#theodosius i

[twofielder]

Coin of the Day #49 (6/22/2024)

A nice LRB with a large die break on the reverse…

Roman Empire

AE24 - 5.67g

Theodosius I 383-388 AD

Heraclea Mint

Obverse D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG

Bust of Theodosius I right, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed

Reverse VIRTVS EXERCITI

Emperor standing right, holding labarum and globe, left foot on captive, •SMHA mint

RIC IX 24b

[lightdancer1]

With Theodosius I the end of the Imperial biographies:

And out of the great historical hero-Emperors Theodosius had the most lasting impact. Constantine the Great legalized Christianity and marked a dramatic sea-change in the Empire. It was Theodosius who turned legalizing Christianity into the persecution of paganism. Like Constantine Theodosius faced a divided empire, like Constantine he won a sequence of battles that left it united. In his clashes with Bishop Ambrose of Milan he began the long history that would culminate in the Pyrrhic victory of the Holy Roman Emperors in the Investiture Controversy of rivalry between the great magnates of the Church and the great lords of the state.

In this sense one can say that Late Antiquity began with Diocletian and that it was under Constantine and Theodosius that the Empire began to grapple, slowly and in complete unawareness that this is what was actually happening to it, with the transition to the medieval world. Neither would Theodosius have seen, nor expected, that his actions to re-establish the Empire all but assured the final fall of the Western half and the rise of the foundation of the future European state system.

Such is the cruel whim of irony and of historical chance.

9/10.

[sforzesco]

the way the valentinian and theodosian dynasties intermarried gives me a headache, so we'll just (hand waving) the marriage of licinia eudoxia and valentinian iii, also some normal ribbing between theodosius ii and valentinian iii

can you believe that we got another set of co-emperors with the theodosius-valentinian name set after the absolute disaster of the first pair? incredible!

[thepastisalreadywritten]

FUN FACT:

In 393 CE, Emperor Theodosius I (347–395) banned the Greek Olympics due to the religious element of the celebration.

He considered the Olympics to be a pagan festival, which had no place in his Christian empire.

As a consequence, the games were cancelled and didn’t start up again for over 1,400 years — until 1896.

[attila-werther]

ngl for all the 'people are obsessed with the roman empire' jokes, I keep running into roman emperors who don't have dedicated biographies

[theodosius-the-great]

My feet are as fat as Eugenius, I hope this 10 year old can rule.

[longthymenosee]

(he's 27)

[artifacts-archive]

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Zeus

Greek, Reign of Phillip II (359–336 BCE)

The official record of quadrennial games honoring the supreme Greek god Zeus at a sanctuary dedicated to him at Olympia began in 776 BCE. With few interruptions, they took place every four years for about 1,100 years. In 394, CE the Christian emperor Theodosius I (reigned 379–95) abolished them as pagan rites. The most prestigious competition remained the footrace, but eventually it was supplanted in popularity by the horse races. Horses were symbols of socioeconomic status, since only the privileged could afford to buy, feed, and train them and transport their teams and trainers to Olympia every four years. In time, many of the victors in the horse races included kings and tyrants. Philip II, king of Macedon, who minted this coin, owned the horse that won the race in Olympia in 356 BCE. The same year his son was born; he would grow up to become Alexander the Great (356–332 BCE). The head of Zeus on the front referred to Philip’s claim that his family descended from the god. On the back Philip commemorated his victory in the horse races of the Olympic Games with an image of a jockey astride his mount.

[whencyclopedia]

Theodosian Walls

The Theodosian Walls are the fortifications of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, which were first built during the reign of Theodosius II (408-450 CE). Sometimes known as the Theodosian Long Walls, they built upon and extended earlier fortifications so that the city became impregnable to enemy sieges for 800 years. The fortifications were the largest and strongest ever built in either the ancient or medieval worlds. Resisting attacks and earthquakes over the centuries, the walls were particularly tested by Bulgar and Arab forces who sometimes laid siege to the city for years at a time. Sections of the walls can still be seen today in modern Istanbul and are the city's most impressive surviving monuments from Late Antiquity.

