#classical history

[skiffst]

i love when academics are like this

from the translator's introduction in my copy of antigone... she's his blorbo.... <3

[burningvelvet]

A Roman doll with moveable joints and accessories was found in the sarcophagus of Crepereia Tryphaena, an unmarried 20-year-old woman. The sarcophagus is dated to the late 100s (2nd c. AD) making the ivory “Crepereia Doll” nearly two thousand years old.

[firnen-the-teragram-teabag]

[mearegent]

“Name one hero who was happy”

- The song of Achillies, Madeline Millar

[bantarleton]

Trimontium Roman Fort

A departure from the Early Modern period to do a thread about the Roman fort of Trimontium in what is now the Scottish borders. I visited the museum at the weekend, and it was great! 1/14

Trimontium, now called Newstead, was first built about around 80 AD, during the Roman General Agricola’s invasion of Caledonia. It stood for over a century in an area known as Trimontium – between three hills.

The land had been occupied by native tribes since at least the Iron Age, with multiple settlements existing on the slopes surrounding the fort.

It served as a military base in Caledonia, and seems to have primarily been a cavalry depot for long periods – there are lots of horse remains, as well as these helmets and ceremonial faceplates belonging to Roman cavalrymen.

The XX Legion spent time there (as did the VIII, earlier on), as evidenced by the remains of this plaque.

A Roman soldier’s service record!

The fort’s strategic function shifted over time –it was a bulwark existing beyond Hadrian’s Wall, then after the construction of the Antonine Wall further north it became more of a logistical hub, then resumed being a frontier fort after the Antonine Wall’s abandonment.

Small settlements sprung up around the fort’s walls, and it is likely there were regular peaceful contact with the surrounding tribes. However there is also evidence of conflict. Roman forts came under sustained attack across several periods, and it looks as though when the fort was finally abandoned, it was done so in a hurry.

As per soldiers from the Ancient World to modern-day Iraq and Afghanistan, when the troops move out they leave a lot behind – lucky for the archaeologists and historians.

I am amused by how miserable Roman soldiers must have been after getting assigned to northern Britain. The ends of the earth indeed! I also do scoff at the whole “I think about Rome every day” meme, but I can see the allure, and I find it extremely interesting comparing and contrasting what I know about 18th c. militaries with the Roman Army. There were definitely a fair few things that I think the Romans were better at, especially when it comes to organisation, logistics and efficiencies!

[darkmagyk]

Hannibal is problematic this, Hannibal is problematic that.

Has it ever occured to you that Rome started it.

[copperbadge]

As many as 30 semi-precious stones have been discovered by archaeologists almost 2,000 years after their owners lost them at a site in modern-day Carlisle, just behind Hadrian’s Wall.

The stones had dropped out of their ring settings, their glue probably weakened in the steamy baths. They were simply flushed into the drains when the pools and saunas were cleaned.

[opera-ghosts]

A performance of Gounod Opera „Faust“ at The Metropolitan Opera 1893.

[inc0rrectmyths]

Hephaestion: Just tell me what happened.

Alexander: Okay but you have to promise you won't get mad.

Hephaestion: I promise.

Alexander: Ok so I was minding my own business-

Hephaestion: Bullshit!

Alexander: I was!

[the-merry-otter]

In the same vein as Medieval Playlist That You Shouldn’t Play To Your Historian Friends, I now bring you the fresh, new, funky, and still somewhat under construction, ��This playlist may either appeal to or horrify your local classics major”

[uwmspeccoll]

The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius

The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Not only did the volcano destroy the economically powerful city of Pompeii, but Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae were also buried and thus lost to the Roman Empire. The number of victims is unknown, but given the size of the four cities, estimates have reached over 18,000 individuals.  

Today only one first-hand account of this horrific event survives in two letters from Pliny the Younger to the Roman historian Tacitus. They are preserved as letters 6.16 and 6.20 in the collected Epistles of Pliny. Among our holdings of the works of Pliny is this 3-volume set of the Epistles with William Melmoth’s 18th-century translation edited by Clifford Herschel Moore, and printed by the Harvard University Press in an edition of 405 copies for members of The Bibliophile Society, Boston, in 1925.

While the term ‘volcanic eruption’ evokes scenes of lava and fire, the reality is much more frightening. Curiously, there is no word for volcano in the Latin language. While ancient Romans were aware of the destructive power of volcanoes, there’s some debate about whether they were aware that Vesuvius was a volcano before its eruption. Signs of the eruption began back in 62CE with a great earthquake that caused much of the city to collapse. Smaller earthquakes continued over the next 15 years until one was accompanied by the rise of a column of smoke from Mt. Vesuvius in October 79 CE. 

The hot gases that made up the column of smoke began to cool, darkening the sky, and not long after a rain of pumice began to fall, and after 15 hours ceilings began to collapse. Nevertheless, many residents chose to take shelter rather than flee. At 4am the first 500C pyroclastic surge barred down the volcano, burying Herculaneum. Six more of these surges occurred before the end of the eruption, destroying Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae. 

The 17-year old Pliny was in the port town of Misenum across the Bay of Naples from the volcano at the time. Pliny’s uncle, Pliny the Elder, commander of the Roman fleet at Misenum, launched a rescue mission and went himself to the rescue of a personal friend. The elder Pliny did not survive the attempt. In Pliny the Younger’s first letter to Tacitus, he relates what he could discover from witnesses of his uncle's experiences. In a second letter, he details his own observations after the departure of his uncle.

Mt. Vesuvius is still active and according to volcanologists, erupts about every 2000 years, which would be right about now. Who will be our next Pliny the Younger?

Our copy of The Epistles of Pliny is another gift from our friend and benefactor Jerry Buff.

View more of my Classics posts.

– LauraJean, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Intern

[teachingforthesoul]

A magical Sunday at The Cloisters

[firnen-the-teragram-teabag]

Juno/Hera @ the Trojans

[geekysteven]

Them: you'll get more conservative as you get older

Me:

[Image description illustration of Cato the Elder addressing the Roman Senate. Text with a gradient matching the trans flag reads "Furthermore, trans kids must be protected"]

[bantarleton]

Legion XXI “Rapax.”

[classical-hunger-games]

The Classical Hunger Games

Submit your ancient blorbos here

Info

I'll do this once the Ides of March competition finishes as well as one of the other two I'm running

All tributes and matches will be randomized

Run by the same person as @hellsite-hungergames, @musical-hunger-games, @the-ides-of-march, and @gender-envy-tournament because I decide to run polls instead of doing anything useful

Inspired by blogs such as @greekmythssexywoman @trialsinthelateromanrepublic (SURE ITS NOT A TOURNAMENT BLOG BUT I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING IT FOR LIKE A MONTH NOW AND I LOVE IT) @thecompetitionshowdowntournamentcompetiton and @theultimatefunnymanshowdown