#pompey and the pirates

[duxfemina]

People who act like it's unrealistic when two characters in a novel discover they're related clearly aren't aware of how Caesar Augustus ended up proscribing his future wife and heir and he owes their not being dead to his nemesis who was making Sicily a safe haven for the proscribed and offering double the monetary reward for any living proscribed people that the Triumvirs were offering for one dead

[sepdet]

I hate to be That Guy, but it was Pompey who cleared the Mediterranean of pirates.

You should indeed be That Guy. My grey matter is turning to garum.

I'm sure you know what I was misremembering: young Julius Caesar drumming up a posse to avenge himself on the pirates who had kidnapped him. At the time, he was the Roman equivalent of a tween going off to college.

He didn't yet have the clout, backing or experience for a Mediterranean-wide anti-piracy campaign. His elders had it sewn up before he was ready to veni, vidi, vici.

I need to go back and reread Colleen McCullough. (What did grad students do before those books came out? I know, I know, Suetonius, Tacitus, et alia, but boy did she do her homework.)

[annabelle--cane]

as a reminder, a bunch of the tmagp leads have been in other rq productions already, so if you like what you're hearing and want more of them, voices you have already heard include:

shahan hamza (sam): plays sivapathasundaram in trice forgotten, a plucky young cartographer on the run from the british after escaping execution for a crime he didn't commit. anxious and insecure with a tendency to run his mouth at all times, siva either instantly charms or makes enemies of everyone he meets.

sarah lambie (lena): plays octavia in cry havoc, sister to the triumvir gaius octavius. a bit of a champagne socialist who expresses her frustration at the roman political sphere through writing plays, octavia is trying to reconcile her position of vulnerability as a woman with her position of privilege as a noble, mayhaps finding love with an actress in her company along the way 👀

ryan hopevere-anderson (colin): plays sextus pompey in cry havoc, notorious pirate with a notoriously good ass. he's dangerous, he's sexy, he gives good relationship advice, he's here to kidnap the triumvirate's nearest and dearest for a hefty ransom.

kazeem tosin amore (teddy): plays mark antony in cry havoc, triumvir of rome who "doesn't do numbers" because "there's millions of them." he loves rome and he loves his wife, but he trained for the battlefield, not admin, and would rather do almost anything than have a conversation about negotiating supplies of grain. he's brash and impulsive, but a hard backbone runs through him, and there are certain moral lines he cannot ever bring himself to cross, even when he wants to.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

alright antony and cleopatra let’s get it

part ONE! (which is just until wherever the intermission break is)

-choreographed prologue??? 👀

-TECHNO PROLOGUE!!! low key this is such a vibe

-“my boss is a manwhore”

-just let them have bed wrestling fights!

-ANTONY BYRNE??? DUKE VINCENTIO ANTONY BYRNE??? yaaaaaaaaaay

-i love them both already

-seriously they are such an amazing vibe

-the way he covers his face with a pillow when she teases him for blushing omg

-they are just so utterly besotted and it’s making me so happy

-ooh boy we have another soothsayer

-this has the same energy as the carmen card trio

-wait i feel like this actor playing one of the ladies in waiting was in troilus and cressida (edit: yes! it’s amber james! aka cressida and now charmian!)

-cleopatra fully just said “i’m out i’m not talking to him right now” lol

-well that just happened (fulvia is dead!)

-somebody give antony a hug pls

-enobarbus what are you doing

-“I CAN’T DO THE HONEYMOON PHASE ANYMORE”

-she is just so. utterly. brilliant. and. so. MUCH. and i love it

-“eternity was in our lips and eyes”

-oh wait this is the scene from this play they did at [area shakespeare company’s] founder’s retirement party

-their energy is so much and i love it

-“Sir, you and I must part, but that’s not it/Sir, you and I have loved, but there’s not it…”

-soundtrack continues to pop off

-octavius: insecure about masculinity

-octavius wants to cancel antony and lepidus isn’t so sure

-YAAAAAAAY PIRATES OF PLOT CONVENIENCE! (okay maybe just plot spice but whatever)

-okay we fully just skipped a scene i guess (from the few lines i skimmed it looks like “cleopatra and her girls do edibles”)

-okay so pompey is collaborating with Pirates Of Plot Spice TM?

