#Roman Emperor Diocletian

[blueiscoool]

A 294 A.D 10-Aurei Gold Medallion of Roman Emperor Diocletian

A unique gold 10-aurei medallion of Roman emperor Diocletian sold for $2.3 million in Classical Numismatic Group’s Jan. 10 and 11 auction.

The medallion measures 38 millimeters across and weighs 53.65 grams, or about the same diameter as an American Eagle silver bullion coin, but nearly twice as heavy.

According to CNG, “This magnificent medallion of Diocletian ranks among the largest denomination Roman Imperial gold medallions in existence and is a masterpiece of late classical portraiture. A gold multiple of this size and artistry, termed a denio in numismatic circles, represented vast wealth at the time of issue and must have been created for a special occasion.”

Gaius Valerius Diocletianus instituted many reforms, including in 294 the implementation of a new system of coinage. The year 294 also marked the 10th anniversary (decennalia) of Diocletian’s reign and the enlargement of the ruling class.

As part of the coinage change, to accommodate the flood of new coinage, new mints opened, including one at Aquileia, where this medallion was struck.

It is graded Choice About Uncirculated by Numismatic Guaranty Co., which assigned it a 5/5 for strike and surface.

“Here, then, is the historical context for the striking of this impressive denio, no doubt intended as a handout to a military officer of high rank,”.

At least four other 10-aurei medallions of Diocletian alone are recorded, all in museum collections. This includes two other examples of the same type and similar weight, but struck at the Alexandria mint.

This was the only denio offered at public auction since 1922, according to the firm.

Diocletian (242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed "Jovius", was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia. Diocles rose through the ranks of the military early in his career, eventually becoming a cavalry commander for the army of Emperor Carus. After the deaths of Carus and his son Numerian on a campaign in Persia, Diocles was proclaimed emperor by the troops, taking the name Diocletianus. The title was also claimed by Carus's surviving son, Carinus, but Diocletian defeated him in the Battle of the Margus.

Weakened by illness, Diocletian left the imperial office on 1 May 305, becoming the first Roman emperor to abdicate the position voluntarily. He lived out his retirement in his palace on the Dalmatian coast, tending to his vegetable gardens. His palace eventually became the core of the modern-day city of Split in Croatia.

[illustratus]

Diocletian's Palace by Ernest Hébrard

[sherdnerd]

diocletian might not have been shit but i’ll bet any money those cabbages were epic

Oh hell yeah. Now if only he'd committed to being an awesome cabbage farmer instead of being a BAD emperor

[thesynaxarium]

Today we celebrate the Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse. Saint Lucy lived in Syracuse of Sicliy during the reign and persecution of Emperor Diocletian. She is one of the very few female saints who are mentioned in the canon of Saint Gregory the Great as well as Bede’s history. She was born to wealthy parents, her father a Roman and her mother a Greek. Lucy’s mother suffered from dysentery for four years and it was under the young girl’s suggestion that she and her mother pray to Saint Agatha who is considered a wonderworker. During the liturgy, the gospel of the woman with the issue of blood was read and this convinced Lucy’s mother to travel to Catania to pray at Saint Agatha’s tomb. While praying, Saint Agatha appeared to Lucy in a vision, foretelling her of her great glory in Syracuse, just as she was the glory of Catania. At this very moment, Lucy’s mother was healed. From this event, Lucy consecrated her virginity to God and distributed her inheritance to the poor. Having been approached by a pagan seeking her hand in marriage, she politely refused his proposal and he denounced her as a Christian to the prefect of the city and she was immediately arrested. The prefect condemned her to be defiled in a brothel, but she was miraculously preserved as they were not able to move her from the spot in which she was standing. The pagans then went to burn her in a pyre but the flames did not harm her. Finally, she was condemned to have a sword thrust at her throat, and thus she gave up her soul at 21 years of age. Saint Lucy’s name is derived from the Latin word for light, and thus she is called upon for healing any form of eye diseases. May she intercede for us always + #saint #lucy #lucia #saintlucy #stlucy #santalucia #light #martyr #virginmartyr #rome #roman #italy #sicily #syracuse #agatha #saintagatha #diocletian #emperor #romanemperor #bede #gregorythegreat #saints #orthodox #saintoftheday (at Syracuse, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmFGTLMvGI-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[viajeroseneltiempo]

(EN) A person from history 🎩 Diocletian (245-311) who was born 1777 years ago today. One of the most recognized emperors of the Roman Empire, who managed to recover it after one of his deepest crises. Diocletian was born as Diocles and came from a low-ranking family in the province of Dalmatia. In his youth he joined the army, and over the years he rose through the ranks to become one of the commanders of Emperor Caro's army. After his death in war with the Persians, Diocles was declared emperor by the troops. And though he had to fight for the title with one of Caro's sons, he ultimately established himself as ruler of the empire. Diocletian ended the crisis of the 3rd century by instituting political reforms, the most famous being the so-called Tetrarchy, where Diocletian appointed a co-emperor to rule the western part, while he ruled the eastern part. Likewise, two "junior" emperors were named to be designated as successors. Diocletian also organized the last and greatest persecution of Christians, which failed in the end. The emperor abdicated the throne in 305, and devoted himself to gardening until his death.

(ES) Un personaje historico  🎩 Diocleciano (245-311) que nació hoy hace 1777 años. Uno de los emperadores mas reconocidos del Imperio Romano, que logro recuperarlo tras una de sus más profundas crisis. Diocleciano nació con el nombre de Diocles y provenía de una familia de bajo rango de la provincia de Dalmacia. En su juventud se unió al ejército, y con el paso de los años subió de rango hasta convertirse en uno de los comandantes del ejercito del emperador Caro. Tras la muerte de este en guerra con los persas, Diocles fue declarado emperador por las tropas. Y aunque tuvo que luchar por el titulo con uno de los hijos de Caro, al final se estableció como gobernante del imperio. Diocleciano finalizo la crisis del siglo III instituyendo reformas políticas, siendo la mas famosa la llamada Tetrarquía, en donde Diocleciano nombro un co-emperador para gobernar la parte occidental, mientras el gobernaba la oriental. Así mismo se nombro dos emperadores “junior” que serian designados sucesores. Diocleciano organizo así mismo la ultima y más grande persecución de cristianos, la cual fracaso al final. El emperador abdicó el trono en el 305, y se dedico a la jardinería hasta su muerte.

