Nephele

Not that this is a "fault" or anything, but the manus standard being held by the Signifer in the painting puts me in mind of the Lindsey Davis novel I'm currently reading, The Iron Hand of Mars, in which Didius Falco has been commissioned by Emperor Vespasian to deliver a new standard

Here you go, Crispina: http://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/publications.htm -- Nephele

I recently finished Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis

I've always loved the opening song from Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The depicted scenes just seem more like "real" ancient Rome, to me. -- Nephele

"Curse your disapproving stares! I KNEW this skirt made me look fat!"

Birthday hails to you, lady! May you have the gladdest of gladiatrix days! -- Nephele

A "Publius Messienus" appears to have been recorded in history as a friend of Cicero -- being a member of the Equestrian rank. Other than that, I couldn't find any examples of this nomen gentilicium in my copy of Broughton's Magistrates. That "-enus" ending looks as though your man's family may have come from Picenum or Umbria. For a similar-sounding nomen, there was a Gaius Messius (not of patrician rank) who served in a few magisterial positions in the '50s BCE. But I think Messienus works just fine, too. As to the chosen cognomen of your character

After seeing the first few episodes online, I wasn't too impressed either, and I didn't really go out of my way to watch the rest until my non-Romanophile friends raved about it and wanted to know more about the historical background. I'm glad I watched the rest -- it was really fun. That said, I can't wait for Crassus to show up! Yep, the series definitely got better as it progressed. For me, it started getting good when Batiatus was introduced, and got even better as we saw more and more of Batiatus. I liked Ilithyia too, because she was just such a loose cannon of a crazy bitch. You never knew what the hell she was going to do next. -- Nephele

Theodora, wife of Justinian? Possibly Antonina, wife of Belisarius? Ah, I'd forgotten Theodora! Many thanks for jogging the old memory. She was another one I'd encountered in fiction many years ago, in the novel Theodora by Jack Oleck (1971). -- Nephele

Wow! That's wild. I'm in New York, and I hadn't heard this! I found a vid on YouTube about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjWg36BXxH8 Thanks for the info, Klingan! -- Nephele

I'd like to thank UNRV for their gracious review. It looks like JGolomb was also kind enough to post a review at Amazon - thanks, sir! Those really help get the book in front of more Amazon customers. And I really appreciate the feedback as well. It's not Roman-themed, but I have a new "historical horror" novel that just came out on July 1 that you might find interesting as well. The Last Days of Jericho is set in the Bronze Age and reimagines certain Old Testament episodes as an apocalyptic monster horror tale. This is a great site, and I'm happy to have found out about it! Welcome to UNRV, Thomas Brookside! We have a number of author members here, so you'll find yourself in good company! -- Nephele

Well, she was said to have "rosy fingers." Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared...

I think that's a good point to consider. There's currently a religious scholar in the news named Gunnar Samuelsson who's even saying that he's been unable to find absolute evidence that Jesus had been crucified. Considering all the inventive ways that people might devise for torturing others with stakes and crosses, I wouldn't be surprised if using nails were only one of several options. Gunnar Samuelsson is from Sweden

This has nothing to do with the Romans (or any other ancient civilization) being less intelligent than us. As explained in this issue of American Scientist:

Then you've definitely missed the best. Especially those episodes directed by Michael Hurst. They had devilish plot twists that defied guessing how the episode would end. -- Nephele

I really need to give this show another chance as it seems to be getting fairly rave reviews from all quarters. (The problem is that I really just want Crassus to kick his ass) I do just about all my online DVD shopping with DVD Planet, which often has better prices than Amazon. PP, how much of the series did you see already? I think it gets better as it progresses. It certainly gets more shocking. (And I thought I was already pretty shock-proof.) The characters are very interesting, which probably is what makes the series. -- Nephele

A new English translation of Macrobius' Saturnalia (Books 1-2) is due to be published this fall: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674996496

I think you'd be a better choice as reviewer, Maty. You can certainly give a better opinion on the quality of the translation, than I can! -- Nephele

Some really great news for us Spartacus: Blood & Sand fans! 'Spartacus' star Andy Whitfield finishes cancer treatment -- Nephele

Ah, that makes sense, and explains a lot. Although I wonder how much of the victim might be left for a proper burial after the lions had their share of him. Did they allow the lions to finish their meal, I wonder? Thanks for the info, Maty! -- Nephele

I haven't yet read any of Melvadius' links to this story, but my own local newspaper's reporting suggests that these weren't condemned criminals: "All of the skeletons were buried with pottery, animals or other offerings, suggesting they were respected people, not criminals." The reporter is quoting Michael Wysocki, a lecturer in forensic anthropology and archaeology. Wysocki also explained the beheadings as having been "an act of mercy" for those gladiators who surrered horrific injuries during their fights. Medusa, I always find your comments on gladiators and gladiatrixes interesting. What kind of mercy killings, to your knowledge, did the Romans practice on their mortally wounded fighters? -- Nephele

well-endowed nanophiliac could

Birthday hails to you, GoC! -- Nephele

"They are now going ahead with a six-part prequel, which will focus on the characters played by Lucy Lawless and John Hannah." Yay! -- Nephele