-“okay so how do we get the boys to start fightingggggg”

-okay we’re jumping back to cleopatra and her girls doing edibles

-love the music and love the mardian dude

-“where’s my serpent of old Nile?…now i feed myself with most delicious poison” so uh. about that.

-‘you’re not mark antony’ lolol

-not sad or merry but a secret third thing

-‘charmian that was LAST play’

-the boys are fightingggggggg

-‘i didn’t say i wouldn’t, i just didn’t do it’ mood

-“That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.” OOOOOOOOH

-oh this is definitely a great idea /s

-oh hey it’s the barge speech!

-he’s just a boy who cain’t say no!

-“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety.”

-sleepover at agrippa’s!

-LUCY PHELPS OCTAVIA??? (so the duke and isabella did get married in an alternate universe then)

-“i will definitely, 100%, not cheat on you” yeah it’s act two i’m not putting it past you

-no one ever listens to the soothsayer

-FUCKIN CALLED IT

-“Give me some music—music, moody food/Of us that trade in love.” 🤝 “if music be the food of love, play on”

-y’know, iras is so Not Even In This Play

-she is a QUEEN

-“But sirrah, mark, we use/To say the dead are well.” ross over in scotland, about to tell macduff his family is dead: *shuffles uncomfortably*

-i love their banter

-“you did NOT just say octavia was better at banging than me”

-oh she’s straight up beating him up

-“PLEASE DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER”

-she is Going Through It

-pompey: *gives very emotional speech*

octavius: …take your time

lmao

-BOAT PARTY

-so enobarbus and menas are besties anyway? i thought they were on opposite sides (which obvs does not prevent bestie relationships but yeah)

-enobarbus knows what’s up

-BOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAT PAAAAAAAARTY

-yeah lepidus words are hard

-menas has a Plan

-octavius: buddy i am Not Getting Drunk Tonight

-PLAY THIS IN THE CLUB

-Many Complicated Emotions Between These Two,

-antony, fully intending to ditch octavia at first opportunity: well this is awkward

-messenger: i can’t fucking believe i still have to work this customer service job even after getting beat up

-scoping out the competition

-uh oh. there are Political Problems

-GO OFF OCTAVIA (also this is just like blanche in king john)

-“The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak, your reconciler. Wars ’twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men should solder up the rift.”

-oh octavius is Big Mad

-“YOUR HUSBAND IS CHEATING ON YOU OCTAVIA” “NO I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO STOP FUCKING FIGHTING”

-ooh did octavia just take her ring off 👀

and that’s intermission! this is GREAT and i would continue watching but it is also late and i am tired so…rest tomorrow!

[willtheweaver]

No vanilla extract. No garum. You cannot get more sticks, or break the one in half.

[theantonian]

Pompey the Great assassinated, September 28th, 48 BC

Upon landing in Egypt, Roman general and politician Pompey is murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt.

During his long career, Pompey the Great displayed exceptional military talents on the battlefield. He fought in Africa and Spain, quelled the slave revolt of Spartacus, cleared the Mediterranean of pirates, and conquered Armenia, Syria and Palestine. Appointed to organize the newly won Roman territories in the East, he proved a brilliant administrator.

In 60 B.C., he joined with his rivals Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus to form the First Triumvirate, and together the trio ruled Rome for seven years. Caesar’s successes aroused Pompey’s jealousy, however, leading to the collapse of the political alliance in 53 B.C. The Roman Senate supported Pompey and asked Caesar to give up his army, which he refused to do. In January 49 B.C., Caesar led his legions across the Rubicon River from Cisalpine Gaul to Italy, thus declaring war against Pompey and his forces.

Caesar made early gains in the subsequent civil war, defeating Pompey’s army in Italy and Spain, but he was later forced into retreat in Greece. In August 48 B.C., with Pompey in pursuit, Caesar paused near Pharsalus, setting up camp at a strategic location. When Pompey’s senatorial forces fell upon Caesar’s smaller army, they were entirely routed, and Pompey fled to Egypt.

Pompey hoped that King Ptolemy, his former client, would assist him, but the Egyptian king feared offending the victorious Caesar. On September 28, Pompey was invited to leave his ships and come ashore at Pelusium. As he prepared to step onto Egyptian soil, he was treacherously struck down and killed by an officer of Ptolemy.

[redsixwing]

Pompey and the Pirates is my new cover band.