Making the City Safe

Although the city had benefitted from previous emperors building fortifications, especially Constantine I when he moved his capital from Rome to the east, it is Emperor Theodosius II who is most associated with Constantinople's famous city walls. It was, though, Theodosius I (r. 379-395 CE) who began the project of improving the capital's defences by building the Golden Gate of Constantinople in November 391 CE. The massive gate was over 12 metres high, had three arches, and a tower either side. It was entirely built of marble and decorated with statues and was topped with a sculpture of a chariot pulled by four elephants. The Golden Gate probably marked the start of triumphal processions which ended in the Hippodrome. Two decades later, Theodosius II was alarmed at the recent fall of Rome to the Goths in 410 CE and set about building a massive line of triple fortification walls to ensure Constantinople never followed the same fate. The man credited with supervising their construction is Theodosius' Praetorian Prefect Anthemius. The walls extended across the peninsula from the shores of the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn, eventually being fully completed in 439 CE and stretching some 6.5 kilometres. They expanded the enclosed area of the city by 5 square kilometres.

Continue reading...

[ingolds-archived]

they feel the weight of armand's stare on their temple, on the ruby red vitality that dribbles steadily down beside their ear. even without looking directly at his gaze, theo can see the vast black of his pupils, how serrated the turn of his smile is. the air smells like sweat and dirt, turning coppery deep in their sinuses, and theo wonders — does he enjoy this?

and if so, is it the violence amongst beasts that thrills him, or the blood oozing from theo's split brow?

“ he's getting there. he doesn't know how to balance when i switch sides. ” their gaze cuts to their opponent, where he leans heavily on the sides of the ring and drags his paws through the dust, testing the strength of his muscles. armand admonishes him; theo scoffs. “ one of us has to be confident in me. ”

the moderator gestures, and theo stands, shakes off the exhaustion from their shoulders. the ring clears, and theo tries not to track where armand flutters away to. the lycan across from them leaps, messy and uncoordinated, and theo sidesteps, a dance they've practiced many times. when he stumbles up against the wall, theodosius rises in theo, through theo, breaking bones and shedding skin, all shining gold teeth and strength. the shift takes long enough for his opponent to rouse, to slash at his belly with quick claws; he takes the attempt in stride, pain sluicing hot and biting just above his navel, and tears the gray wolf's throat clean open.

bring me his cuspids, armand had said, and the command sizzles through their veins; theodosius shows teeth, a wolf on the hunt, and pries that jaw open easily with his claws. he oozes blood, still breathing, but he won't be conscious again anytime soon; if at all. the jeers only grow louder, the crowd calling out for blood, for violence, and he fits his fingers around those iron-slicked teeth, four quick tugs depositing gleaming fangs into his paw.

wolf stands, tall and proud, hackles lifted into ragged spikes, and paces towards the edge of the arena. careful, minding the talons, he holds out a palm to the vampire: one, two, three, four cuspids, just for him. theodosius shows all his own teeth, still where they belong in his maw, bloodier now but no less triumphant.

in the heat of a fight armand often loses all sense of his surroundings. even the violent ring - side jeering reduces down to an ignorable buzz. there was beauty to it. even in the midst of cracking knuckles and blood that flowed from the hot source, straight from the heart, armand is not bothered in the least.

it was not home by any means, but when he crawls up into that ring with theodosius and the world comes crashing back down between them, it was as close as any home armand had ever lived experienced.

blood drips from theo's eyelashes.

the sanguinity of those tears brings armand back down to earth. red, garishly red, blood seeps from theo and he quickly pulls a bandage package from the small bag strapped to his thigh. within moments of bringing it to the man's eyebrow it seeps through with his blood.

“ i think he's quite tired. ”

when he turns his head to get a good look at the man he's surprised to see just how much blood splays out across the cement. it looks wet and slick.

“ keep knocking him down. look at his legs. ” armand faces theo again. his pupils are large, bulbous in his face. hungry with the victory already as near as it is. “ he's still shaking. it's endurance at this point, that's all. don't get cocky. ” a smile.

“ you haven't come this far just to come this far. ”

“ bring me his cuspids. ”

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … December 25

Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun") or, more fully, Deus Sol Invictus ("the Unconquered Sun God") was the late Roman state sun god. The cult was created by the emperor Aurelian in 274 and continued until the abolition of paganism under Theodosius I. The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun."