[tenth-sentence]

The emperor Diocletian (reigned 284-305) exploited this turnaround with administrative, fiscal, and defensive reforms that adapted the empire to deal with the new world.

"Why the West Rules – For Now: The patterns of history and what they reveal about the future" - Ian Morris

[mrpicasso-face]

BUT YOU GUYS

I REALLY think we should take a minute to appreciate Emperor Diocletian. Sure, he didn't fight any major conquests or civil wars. But, especially in the west, you have to respect a well-running bureaucracy.

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch, 1592-1656) Saint Sebastian, ca.1623 Sebastian was a Roman centurion, who was discovered to be a Christian and was sentenced to death by Emperor Diocletian. He was bound to a stake and shot with arrows. He was left for dead, although the arrows had not killed him and he was eventually stoned to death. The story is taken from the 'Golden Legend'.

[anyarose011]

You're a Mean One, Miss Hunham {Angus Tully x Reader}

Summary: Four days into being stuck in an all boy's school for Christmas break, and you're on the brink of insanity. If it's not because of Angus Tully still trying to one up you in history lessons, then it's Teddy Kountze getting a hand on something personal of yours (prick).

Part 2 of ?? (Masterlist)

Warnings: Swearing, period typical sexism, mentions of pornography, blackmail, minor physical assault, and as always, Teddy Kountze.

You guys don't get to escape being an awkward af teenager just because it's fanfiction, so enjoy! Also, thank you all so much for the love already shown just from the first part alone!

Word Count: 5.0k

You always knew to put a pillow over your head when you heard your father get up from his bed.

“All right you fetid layabouts, it’s daylight in the swamp!” He smacked two metal basins against each other, waking the boys up if they weren’t already, groaning. “Arise!”

It was funny the first day, but by the fourth, it was unbearable. Still, a part of you was grateful for your father; you never had to get up early and run with the boys in the cold, Massachusetts air. Call it nepotism, call it sexism, you were just glad he didn’t want you to interact with them (physically, that is).

The second day you were there, he called you in during afternoon study hall (leaving you on a minor cliff hanger in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre; forget that it was your third time reading it, it pissed you off). Just like he had done months ago, Paul Hunham hosted a trivia game (whether that was to show you off, or get them to study, you had no idea).

What idea you did have, was beating every single one of them.

For Alex and Ye-Joon, they were babies in your eyes, so you would give them more time to think on their answers whenever they were up. Alex got close on one, but overall, they didn’t do so well.

Oh, the boys your age? Yeah, you didn’t show mercy, even towards Jason.

“When was the last king overthrown?” Your father questioned.

You smacked the desk before Jason could even process the question. “509 B.C.”

“What planets are named after Roman gods?”

“Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.” You recited it perfectly.

Teddy scrunched his eyes. “Jesus Christ.”

Your father pursed his lips. “That was the easiest one I have, Mr. Kountze.”

Angus Tully…Angus. Fucking. Tully.

“What emperor temporarily restored peace to Rome and the cost of-?”

Angus hit the desk before your father could finish the question. “-Diocletian.”

“At its peak,” your father eyed you. “how large was the Roman Empi-?”

“2.3 million square miles.” You answered, keeping your eyes trained on Tully.

“Nero had five spouses in total, what was the name of the slave boy he-?”

“-Castrated and married,” you finished for him. “Sporus.”

Back and forth you both went like that, rapid fire at first, and your own levels of exhaustion were catching up to you. After perhaps five minutes of this (maybe ten, twenty, who gives a shit, you were tired), it was one damning question that would haunt you.

“True or false, the Pantheon was built before the Coliseum.”

“True.” You said, slapping the desk with the confidence of a mediocre man.

There was silence in the room, and your father sighed. “False.”

It wasn’t a big deal, it shouldn’t have been a big deal; to literally everyone else but you, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But it was.

Oh, it was.

It was the second time you lost to Angus Tully overall, the first time from an easy question. Still, while Kountze’s grin made you want to rip out his teeth, it was Tully’s outstretched hand that caused you to snap out of it.

“Good job.”

Two of the most hurtful words in academia, whether it meant for it to be or not. Still, swallowing your pride, you shook his hand, and left the room gracefully.

Then started crying as you walked down the darkened hallway.

It wasn’t like you were weeping, you were just frustrated. Thankfully, by the time your friend Elise came to pick you up, you were fine and had a fun day simply walking around town with her.

You bought cigarettes and chocolate at the drug store, then spent the rest of the day at her house, laying on the floor and listening to records in her room while answering her prodding questions.

“Who’s the cutest one?”

“None, they’re men.”

“Okay,” she rolled her eyes, smiling. “I know that, but if you had to choose.”

“Like, ‘if we were the last man and woman on earth’ I had to choose?”

“Sure.”

“A very tall bridge.”

She laughed, shoving you playfully. “I’m serious!”

“So am I.”

“Really.”

Sighing heavily, you thought for a moment, before smiling. “He’s a football player.”

“What?!” She sat herself up. “You and a football player?!”

“Shut up!” You laughed with her, sitting up.

Elise shook her head. “What about the one you went head-to-head with in trivia today?”

“Ew,” was your immediate reaction. “he’s maybe your type, but not mine.”

“So, you don’t want a smart one?” She questioned. “And that’s mean of you.”

“I’m mean to everyone.” You laid back down on the floor. “And yes, of course I want someone who’s smart, but not smarter than me.”

She mirrored you, laying down and leaning her head against yours. “So, he’s out for the count?”

