coltrane68

For me, Caesar was neither a hero, nor villain (yep, that's sitting on the fence!). I think that he was a great man, in the sense of possessing intelligence, charm, strategic ability, and sense of authority, and that in any political system, great men will rise to the top. But such men are a function of their times, not specifically of some innate character trait. The latter argument is perhaps the one that Shakespeare paints, and is one that tends to be formulated from commentators living in a society where an hereditary monarchy holds political sway - the need is there to generate history as the work of great men, rather than results of many complex social, economic and political forces. Caesar used all his abilities to the full to rise to the top, but he did nothing that previous significant Romans had also done - the seeds of the destruction of the Republic for me, lie not in any one man's hands, but in the system itself. Systems have a momentum once they start moving, and rather than men seek to adapt those systems, they tend to bend their will to make the most of the situation. Caesar gambled many times, and did so with the knowledge that the system would strengthen his position. Ultimately, the dynamics of the triumvirate (both before and after it's official formation) would become a mutually reinforcing cycle. Roman society and economy in the Late Republic was militarily expansionist, the political system reflected and supported this process. To achieve political success, military success was a necessity. Did Caesar simply play the game, and play it very well, or was he uniquely evil in his approach to conquering subject nations? That is the heart of the question. I don't see it is possible to suggest that Caesar is uniquely evil, and to that end, I don't think therefore that a picture of him as a villain makes much sense. However it is also the case that there is little in the way of heroic qualities that can be attributed to Caesar either. He was essentially just another politician on the grubby path to power, that naturally meant men who succeeded did so in a manner which was perceived as glorious (for Rome), but in all conquering hero's stories, there are always many casualties. Caesar is complex because he is such a rounded character - the polymath referred to - and that makes him very interesting, indeed his story stands out above all others from any era of Roman history - he's a great story to tell. But he is not a hero. Cheers Richard

I don't have the first map yet, but fully intend to get a copy as soon as funds permit as it looks just great! As I am currently in a phase of being interested in the Republic, I guess my vote would go for the Republic option (though I'd be interested to hear how those who have voted for it see it as a map being different to the current map - as the current map does have limits of expansion marked for a couple of points in the later Republic era). I think the idea of a 3D map of Rome is the absolute bees-knees though. I would expect this would be a real winner with lots of people - I love the Andre Caron model of Rome website, but every time I look at it, I want to start trying to Photoshop bits together to get a full scale 3D image - I realise there is the Google Earth layer, but ultimately, I don't feel that works so well, it is essentially clagged on top of existing (current) aerial imagery, and looks just a bit, well, fake - a properly rendered full scale 3D image of the city (at any point really) would be so much better. I can see this is a massive piece of work, and on that basis, I would perhaps say maybe it should be looked at as the next map after this one we are debating? If someone could suggest a bit more detail around what the Republic idea might be like, I will make a decision and place a vote! Cheers Richard

Melvadius - thank you for your welcome and reply to my query. As it happens, I had looked first at the OU as I have just completed an OU PostGrad Diploma (in Environmmental Management for work, this would be for personal interest only), but as you say, the course modules currently don't cover much really related solely to Rome, and have a big chunk of Greek content which I am not really that interested in. But, it was seeing this initially that set me thinking whether there was anything else I could look for. In reply to the query of what I am interested in area wise, I guess it is just to build on where I am at currently in my unstructured personal reading - as I did Politics as my first degree many years ago, I am interested in the Political Economy of Rome, esp around the time of the late Republic. I suppose ideally what I would love would be some sort of taught course that requires me to study in a focussed way, in order to write essay answers / sit exams - but as I say, as it is only for personal interest, does not need to be to too high a level. I am surprised that there are not more courses around as I would have felt this was an area many people are interested in - there seem to be plenty of books / films / TV progs about Rome floating around. To be honest, the more I look round this web site and forum, the more I think there is plenty to be getting my teeth into here! That said, I have never before thought about Archaeology nut you have raised a little lightbulb in my head - after all, I am near a major Roman site, and as far as I am aware there are active digs going on currently (Vindolanda?). How much training / expertise does one need to have to participate in a dig? Is it possible to just turn up as a volunteer? Thanks for your help Richard

Hi Everyone Just introducing myself. My name is Richard, and I live in the North-East of the UK, not far from Hadrian's Wall. I have been looking for a while for somewhere on the web to chat with like-minded people about the Romans, so was really pleased to stumble over this site. I have been fascinated by the Romans for such a long time, probably dating back to doing O-Level Latin (that dates me!), but in more recent times, my interest was re-kindled anew through reading Rubicon, and then picking up on the McCullough Masters of Rome series, which I am working my way through (currently due to start Caesar Book V). I have done some reading around the topic as well, reading people like Goldsworthy, and have a nice long Amazon WishList of books of interest. Guess whenever you join an established community, it takes a bit of time to find your feet, so I might not be posting straightaway, but hope to be contributing soon, and look forward to discussing things with you. My main interest period wise is the Late Republic, from Gracchi to Augustus, but only really as that is where I have started on. I am of course interested in the Romans in Britain with such a great historical site on my doorstep in Hadrian's Wall, and I am also interested in some of the more technical mechanics of Roman Armies (but not re-enactment side). As an aside, I would love to take my interest a step further, and do some sort of study. I have been hunting around for a while with little success. Do any of you out there know of any good distance learning courses (at any academic level right up to PostGrad) that cover the sort of stuff I mention above I am interested in? Cheers Richard