Among the Roman gods, Bona Dea, “The Good Goddess”, was associated with fertility and chastity of married Roman women. There was a winter festival held in her honor each December that was attended only by women as men were strictly forbidden. In 62 BCE the festival was held in the home of the Pontifex Maximus, … Continue reading Above Suspicion
Roman History
Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus is probably best known as one third of the First Triumvirate, the other two thirds being Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (or Pompey as he is usually known to English speakers). But before that Marcus Licinius Crassus was famous for being the richest man in Rome in the first century … Continue reading Crassus
Freedom!
Howard Fast’s novel Spartacus is told in a non-linear fashion. It begins after the Servile War has concluded and three Romans are traveling along the Via Appia which is dotted with the signa poenae or “tokens of punishment” as the Romans slyly refer to the “six thousand, four hundred and seventy-two corpses hanging from crucifixes”, the … Continue reading Freedom!
Now That’s REAL Class Warfare!
View fullsize The Starz series Spartacus is available on Netflix. Now that the complete series is available, I've started watching Spartacus on Netflix.I was initially a bit turned off by the depiction of extreme violence on the battlefield and in the gladiatorial arena, but I soon became engrossed in the story-telling and the intertwining plot-lines … Continue reading Now That’s REAL Class Warfare!