[marcusagrippa]

this bit in appian v this bit in the res gestae......the rg 'pirates' being sextus pompey......hhggrggggghh

[gailyinthedark]

History of the Holy Grail: highlights so far

-The framing device in chapter one with the priest narrator. I love this dude.

-Evalach/Mordrain's secret sex doll

-Pompey and the Pirates taking up an entire chapter out of nowhere. It's Victor Hugo levels of unnecessary backstory and it's amazing.

-The Turning Isle aka Medieval Physics 101

-Adam and Eve being so so sad that they have to have Carnal Relations (because sex = sin) and God graciously providing a Modesty Cloud (tm) so at least they don't have to look at each other whilst having Sad Carnal Relations

-Okay the number of Unnecessary Backstory Detours is actually getting quite impressive. Most of them are more interesting than the main story too

-The repeated warnings about Women, who are So Sneaky and Clever that no man can hope to outwit them, so Watch Out Guys

-Hercules and Samson were related, obviously, since they were both Strong. This tidbit has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story, it's just there.

[beholdingslut]

finally writing about that hot little pirate, sextus pompey

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Grèce : Les maisons anti-pirates de l’île d’Ikaria.

Les pirates, aussi vieux que la marine, ont été un terrible fléau en Méditerranée depuis l’Antiquité, puisque le grand Pompée fut chargé de mener une expédition pour les exterminer. Ils ont particulièrement sévi dans les nombreuse îles grecques qui leur servaient de refuge. Ikaria a été leur victime à plusieurs époques, l’îlot voisin de Phourni constituant une base de raids idéale. Les habitants cessaient alors de vivre sur les côtes et se réfugiaient dans les montagnes où la géologie les protégeait, on trouve souvent de grands blocs de pierre plus ou moins plats formant un toit naturel qu’il suffisait de fermer par un ou deux murs. Visibles seulement de tout près, ils ont permis aux Ikariotes de disparaître littéralement pendant tout le XVIIe siècle, au point que l’île semblait inhabitée. Pour éviter d’attirer l’attention, les maisons n’avaient généralement qu’un seul niveau, plus bas que le rocher ou la falaise qui la camouflait et elles n’avaient pas de cheminée, pour éviter les colonnes de fumée. Les habitants interagissaient principalement la nuit et évitaient d’utiliser le feu ou toute source de lumière, et ils ne gardaient même pas de chiens, de peur que leurs aboiements n’attirent des invités indésirables. Quand par hasard des pirates parvenaient jusqu’à ces refuges, les habitants, prévenus par un système de guetteurs, avaient disparu. Les brigands ne trouvaient chez ces gens très pauvres, que quelques hardes ou objets sans valeur et en étaient pour leurs frais. Fait intéressant, malgré les difficultés endurées par les habitants au cours des siècles, Ikaria est connue comme la terre de la longévité en Grèce, où une personne sur trois finit par vivre jusqu’à 90 ans et beaucoup deviennent centenaires. Greece: The anti-pirate houses on the island of Ikaria. Pirates, who are as old as the sea, have been a terrible scourge in the Mediterranean since Antiquity, when the great Pompey was commissioned to lead an expedition to exterminate them. They were particularly rampant on the many Greek islands that served as their refuge. Ikaria has been their victim at various times, with the neighbouring islet of Phourni providing an ideal base for raids. The inhabitants stopped living on the coast and took refuge in the mountains, where the geology protected them: large, more or less flat blocks of stone are often found, forming a natural roof that could be closed off with one or two walls. Only visible up close, they allowed the Ikariotes to literally disappear throughout the 17th century, to the point where the island seemed uninhabited. To avoid attracting attention, the houses were generally only one storey high, lower than the rock or cliff that camouflaged them, and had no chimneys to avoid smoke columns. The inhabitants interacted mainly at night and avoided using fire or any source of light, and they didn't even keep dogs, for fear that their barking would attract unwanted guests. When by chance pirates reached these refuges, the inhabitants, warned by a system of lookouts, disappeared. The brigands would only find a few items of clothing or worthless objects in the homes of these very poor people, and they would have had their money's worth. Interestingly, despite the hardships endured by the inhabitants over the centuries, Ikaria is known as the land of longevity in Greece, where one in three people ends up living to the age of 90 and many become centenarians. Muriel Marchand

[blueiscoool]

Offerings to Goddess Demeter Uncovered in Archaic Temple on Crete

Excavations of the ancient city of Phalasarna in western Crete have unearthed hundreds of offerings to the goddess Demeter in the remains of an ancient temple. The temple dates to the late 4th century B.C. and was built in Doric style on natural rock with two fluted columns, capitals, metopes and pediment. Estimates indicate it was more than 25 feet high and 16 feet wide. It is the only temple of its kind in Crete.