“One hundred percent.”

“If you say so.” Elise reached up onto her nightstand and handed you a letter. “Also, my aunt left something back at the faculty housing and said she found this in you and your dad’s mailbox.”

You looked at your name in the center of it, and then at the stamp: a toy train.

It took everything within you not to sit up in shock. All you did was smile, say thank you, and slip it into your coat pocket.

You gave Tully his chocolates and cigarettes and didn’t have a problem. It was the fourth day when your father had given them just another ounce of freedom outside of the school, allowing them to walk around the wooded area of campus. You still had your books, but you were also feeling lonesome (the only time you really interacted with any of them was during mealtimes, except for Teddy…fuck Teddy), and you had talked about almost every single thing you wanted to talk about with Mary (God bless that women for letting you read to her too).

So, on December 20th, you laced up your boots (not too tightly), pulled on your mittens, and zipped up your jacket to go on a miniature adventure with the five boys.

“I’m gonna teach you how to play football.” Jason teased you as the six of you walked two by two (you and him at the front).

Shaking your head, you smiled more so at the thought of what you’d look like than his obvious flirting (was he even flirting or just being nice? Decades pass, and you still aren’t sure). “Please no.”

“Come on, it’s easy.”

“Roman history is easy.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not; you’re just smart.”

“It’s easy to me. Football is easy to you, see what I’m getting at?”

Jason shrugged. “Suit yourself, Teddy?”

“Say no more.” He responded, brushing past you and running up ahead as Jason threw the football to him and he caught it.

That left you by yourself for just a moment before seeing Angus walk beside you. You turned your head over your shoulder to see Ye-Joon and Alex lagging behind as they talked.

“Boys,” you called them. “try and keep up!”

They responded with a chorus of ‘Yeah’s and ‘Sorry’s.

“So what, you’re like their mother now?” The second most irritating voice belonging to a boy asked.

You looked over at Angus, hands in his pockets as he gazed down at you. “You’re not exactly the nurturing type.”

“You don’t know that.”

Humming, you stepped over a log in the middle of the path. “So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Jason’s here because of his hair, Alex and Ye-Joon’s family are in other continents, I don’t care nor want to know about Teddy, why are you here?”

He didn’t respond right away, before then saying. “I was supposed to go to St. Kitt’s with my mom and stepfather, but then they decided to say it was their honeymoon and ditch me.”

Your gaze turned to him and saw him pick up a stick, dragging it behind him to make a line in the snow. Even just from his profile, you could see the anger withing his eyes; bubbling more violently than a volcano about to erupt.

“That’s despicable.” You stated plainly.

“That’s one way to put it.” He scoffed.

You didn’t know exactly how to follow up such a personal conversation, but you wanted to make him feel better (at this point during the break, only because it was the decent thing to do), so you just said.

“You beat me fair and square both times.”

Angus looked at you. “Did I? At your dad’s bullshit trivia?”

“You did. Well actually, it was just me versus five of you, and I do believe the more I talk to Kountze, the more braincells I lose, so-.”

“-Don’t sell yourself short.”

You gave him a quizzical look. “I know, I was just telling you why I lost to you both times.”

He shrugged. “The first time you had to go against fifteen of us.”

“I’m sorry,” you chuckled, genuinely not believing it. “are you suddenly saying that you think I’m smart?”

“I never said you weren’t.” He gave you a look.

“Last time, you looked me in the eye and said you knew more than me.”

That’s what silenced him, and when he nor you said anything after that, you simply walked ahead of him. Hell yeah, you had the last word and made him feel like an asshole (you honestly didn’t know that was possible).

The six of you all caught up with one another, and you spoke with the freshmen boys more about meaningless things (but perhaps that’s what made it so meaningful). Angus, still carrying the stick like he was a child, and it was his favorite toy, said to Jason after talking about if there was anything else to do in Barton.

“What about your car? We could take it, go somewhere, Boston maybe?”

“Nah, we’d get in so much trouble.” He shook his head, nudging you. “Little miss perfect here would snitch on us.”

You rolled your eyes at the nickname. “I would not. Besides, it’d be easier to say you all kidnapped me, and everyone would believe me.”

“Face it,” Jason passed the football back to Teddy. “we’re stuck.”

 “If we just had some way to get out of here.” Angus kicked a patch of snow. “Just split.”

Jason pointed towards the quad. “Well, you could put a chopper down right in the quad.”

“A what?” Angus furrowed his brow.

“Helicopter, dumbass.” Teddy mocked. “His old man’s the CEO of Pratt and Whitney.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, he’s go his own bird. He takes it from Stamford to the city every morning. Lands right in our back yard. Pilot’s name is Wild Bill.”

“Wild Bill?” Ye-Joon asked, amused.

“Yeah, flew to Haystack with it. Took the presents and everything. Minus me.”

“Flying with presents,” Alex spoke up. “like Santa Claus.”

That was perhaps the first time you smiled out of geniuses that day.

“Yeah. Just like Santa Claus.”

Jason whistled, and Teddy immediately dashed ahead of him and caught the ball once Jason threw it. The two drifted off playing catch, leaving you and Angus with the freshmen. Alex spoke just as whimsically as he did about Santa.

“If I was back home right now back in Provo, it would be really warm inside, and my mom would be making baked apples, and the whole house would smell like cinnamon and brown sugar.”

Ye-Joon smiled. “That sounds really nice.”

You nodded. “During finals week, I helped Mary and the other cooks bake cookies for you guys. I still think that’s one of my favorite smells of all time.”

“You helped out with that?” Angus asked.

Dropping your smile, you said. “Yeah, and if I knew which one you’d have taken I would’ve spat in it.”

Before he could even come up with a response, Teddy ran up to Alex and yanked the glove off his right hand. “Hey!”

“That’s what you get for ratting me out, you little Mormon!” He laughed before throwing it into the river.

You marched up to him immediately. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Like, what the actual fuck?”