The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the patron god of Emperor Aurelian (270-274); and Mithras. Oh, and a Jewish upstart named Jesus.

December 25th was also considered to be the date of the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma. It was therefore the day the Sun proved itself to be "unconquered" despite the shortening of daylight hours. (When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 B.C.E., December 25th was approximately the date of the solstice. In modern times, the solstice falls on December 21st or 22nd.)

The Sol Invictus festival has a "strong claim on the responsibility" for the date of Christmas, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Solar symbolism was popular with early Christian writers as Jesus was considered to be the "sun of righteousness."

The date for Christmas may also bear a relation to the sun worship. According to the scholiast on the Syriac bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi, writing in the twelfth century:

"It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnized on that day." (cited in "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries", Ramsay MacMullen).

The Death of Epaminondas

418 B.C. – Epaminondas, Greek warrior and general, born (d: 362 B.C.). Considered to have been one of the great military geniuses of the ancient world, he is included here, on Christmas Day, not because of his victories in battle, but because he was revered for his moral character. He was revered, too, since he had risen from an impoverished family because of his goodness, strength and character.

Epaminondas was well educated; his musical teachers were among the best in their disciplines, as was his dance instructor. Most notably, his philosophy instructor Lysis of Tarentum (who had come to live with Polymnis in his exile) was one of the last major Pythagorean philosophers. Epaminondas was devoted to Lysis and was noted for his excellence in philosophical studies.

Not merely an academic, Epaminondas was noted for his physical prowess, and in his youth he devoted much time to strengthening and preparing himself for combat. In 385 B.C., in a skirmish near the city of Mantinea, Epaminondas, at great risk to his own life, saved the life of his future partner Pelopidas, an act thought to have cemented the life-long friendship between the two.

He was, like most Greek warriors, homosexual - but with a difference. He never married and did not produce an heir. His delight in boys was complete in itself for him. His two favorite boys, Asopichus and Leuctra, both fell in battle, as did Epaminondas. Both, by his order, are buried in his tomb.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton (d.1726/27) was an English mathematician, astronomer, theologian and physicist (described in his own day as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), first published in 1687, laid the foundations of classical mechanics. Newton also made pathbreaking contributions to optics, and he shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus.

Isaac Newton was born (according to the Julian calendar, in use in England at the time) on Christmas Day, 25 December 1642 (NS 4 January 1643) "an hour or two after midnight", at Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, a hamlet in the county of Lincolnshire.

From the age of about twelve until he was seventeen, Newton was educated at The King's School, Grantham, which taught Latin and Greek and probably imparted a significant foundation of mathematics. He was removed from school, and by October 1659, he was to be found at Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, where his mother, widowed for a second time, attempted to make a farmer of him. Newton hated farming. Henry Stokes, master at the King's School, persuaded his mother to send him back to school so that he might complete his education. Motivated partly by a desire for revenge against a schoolyard bully, he became the top-ranked student, distinguishing himself mainly by building sundials and models of windmills.

Newton's Principia formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation that dominated scientists' view of the physical universe for the next three centuries. By deriving Kepler's laws of planetary motion from his mathematical description of gravity, and using the same principles to account for the trajectories of comets, the tides, the precession of the equinoxes, and other phenomena, Newton removed the last doubts about the validity of the heliocentric model of the Solar System and demonstrated that the motion of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies could be accounted for by the same principles. Newton's theoretical prediction that the Earth is shaped as an oblate spheroid was later vindicated by the geodetic measurements of others, thus convincing most Continental European scientists of the superiority of Newtonian mechanics over the earlier system of Descartes.

Newton also built the first practical reflecting telescope and developed a sophisticated theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the colours of the visible spectrum. Newton's work on light was collected in his highly influential book Opticks, first published in 1704. He also formulated an empirical law of cooling, made the first theoretical calculation of the speed of sound, and introduced the notion of a Newtonian fluid.

Newton was a fellow of Trinity College and the second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He was a devout but unorthodox Christian, who privately rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and who, unusually for a member of the Cambridge faculty of the day, refused to take holy orders in the Church of England.