The temple was built at the junction of two mountain peaks where a natural cave was formed. The cave had abundant water and archaeologists believe an Archaic temple dedicated to a chthonic (related to the Underworld) deity was built there before 650 B.C. It was destroyed when the cave collapsed. Another temple was built in the 6th century, but it was destroyed in an earthquake. Then in the 5th century another was built and you guessed it, it too was destroyed. The last attempt was the 4th century temple.

The remains that are present today were from a reconstruction of the temple after the cave collapse. The perimeter of the enclosure is still in place, as is a monumental staircase leading to two buildings with a shared wall between them. The eastern building was the primary temple.

The sanctuary of the temple had a tiled floor, as did the rest of the floors of the temple. On the floor were five offering cases, inside which were revealed vases of good quality with elegant shapes, some of ceremonial character, one of which was inscribed in the Doric dialect with the name of the goddess to whom the temple was dedicated: A K E S T O I D A M A T R I , Akestoi dedicates to the goddess Demeter.

The rocky areas and the ancient deposits in excavated pits revealed findings mainly from the Archaic times. Daedalic art seems to dominate the early Archaic period (650 BC) in the form of nude female figures with Daedalic headdress and high pole. From the findings of the 6th c. e.g. Egyptian and Phoenician glass objects, terracotta bird and animal figurines, arrowheads and spearheads, miniature vases, enthroned female figures, and a female figurine holding a poppy and pomegranate stand out. Regarding the findings of the 4th and 3rd c. BC the hydriai stand out, a beaked ritual prochos with a red representation of a flying Cupid, iron spikes and alabaster vessels.

This was a physically challenging dig. The remains are on a high, rocky hill overlooking the sea. Archaeologists had to build a road to even reach the dig site, and then had to dig as quietly as possible so as not to trigger falling stones from above. The site itself was covered with rocks that the team had to remove with crowbars.

Phalasarna was settled going back to the Minoan period (3500 B.C. – 1100 B.C.). Its natural harbor made it an important stop in the maritime trade routes of the Aegean and Mediterranean. It reached its peak of prosperity in the 4th century B.C. when the monumental harbor was built. It consisted of four towers linked by defensive walls and quays. The enclosed harbor was connected to the sea by two channels, a shallow one for small boats, a deeper one for larger vessels.

The ancient city was destroyed in 67 B.C. by Roman forces under Pompey Magnus (then not yet Magnus) tasked with routing out and destroying the Mediterranean strongholds of Cilician pirates. They blocked the two harbor channels by dropping massive blocks of stone into them, and the city was abandoned. In 365 A.D., a massive earthquake, one of the greatest seismic events in earth’s history, raised the west coast of Crete by 30 feet. In an instant the ancient harbor was thrust inland and buried. They would remain hidden under tons of soil until excavations began at the site in 1966.

[kerakitty]

So during one of Garak and Bashir's lunch dates, Garak asserts that Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a "farce" rather than a tragedy. The show plays this as Garak just failing to appreciate the work, but I think he just pitched the greatest Shakespeare adaptation of all time!

Just imagine: instead of opening on Caesar's triumphant return to Rome after defeating the sons of Pompey, we open on a group of pirates dragging a captive with a bag over his head onto their ship. They tie their victim down and roughly pull the bag off his head, revealing a young Julius. Julius Caesar, indignant yet calm: For your own sake, I hope you know with whom you're dealing.

Pirate Captain, smugly: From the looks of it, you're rich. We don't need to know more than that. If your family wants to see you again, they'd best pay our ransom. 20 silver talents!

Julius Caesar, visibly shocked: 20 talents?! That's an absurd amount!

Pirate Captain, almost sing-song: Not one libra less.

Julius Caesar, genuinely offended: I'm worth at least 50 talents! I demand you increase the ransom!

Awkward pause as the pirates react with confusion.