Teddy only stuck his tongue out like a child before running back to catch up with Jason. A part of you (somehow) foolishly believed he would’ve berated Teddy for the obviously asshole act; but he didn’t.

Rolling your eyes, you went down to the river with Alex, hopefully trying to find the glove and be able to fish it out. Though, to no avail, you couldn’t find it.

“It’s gone!” He yelled back up to Angus and Ye-Joon. “My glove’s gone!”

“Twisted fucker orphaned that glove on purpose!” Angus responded. “Left you with one so the loss would sting that much more.”

Alex looked down at his hands before tugging off the other glove and throwing it into the river as well. You glared at Teddy as he had a fun time, still laughing and throwing the ball with Jason. Sighing, you looked back down at Alex and pulled off your mittens, handing them to him.

“Here.”

He glanced up at you before staring back out at the water, rubbing his nose. “I don’t need them.”

“Your fingers are frailer than mine.” You continued even when he gave you a look. “That’s not an insult, that’s a fact. It’s alright, I have pockets.”

Alex, after a moment of debating, took them from you and slipped them on, smiling. “Thanks.”

The six of you were on your way back to school when you felt someone slip their hand into your coat pocket.

“Now what do we have here?”

You turned on your heel, seeing Teddy’s face light up as he waved the letter in his hand. Your face dropped, along with your voice.

“No!”

Immediately, you began to chase him around the small, snowy clearing as if you were a dog and he was a car.

“Theodore fucking Kountze, give that back!” You commanded.

He ripped open the envelope. “Or what, Hunham? You’re gonna tell your dad on me?”

“Just give her the letter, idiot.” Angus rolled his eyes.

Of course, Kountze ignored him, taking the letter out, and money falling from the paper. That’s when he stopped in his tracks and so did you. For the first time since…a while, you were frozen, and you had no idea why.

The rest of the boys caught up to you two, and Teddy picked up the money that fell from the letter; a twenty, a ten, and a five-dollar bill. After the initial shock wore off, he read the letter aloud to everyone.  

“‘My dearest girl, how are you? It’s been a while, and I just want to know what you’ve been up to. Merry Christmas, here’s my gift to you. From, Daniel. P.S. Please send another picture of you if you could.’”

Shame crept in like a shaking animal from the cold, and you couldn’t even look at any of them. Still, that didn’t stop Teddy from taunting you; hell, it probably spurred him on.

“The hell kind of business are you running if you got a someone paying you thirty-five bucks?” He laughed, looking back at the guys. “You think she’s in a skin mag or something?”

“Hey, man, shut up.” Jason rebuked.

“No, I’m serious. They take pictures without showing the face sometimes.” He looked at you now. “Which one is it? Penthouse? Modern Man?”

“Leave it, Kountze.” You hissed, not looking at him.

Teddy laughed. “Don’t tell me it’s Playboy; you?”

 “Are you fucking deaf?” Angus asked. “She told you to cut it out.”

“Piss off Tully, you probably saw her tits this morning in study hall.”

You whipped your head around and couldn’t control the face you made; to this day, you still have no idea if it was pure rage, a form of betrayal, or both at once. Still, you watched as how Angus avoided your gaze like he’d done something wrong; he did, but still. Teddy opened his disgusting mouth to speak again.

“Shit, if I were to line up every girl in Barton, you would’ve been the very last one I-.”

“-I’ll let you take the picture.”

All eyes were back on you, and you looked right at Teddy’s; once confident and sly, now widened with surprise. Who knew it would take just six words for him to shut up?

“What?” Was all he responded.

You swallowed thickly, clutching your hands into fists to keep yourself calm (and to not cry). “I’ll let you take the picture of me, but we have to be alone, and you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone else; especially my father.”

This was not what you had envisioned or wanted to happen on your first outing with them away from the adults in your life. You prayed to whatever god above, Christian, Roman, Greek, Buddhist, it didn’t matter, you prayed that Teddy would grow a brain and take the deal.

“Alright.” Was all he said, shrugging with an excited smile on his face that made your skin crawl.

You nodded. “I’ll take my letter and money now.”

He tilted his head, walking closer to you. “Please.”

Taking a deep breath, you said. “Please.”

Teddy’s grin only deepened, then handed you your things. “You know, Hunham, maybe you’re not a total prude after-.”

Your fist met his eye, and the both of you stumbled backwards; him clutching his face, you your hand. Needless to say, you were both cursing. Still, you managed to gather your bearings and push him over.

“Fucking bastard.” You spat before trying to make a run for it.

Teddy grabbed your left foot, causing you to fall into the snow, your teeth sinking into your lip once you hit your chin on impact of the ground. You struggled, then managed to quickly wiggle out of your boot before getting back up and running like a girl (anyone would run like a girl if they were being chased by a man like Teddy Kountze).

You honestly have no idea how he didn’t catch up to you at the time, but you were on the steps of the main building when you turned back. There they were, just five, not-so-little specks that stood out across the valley of pure white snow. It was only when you slowed down did you notice how cold your left foot was. Your sock was dripping wet from the snow, and you then pulled off your other boot, leaving it on the stairs before entering the school.

Taking a deep breath once you closed the door, you wiped your mouth; specks of blood colored your hand, but thankfully, not that much. Sighing, you walked through the halls of the school, trying to make your way back to the infirmary and hoping that your father wasn’t there.

You ran into Mary instead (a fate worse than death).

“Where are your shoes?” Was the first thing she asked once she saw you in the main hall (you got lost; hey, you’d only been there a few times in the past, don’t be too hard on yourself).

You shrugged, smiling. “We were playing a game.”

“What kind of game?”

“Hide and seek tag.” you leaned against the wall, hands in your coat pockets. “First one to get to the school wins, I hid my shoes under a bush, so they thought I was there, and I made a run for it.”

“You take a fall then? Your mouth’s bleeding.”

“You’re telling me you’ve never slipped on ice?” You managed to joke.

