Beeware

So, we had another couple over tonight and in the chit-chat about gardening the subject of beekeeping came up. Why do I bother telling you this? Because one member of this couple is another Latin teacher and he told us that we need to watch out for rhododendrons. Why? Well, apparently, when bees make honey from rhododendrons it is poisonous. And how does he know this?

Because that was a guerrilla tactic used against the Romans. ;)

Cotidianus Ostendus cum Joanne Cellario

That's the Daily Show with John Stewart (in case you were curious). So, believe it or not, I am telling you to go watch television. Tonight's guest on the Daily Show will be the historian Robert O'Connell who (aside from having the Irish version of my own last name) has recently published a book on Hannibal's campaign in Italy. I've mentioned this book before since he popped up on NPR a few weeks back, but I can't wait to see Stewart discuss Roman history. Yea. I'm a geek.

What do you think?

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about Comic Con. The interviewee stated that the likes of Batman, Superman, Capt. America, Et-Menera are the "Herculeses and King Arthurs"of modern America. I am curious what y'all think about this statement. Espetially interested if you were in 7th grade at Kestrel and had to do Mr. Wong's comic book project.

Agamemnon in Abergavenny

A Facebook album of a production of Agamemnon at the castle grounds in Abergavenny, Wales. Friend of mine took the pictures and I think the stage/costumes are really well done for a Greek-style play. Don't worry, there's no image of the scene with Clytemnestra and the labrys...

Oh no! I posted this onto the Facebook wall, but forgot to crosspost it here. Ah well, here is the promised link to the York Archeological Trust's website on the skeletons. Do you remember? Yea, last week of classes, I understand.

They found these skeletons and there's some dispute about what happened... Gladiators? Executed? Military? The Trust is soliciting opinions from the public and providing as much information as they can. It's up to you.

Elephants in the underground

So, I listen to the radio a lot during the summer and there were two interesting reports on WUNC today.

First was on NPR's Talk of the Nation, about a new book on Hannibal and the war with Rome. The author has a good turn of phrase ("the problem with panzer pachyderms") and he made some really elegant points about why this is relevant to us today. He pointed out that because Rome all but abandoned the survivors of the first clash with Hannibal, the Roman legions became more and more distrustful of the Republic in favor of their own generals. Find a charismatic general like Caesar and... Say hello to my little empire.

Second, was on PRI/BBC's the World and covered the Catacombs of Paris... Yea, ok, it's not strictly about the Roman aspects... But, still, it's a really cool report.

Happy birthday...

... to Julius Caesar. From the Writer's Almanac: "...born in Rome around 100 B.C. He came from an aristocratic family that traced its lineage back to the goddess Venus, but by the time he was born, his parents weren't rich or even distinguished. And so it was rather ambitious of him to try to become a Roman politician, at a time when it was almost a requirement for all politicians to come from powerful families.

In the last years of his life, Caesar was appointed absolute dictator of Rome. He had ambitious plans to redistribute wealth and land, and he began planning public works and an invasion of Germany. But a group of senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, wanted to bring back the old republic. So they organized an assassination on the steps of the Senate. Caesar died from over 20 stab wounds.

Julius Caesar said, "Which death is preferably to every other? The unexpected.""

52, 000 Roman coins

How would you like to be the guy who found this stash?

The time-lapse video gives you an impression of how freaking much there was to be found, but also the tedium of an archeological excavation.

Rome is falling! Again!

A NYT article on how Rome is abusing its monuments... Timely, since we in NC have started to lose some of our own through neglect. And yet, there's an exhibit on at the NC History Museum about a black artisan named Thomas Day. This man worked for the great and the good before the Civil War AND made a good living at it AND was respected in the community--enough that they bought his shop when he went bankrupt--but they only have gotten around to restoring his shop and collecting some of his work now.

Um, excuse me waiter... There's music in my Plato.

I heard this NPR report from a few days ago while catching up on my podcasts, and I must confess that I am both impressed and suspicious. I am not a fan of finding hidden messages in ancient texts but this one seems on the up and up. Plato did have to hide things--even from his own students and followers--and was often on the run from the Athenian authorities for his teachings. It is not that far fetched to posit that he deliberately placed coded musical scales in his work.

Now, if they manage to pull off something similar with my boy Aristotle, I'll be impressed. ;)

Gladiatrix

They, and by 'they' I mean a bunch of people up to their armpits in Hereford mud, have found a very interesting grave. Check it out.