First Mate, whispering to captain: Are we sure they'll want him back?

Smash cut to title.

The rest of the movie follows the play relatively faithfully, but with comedic music and editing.

[duxfemina]

So do y'all wanna see my mental fan cast for the Pompeians as I write my books? Because that's what I feel like sharing tonight

Daddy Pompey aka Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus just with more auburn hued hair because we all know Pompeius has that ginger blond Alexander vibe going but like Lee Pace has the PERFECT chin and mouth to be Pompeius. Go look at Pompey's statues and imagine him as a younger man and you'll see it

Mucia Tertia mother of all three of Pompeius' children and such a force that not only did she raise them mostly by herself while he was at war but when her son is warring with the triumvirate they send her to talk with Sextus. She has the tragedy of outliving her ex-husband and her two sons. (Yes she's ginger too because I know my genetics and gotta keep that ginger blood strong so Pompeia can look just like grandad for plot purposes)

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius the sexy pirate king of Sicily. I will admit that this is mainly inspired by Hayden as RotS Anakin having the right color of hair and also the youthfulness. Sextus was stupidly young when he started kicking ass, just like his dad. Unfortunately for world history he lived an even shorter amount of time than his dad and was dead by 32 much like his dad's honorific namesake Alexander the Great

Fatherless by age six I have a whole story in my head that I've invented for Pompeia Magna daughter of Sextus and believe me it's not cheerful because what is in the Roman world. But she does have one true friend and he happens to be someone who is the most ride or die guy in Rome and will one day be the most powerful man in the empire

Tiberius Claudius Nero who has known Pompeia since they were toddlers together on Sicily when her father Sextus gave his parents refuge from Augustus' proscriptions. Yes Tiberius was a hottie. Fight me on this. Plus Cavill fits the Tiberius mould in the sense that everyone sees big hunky warrior but at heart they're just an absolute nerd. How Cavill is about video games would be Tiberius with Homer or something

[mataglap]

so uh. does anyone have this thing where you permanently associate a certain song with certain characters or ships, for no reason other than it makes a whole ass music video featuring these characters play in your head?

no? just me?

anyway, Pompey Pirate by Starcadian == DBH connor/gavin, now. I can't help it. these things just happen

[acertainidontknowwhat]

I finally got around to reading Gian Biagio Conte's The Hidden Author: an Interpretation of Petronius' Satyricon, which I've only read in bits and pieces. Since I am arguing that Petronius engages in a political critique, Conte's interpretation presents itself as an antagonist since he argues that Petronius' satirical target are scholastici, those nerds who have never touched grass with heads stuffed full of literature and ultimately out of touch with reality. For Conte, this means that the literature these scholastici reference remains safe because Petronius himself admires the great models of sublime literature and does not parody them.

While I disagree with Conte (I do not find his argument sustainable as an overarching interpretation. He also makes some assumptions that cannot be backed up given the fragmentary nature of the text and thus end up being mere speculation even though he presents them as fact), aspects of his interpretation can be used to argue against him. Conte's emphasis on historical and literary repetition can be seen in real life events as recorded in our source material concerning the late-republican/early imperial period. My dissertation focuses on Augustus alongside Petronius and one of the themes that I have kept track of during my research is Octavian/Augustus' desire to reenact. Not only is Octavian a second Gaius Julius Caesar upon adoption, he takes steps to reenact his adoptive father's march on Rome after circumstances surrounding the death of the consuls Hirtius and Pansa in 43 BCE. Not long after, a second triumvirate will form and take part in a second mass proscription. The battle of Philippi in 42 BCE will reenact Pharsalus. Octavian will go on to deceptively describe his war against Sextus Pompeius as a pirate war and thus connect himself with Sextus' father, Pompey the Great, and his act of clearing the Mediterranean of pirates and renegade enslaved people. Octavian claims to be a restorer of ancestral institutions and practices thereby not creating novelty but simply reenacting traditions. Innovation in general is always sealed inside a box labeled "based on the mos maiorum."

Even the Augustus' moral legislation concerning adultery claimed to be reenacting traditional practices while, in reality, overturning them. Literature formed an important touchstone for repetition because if a legitimate historical precedent did not exist once could be fabricated in literature. Events that take places in both Virgil and Livy become citable instances of traditions that can be reenacted in the present.