She arched her brow, placing her hands on her hips. “Do you know how long I’ve known you?”

It actually took you a few moments to think back on it; it felt like you’ve known her longer, but no. “Since I was nine?”

“And do you think, in the last eight years, I haven’t been able to tell if you’re a bad liar or not?”

“…Well, am I?”

“Did one of those boys put their hands on you?” She asked the question you both knew was coming. “Was it that shitass Kountze?”

Even with it being a serious question, you laughed (both from surprise and discomfort). “Well like, you should see the hands I put on him. Mary, we were just playing, it’s fine.”

The main door opened before she could say anything else, and you saw the same five boys walk in; Ye-Joon holding your boots. You smiled, approaching them as if nothing was wrong, and you took your shoes. “Thank you.”

He nodded, quickly looking away.

“You all should be ashamed of yourselves.” Mary spoke up behind you, and your heart dropped for a moment as well as all of their faces. “I get that you were playing a game, but you don’t need to be so competitive.”

They turned to one another, obviously confused about the whole thing (you were as well). Still, she continued. “Yeah, little miss Hunahm told me everything. Hide and seek, tag, I don’t care what it was, you all need to be just careful with each other. Poor girl over here took a fall, and I see you did too, mister Kountze.”

At his name, Teddy turned away. Angus spoke up. “We’ll be careful next time, miss Lamb.”

“Please, we’re on vacation; just Mary.” She looked at you. “You’re gonna help me with dinner later, right?”

“I will.”

“Good, stay out of trouble.”

“No promises.”

With that, Mary left through one of the doors leading to the teacher’s lounge. The moment she did, Teddy hissed at you.

“What the hell was that?!”

Rolling your eyes you said. “Didn’t you hear? We were playing a stupid game.”

“You mean you punched me in the face.”

“You blackmailed me into doing something I wouldn’t have wanted to do; we can keep going.”

“It’s not my fault you’re a-.”

“-A what?”

He stopped to your surprise, then changed his tone. “I just don’t think your father would be proud of the choices you’ve made.”

On one hand, damn, those words cut deep enough to almost make you bleed; but on the other hand…

“Are you gonna tell him?” You asked, trying not to sound like you gave a shit.

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “I mean, unless you’re gonna say sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” You laughed. “Beating the shit out of you? You started it. Besides, who’s he going to believe?”

Silence was what you were met with. Even at the sight of his face, you only continued to grin. “Teddy, come on, you start ‘not fights’, we all know. It’s not a hard question, I thought you were smarter than this?”

He sighed. “You.”

“Exactly; you’re my bitch, Kountze.” You walked backwards, a little skip in your step. “Don’t you forget that.”

Turning away, you retreated to the infirmary, grabbing your books and escaping to the library in hopes of not having to see any of them for the rest of the day.

Men…so exhausting.

You managed to disappear into the world of The Yellow Wallpaper (not necessarily lighthearted reading, but it was still interesting) and a chapter of The Two Towers before Mary called you down to help with dinner.

After another strange but not so subtle comment from her (“You know you can be honest with me, right? I am with you.”), it was quiet between the both of you. That’s what you always loved with cooking and baking; the quietness, even if you were with one other person. You both just worked in tandem and it was almost frightening how you would both know to move out of the way of each other without saying a word.

Dinner was uneventful; somehow, your father hadn’t noticed the slight bruising on your lip, or Teddy’s eye (the color would probably start to show as days went on, but that was a future problem for you). Not one of the boys your age talked to you; even then, the freshmen kept to themselves a lot too.

So, it was quite a surprise to you, as there was “supervised leisure time” in the library, when Jason Smith sat across from you at the table.

“Hey.” He said softly.

You looked up from Jane Eyre. “Hello.”

“So…” He almost looked nervous (initially about what, you will never know). “you really gave Teddy shit today.”

Tilting your head to the side, you went. “Yeah? Well…he kind of threatened me.”

“No of course. Just…wow.” He chuckled. “You really held him off.”

Nodding, you honestly had no idea what to think. Was he complementing you? In shock? All you were doing was staying silent at this awkward exchange when he asked. “You okay?”

“Huh?”

“Just that, I can’t really read you right now. Did I say something weird?”

“No.” You shook your head, then said. “Well, yes. Sorry, I just…” You tried again. “Thank you, I think? But um…do you want me to be honest?”

“Sure.”

“I’m kind of…no, I am mad none of you stepped in. Maybe not mad but…I don’t know.”

“Well,” he began. “we told him to stop.”

“So did I, but he didn’t.” You wanted to say, but you only knew saying something true would make it worse (this is why you couldn’t be outnumbered by men; it’d make you scared). Instead, you settled on.

“I know, and thanks, but it still would’ve been nice for some help.”

He shrugged. “You seemed to have it handled.”

Six words you thought (and prayed) you’d never hear again; and he said them with a nonchalant shrug. As if, by now, he was already bored and annoyed with a conversation he had started. Perhaps you were reading too much into that last part, perhaps he didn’t mean to come off as callous; but he was still oblivious at the end of the day.

“Look,” he interrupted your overflowing mind when he saw how much it was affecting you. “if it helps, he tried to run after you when you punched him, but Tully and I held him back.”

You took a deep breath as his words sunk in. Then, you chuckled bitterly. “How nice of you to not let him beat me to a pulp.”

He shook his head. “Come on, don’t be like that.”

“Angry? Pissed off?”

“Irritational.”

Your jaw actually dropped. “What?”

He said your name, shaking his head and lowering his voice as if you both hadn’t been quiet already. “Look, Kountze is a dick, we know that. But come on, he said some horrible stuff, and you punched him. That doesn’t really add up.”

“…He threatened me.”

“You basically invited him to take a picture of you alone. I mean, yeah it was to bate him, but still.”

No further questions, you picked up your book and your jacket. Without another word and ignoring how he tried to call you back with a soft tone of voice as he said your name, you walked out of the library without another thought.

