dating Hatshepsut's Reign
We don't know the dates of the reigns of most of the Egyptian pharaohs. During the New Kingdom, which the 18th Dynasty began by expelling the foreign rulers known as Hyksos, dating was better than it had been in earlier periods of Egyptian history, but problems remained.

07/04/07 - Review Roman Woodworking
Roman Woodworking is an amply black & white-illustrated reference work for those students and scholars interested in ancient trees and wood crafts. It should share shelf space with books on ancient ships and architecture and would be an especially handy companion for Vergil and Pliny. It includes chapters on the identity of the Roman woodworkers, his tools, wooden joints, foundations, framing and walls, flooring, roofing and ceilings, interior woodwork, wheels, furniture and veneers, classification of trees, Italian forests, a 67-page glossary, and an appendix on the tools.

07/01/07 - Geography of Greece
Greece, a country in southeastern Europe whose peninsula extends from the Balkans into the Mediterranean Sea, is mountainous, with many gulfs and bays. Some areas of Greece are filled with forests. Much of Greece is stony and suitable only for pasturage, but other areas are suitable for growing wheat, barley, citrus, dates, and olives.

06/30/07 - About the Power Structure of Early Rome
The basic unit of ancient Rome was the family headed by a father who had life and death power over his dependents. This arrangement was repeated in the overarching political structures, where it was moderated by the voice of the people.

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