Your father asked you about it of course, but all you said was that Jason spoiled a book you were looking forward to reading. He believed you and wished you goodnight, leaving you to lie in your bed and be stuck in your thoughts until snoring reached your ears.

You waited a few more minutes before you stood up, gathering your blanket to wrap around you. As you walked down the hall, the nagging thought of ‘Do I even feel safe in there?’ invaded your mind when you only realized that you were going to be in a room with both Jason and Teddy. You were outside of the hall for longer than you would imagine, when you heard quiet voices on the other side of the wall.

“…I had an accident.”

“Yeah, you did. Shh, stop crying. If they hear you, they’ll crucify you. Which would be ironic, since you’re Buddhist.”

You had to cover your mouth from the unexpected line. How…strange it was to hear Angus Tully be this comforting. You heard the smaller voice again and heard that it was Ye-Joon.

“I know it’s an excellent school, and my brothers went here. But I miss my family, and I have no friends.” His voice broke at the end, and so did a piece of your heart.

Then, Angus with his words of wisdom, said. “Yeah, well, friends are overrated. I’ll help you hide the sheets in the morning, all right? In the meantime, find a dry spot, and try to get some sleep.”

“Thank you.”

You gave it a few moments, still reeling over the gentleness of it all, before entering into the light of the infirmary room. You knocked lightly on the door frame not to frighten anyone.

Angus turned over his shoulder, and somehow didn’t jump when he saw you.

“Hi.” You greeted.

“Hey.” He responded, trying to act like his common, moody self.

You wanted to acknowledge what you heard; tease him (but not in an unkind way) about him being nice, ask him why, in the dead of night, was he like this and not in the daytime? Still, all you could manage was the basic.

“Is everything alright?”

He nodded. “Yeah, just nightmares, you know.”

“No,” you shook your head, deciding to lighten and grace the room with your sarcasm. “I’ve never had one in my life.”

Angus seemed to catch on, and it surprised you greatly to see him actually smile. “Nobody likes a bragger.”

“So that’s why you don’t have any friends.”

…Too much; too much sarcasm.

Both of your smiles fell, and you wanted nothing more than to shrivel up like a leaf and die in front of him, then have someone sweep out the crumbs of your body and then them on fire in the snow before burying the ashes.

You still can’t believe you came up with that metaphor quicker before you could say. “I’m just gonna…”

He nodded. “Yep.”

“Goodnight.”

“’Night.”

You scurried into the other room and under the covers of the bed. The fear of Teddy and Jason no longer was the thing keeping you up at night in that room; it was the worst possible thing you could’ve said to Angus Tully of all people.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[ancientegyptdaily]

ANCIENT EGYPT BY TRAIN (2023) — 1.01 Alexandria

POMPEY'S PILLAR (عمود السواري) is the name given to a Roman triumphal column in Alexandria, Egypt. Set up in honour of the Roman emperor Diocletian between AD 298–302. The giant Corinthian column originally supported a colossal porphyry statue of the emperor in armour. It stands at the eastern side of the temenos [enclosure] of the Serapeum of Alexandria, beside the ruins of the temple of Serapis itself. It is the only ancient monument still standing in Alexandria in its original location today. [source]

[kyliaquilor]

I mean, Diocletian’s actions were in response to very specific situations and previous failures in the Crisis of the Third Century, and Constantine’s later tax policies and in general, later conscription policies are just as important in creating medieval serfdom (by driving people out of the cities, onto the estates of landowners who had the clout to protect them from tax collectors and conscription people in exchange for labor).

And while we can talk about Diocletian’s actions being in the dying days of the Empire, the Western Empire still had over a century and a half of life after he stepped down, so I’m not sure we can just say it was sheer incompetence or that, on a certain level, it didn’t actually do the job it was intended to do.

Because, arguably, it kind of did.

How did people become serfs? Like, birth was probably the answer for some, but were other people made serfs after being born in a different social class? And how did it get started, anyway?

Given that the legal default in medieval society was that you were born into the legal status of your (usually male) parent and could not change it, most serfs post the first generation were born serfs.

But as I was suggesting in my post about the Normans, you could be made into a serf through a change to the underlying land tenure that defined your legal status. So for example, you could start out a free churl (wasn't initially a pejorative, but there is something insidious about the way that words for working people get transformed into insults), and then 1066 rolls around.

All of the sudden some collaborator translator is explaining to you what some French-speaking foreign priest is saying about how the new king's new legal system doesn't recognize "churl" as a valid status, please tick the box for either "knight" or "serf," and if you complain there's this French-speaking illiterate violent maniac on horseback backing him up - and the maniac thinks he owns the land your father's bones are buried in and you and your family come with the land, and he'll kill you if you disagree or if he gets bored.

As to how it got started...arguably it all goes back to Diocletian. As a reforming Roman Emperor in the Crisis of the Third Century, Diocletian was having trouble getting his hands on enough hard cash to pay the troops who guarded the borders (who were increasingly led by men with titles that would be later translated as Duke, Count, and Baron, which is a bad sign), so he started paying them in-kind and extracting taxes from the coloni (tenant farmers) in-kind. In order to ensure that revenue from the coloni remained consistent, Diocletian issued an edict that it was illegal for the child of a coloni to hold any other occupation than coloni, and that it was illegal for coloni to leave the land upon which they farmed.

Pretty soon, once the Emperor goes away and there's only the Duke, the Count, and the Baron running the show, the local warlord just cuts out the middle-man and takes the in-kind taxes directly, calls them rent, and asserts that they own the land (or at least the right to rents and taxes from the land) while menacingly sharpening a sword. And hey presto, you've got serfdom!

[blueiscoool]

Archaeologists Discovered Large Roman Baths Under Museum in Croatia

The pool, mosaic floors and underfloor heating once formed part of Emperor Diocletian’s palace.

Archaeologists working to install a lift and restore the ground floor of Split City Museum got more than they bargained for when they unearthed sizable Roman baths underneath the building’s reception. The museum in Croatia’s second largest city was founded in 1946 and is held inside the Dominik Papalić palace—the former home of the affluent Papalić family who settled in Split during the 14th century.

The baths are in a well-preserved condition and include a pool, mosaic floors, ancient underfloor heating, an oil and grape press, and a furnace. Communal bathing was common across the Roman Empire, and baths acted as a space for relaxation and socializing.

The Split baths are believed to have been part of Diocletian’s Palace, built in the city at the end of the 3rd century for the Roman emperor’s retirement. The large fortress once spanned half of Split’s Old Town, and parts of the palace’s remains are listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The discovery of these Roman baths confute historians’ previous understandings about the layout of the ancient complex.

he repairs were planned as part of the “Palace of Life, City of Change” project, which is described as an “integrated program of development of the visitor infrastructure of the Old City Core with Diocletian’s palace.”

Split lies on the Adriatic Sea coast and was founded in the 3rd century B.C.E. as a Greek colony (then known as Aspálathos). Split’s landscape is made up of myriad architectural styles spanning hundreds of years, from classical ruins to Venetian Gothic structures. The director of the Split City Museum Vesna Bulić Baketić, spoke about the city’s rich architectural composition, “the fact that all of these layers of earlier buildings that once made up the city are visible inside the Split City Museum provides this museum with additional value that is exceptionally rare.”

The museum plans to open up part of the newly discovered baths to the public, once the structural integrity of the building has been ensured. The ground floor will also be restructured to celebrate the new discovery. “Showing our visitors the ‘living past’ that speaks to us through the original layers of centuries long gone adds insurmountable value and legacy to future generations,” Baketić said. “It is up to us to carry this out in the best and most professional way.”

By Verity Babbs.

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint George

Died: 303

Feast Day: April 23

Patronage: England, crusaders, soldiers

Saint George was a Roman soldier of Greek Christian origin. He was a Praetorian guard for Diocletian who valued his service. When the Emperor ordered the soldiers to sacrifice to the gods, St. George refused, even after Diocletian offered him land, money, and slaves. George was then tortured and decapitated. He is one of the 14 Holy Helpers and a prominent military patron often depicted fighting a dragon used to represent the devil. Today he’s known and revered by both Christians and Muslims.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[useless-catalanfacts]

Today (September 24th), the city of Barcelona celebrates its festa major (Catalan holiday for the local patron saint), dedicated to the Virgin of Mercy (Mare de Déu de la Mercè, in Catalan).

Usually, on this holiday of La Mercè, or at least on the days around it, it rains. The legend says that it's not rain, but the tears of Saint Eulàlia —old patron saint of Barcelona—, who cries because the city forgot her.

In this post I'll explain who was Eulàlia (according to the legend) and what happened that made her lose the position as the city's main patron saint.

1. Saint Eulàlia of Barcelona, martyr

Saint Eulàlia is believed to have lived in the 4th century AD, when the Roman emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians. Eulàlia lived in Sarrià (village near Barcelona, nowadays a neighbourhood of Barcelona). She was only 13 years old, but she knew she was a good speaker so she went to see Dacian —the Roman governor in Barcino (modern-day Barcelona)— to try to convince him to stop the persecution of Christians in his territory.

The Roman governor accused her of going against the emperor's orders and sentenced her to suffer as many tortures as her age: they beat her on the streets, teared her skin off with hooks, marked her body with burning irons, forced her to stand on her feet on top of a burning grill, cut off her breasts, scratched the inside of her tights with rocks, threw boiling oil in her injuries, poured melted lead on her, locked her naked in a prison cell full of fleas, and tried to burn her; but during her whole tortures she had been praying, and by the time they tried to burn her, the flames moved away from her and attacked her torturers instead.

The most famous one out of the tortures was when she was put inside a barrel full of broken glass, knives and nails, and she was thrown down a hill 13 times to roll on them.

In the end, she was crucified naked on a cross shaped like an X to make her die in an dishonourable way. Then, a miracle happened. Some say that her hair grew quickly to cover her breasts and sex; others say that a snow storm suddenly appeared and covered her in snow. The thirteenth torture killed her, but the passerbies saw how her soul turned into a white dove that came out of her mouth and ascended into heaven.

Two scenes from a Medieval altarpiece that explained Saint Eulàlia's story, by Bernat Martorell. Nowadays it's in Museu Episcopal de Vic (Vic, Catalonia).

She became a local hero, was canonized as a saint and declared patron saint of Barcelona.

Centuries later, during the Islamic invasion in the Middle Ages, her body was unburied and hidden to make sure the Muslim armies wouldn't profane it. From then on, the location of her body was lost until the year 877, when Bishop Frodoí found her hidden tomb under the church Santa Maria de les Arenes (nowadays Santa Maria del Mar). Her remains were moved to the Cathedral of Barcelona, where they remained until the Cathedral was sacked during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Saint Eulàlia's tomb in the crypt of Barcelona's Cathedral.

2. Our Lady of Mercy

Our Lady of Mercy is one of the aspects of under which the Virgin Mary is worshipped. She became popular in Catalonia in the 13th century, after a night of August 1218, when she appeared in the dreams of the king James I and two religious men who would later be canonized as saints (Pere Nolasc and Ramon de Penyafort), ordering them to start a new Order destined to rescuing Christian prisoners who had been kidnapped by Saracens.

In the year 1687, a terrible locust plague attacked the city of Barcelona, as well as much of Catalonia. The desperate population of Barcelona asked the Virgin of Mercy for help. The City Council promised that they would nominate the Virgin of Mercy as the city's patron saint if She freed it from the locusts. Soon, the locust plague ended, and the City Council kept their promise, though the change didn't receive official permission from the Pope until 200 years later, in 1868.

3. Protest and change

Barcelona's population didn't forget that for so many centuries there was great devotion for Saint Eulàlia. A group of citizens showed up to the Church of Mercy and threw stones at the city's authorities, asking for Saint Eulàlia to be the patron again. After this event, the City Council decided that Eulàlia should be co-patron.

4. The holiday

Since then, and particularly since the 1900s, the day of the Virgin of Mercy became the most popular festa major (Catalan holiday celebrated with big parties and folk culture on the day of the local patron saint) for the whole city together. Though each neighbourhood (nowadays they're neighbourhoods of Barcelona, but most of them used to be towns that became attached to the city with the industrial expansion) keep their own festa major and Saint Eulàlia is also still celebrated in February, La Mercè is the biggest festa major in Barcelona.

Source: Carla Galisteo for Sàpiens.

[yaellaharpe-blog]

MOSAICO DE LA VILLA ROMANA DEL CASALE

(Español / English)

La Villa Romana del Casale, situada en la pintoresca localidad siciliana de Piazza Armerina, es un tesoro arqueológico que data del IV siglo d.C. Esta villa romana tardía fue incluida en la lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad por el UNESCO en 1997.

He aquí algunos detalles fascinantes sobre la historia de esta extraordinaria residencia:

Descubrimiento casual: En el siglo XVII, los campesinos que trabajaban en los campos del alto valle del río Gela, al pie del monte Mangone, notaron numerosas estructuras de pared que emergían del suelo. Estas revelaron entonces que pertenecieron a la grandiosa villa imperial del Casale. El entusiasmo por este hallazgo atrajo la atención de muchos eruditos locales.

Mosaicos excepcionales: La Villa Romana del Casale es famosa sobre todo por su extraordinaria colección de mosaicos, perfectamente conservados en el tiempo gracias a una capa de barro causada por una antigua inundación. Estos mosaicos decoran los pisos y representan escenas mitológicas, animales, juegos y actividades diarias. Son un verdadero espectáculo para los ojos y testimonian la riqueza y el gusto artístico de la época romana.

Estructura monumental: El chalet incluye Cubículos, Vestíbulos,Peristilos, Ambulacri, Triclini, Diaete, Acueductos, Latrine y Termas. La disposición en diferentes niveles recuerda el ejemplo de la villa del emperador Tiberio en Capri. La magnificencia de los mármoles, de las columnas y de los suelos de mosaico desafía incluso la morada de Diocleciano en Split.

La Villa Romana del Casale es un viaje al pasado, un lugar donde la historia y el arte se funden en una experiencia extraordinaria. Si alguna vez tienes la oportunidad de visitarla, te recomiendo admirar estos mosaicos únicos y sumergirte en la antigua grandeza de este lugar mágico.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MOSAIC OF THE ROMAN VILLA DEL CASALE

The Villa Romana del Casale, located in the picturesque Sicilian town of Piazza Armerina, is an archaeological treasure dating back to IV century AD. This late Roman villa has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

Here are some fascinating details about the history of this extraordinary residence:

Random discovery: In the XVII century, farmers working in the fields of the upper valley of the river Gela, at the foot of the mountain Mangone, noticed numerous wall structures emerging from the ground. They later revealed that they belonged to the grand imperial villa of the Casale. The enthusiasm for this discovery attracted the attention of many local scholars.

Exceptional mosaics: Villa Romana del Casale is famous for its extraordinary collection of mosaics, perfectly preserved over time thanks to a layer of mud caused by an ancient flood. These mosaics decorate the floors and represent mythological scenes, animals, games and daily activities. They are a real spectacle for the eyes and testify to the richness and artistic taste of the Roman period.

Monumental structure: The villa includes Cubicles, Vestibules, Peristili, Ambulatories, Triclini, Diaete, Aqueducts, Latrine, and Terme. The layout on different levels recalls the example of the Emperor’s villa Tiberius on Capri. The magnificence of the marbles, columns and mosaic floors defies even the abode of Diocletian in Split³.

The Villa Romana del Casale is a journey into the past, a place where history and art come together in an extraordinary experience. If you ever have the opportunity to visit it, I recommend that you admire these unique mosaics and immerse yourself in the ancient greatness of this magical place .

[mapsontheweb]

The Lower Empire

« Atlas historique Larousse » sous la direction de Georges Duby, édition revue et corrigée, 1987

by cartesdhistoire

In the 3rd and 4th centuries, the Empire faced a triple threat: to the north, the Germans, numerous, unstable, and warlike, pressed on its borders; to the east, the Sassanid Persians, victorious over the Arsacid Parthians, constituted the only organized state opposing Rome; in the south, the Saharan nomads posed the least dangerous threat. The crisis reached its peak from 256 to 269, when these enemies coordinated their attacks. However, from Claudius II (268–270) to Diocletian (284–305), the Illyrian Emperors managed to stabilize the situation, despite significant challenges (such as the Alamanni and Franks invading Gaul in 275). At times, they negotiated deals, notably with the Sassanids. In 332, the Goths from the lower Danube, defeated, agreed to an unequal alliance treaty with Constantine. In exchange for subsidies and the right to trade with Rome, they pledged to provide troops to the Emperor upon request. They remained loyal to the Constantinian dynasty thereafter, supporting Constantius II against Magnentius in 351-353 and backing the attempted usurpation of Procopius against Valens in 365.

Constantine organized the first universal council in 325 at Nicaea, bringing together bishops to achieve theological unity within Christianity. Some external bishops (Persians and Goths) attended, and Constantine, as Roman Emperor, presented himself as the natural protector of Christians worldwide.

Constantine's establishment of Constantinople as the second capital shifted the empire's center of gravity (331). Constantine's three sons succeeded him, and after several episodes of civil wars, Constantius II (337-361) emerged victorious from the conflicts. He imbued power with a hieratic, sacred, and Christian character.

However, stabilization primarily came from the reorganization of the army (stationing fixed units at the borders and maintaining a mobile reserve at the rear), leading to victories over Persians, Goths, and Franks, ensuring half a century of tranquility. This peace was reinforced thanks to the resolute character of Valentinian I (364–375).