Beyond his work on the mathematical sciences, Newton dedicated much of his time to the study of alchemy and biblical chronology, but most of his work in those areas remained unpublished until long after his death. Politically and personally tied to the Whig party, Newton served two brief terms as Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge, in 1689–90 and 1701–02. He was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705 and he spent the last three decades of his life in London, serving as Warden (1696–1700) and Master (1700–1727) of the Royal Mint, as well as president of the Royal Society (1703–1727).Although it was claimed that he was once engaged, Newton never married. The French writer and philosopher Voltaire, who was in London at the time of Newton's funeral, said that he

"was never sensible to any passion, was not subject to the common frailties of mankind, nor had any commerce with women—a circumstance which was assured me by the physician and surgeon who attended him in his last moments".

The widespread belief that he died a virgin has been commented on by writers such as mathematician Charles Hutton, economist John Maynard Keynes, and physicist Carl Sagan.

Newton did have a close friendship with the Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, whom he met in London around 1689. Their intense relationship came to an abrupt and unexplained end in 1693, and at the same time Newton suffered a nervous breakdown. Some of their correspondence has survived.

In September of that year, Newton had a breakdown which included sending wild accusatory letters to his friends Samuel Pepys and John Locke. His note to the latter included the charge that Locke "endeavoured to embroil me with woemen". Items like these have led some historians to speculate that Newton was homosexual.

"Artist and Model" - John Minton

1917 – John Minton (d.1957) was a painter of landscapes, town scenes, and figure subjects in oil and watercolor, as well as an acclaimed illustrator. Minton's homosexuality was an important influence on his work. One of his main themes was the young male figure in emotionally charged settings.

Like many middle class gay men of his generation, Minton was drawn to men who fulfilled a manly ideal, and this attraction manifested itself in much of his work, where he portrayed his handsome working class lovers and other ideals of masculinity such as Guardsmen and matadors.

Two Bullfighters

Minton's early work focused on the urban landscape he discovered during nocturnal jaunts around London, where he also discovered an active sexual underground. Visits to Spain in 1949 and Jamaica in 1950 offered Minton a fresh repertoire of subjects and enriched his palette of colors.

Although Minton was dedicated to painting, his reputation developed as a result of his skill as an illustrator for a wide range of books, as well as for magazines such as The Listener and The Radio Times.

Between 1950 and 1952 Minton lived openly with his lover Ricky Stride, a bodybuilding ex-sailor, often his model. Theirs was a volatile relationship and ended as a result of almost constant fighting, which often resulted in violence on Stride's part.

On January 12, 1950, The Listener published a letter Minton wrote in response to a review of a new biography of Oscar Wilde which discussed Wilde's sexuality and relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas in a denigrating fashion. Outraged, Minton pointed out the enormous contribution made to society by homosexuals and highlighted the fact that "the same vicious law which imprisoned Wilde still operates" and pleaded for a "saner and more comprehensive attitude towards the homosexual in society."

Minton's character revealed some great contradictions—his wild gaiety and love of wit and banter disguised and competed with an inner melancholy that verged on depression. Towards the end of his life, Minton began to express an obsession with death, and he was particularly moved by the death of film star and symbol of disaffected youth James Dean.

Minton's output was considerable. Between 1945 and 1956 he had seven solo exhibitions at the Lefevre Gallery, notwithstanding his work as tutor to the painting school of the Royal College of Art in 1949, a post that he held until the year before his death. Minton's appearance in this period is shown in a 1952 portrait by Lucian Freud, as well as in self-portraits. In the 1940s Minton, Freud and fellow artist Adrian Ryan had been in a love triangle.

Minton's last painting, which remained unfinished, was initially based upon a car crash that he had witnessed in Spain; but it also, he told his friend Ruskin Spear, represented "James Dean and all that." As a result the painting was posthumously titled Composition: The Death of James Dean in September 1955.

On January 20, 1957 John Minton committed suicide by taking an overdose of Tuinal.

1950 – Time magazine ran its first article on homosexuality. It said that homosexuals should not work in government jobs because they are a security risk.

1950 – Yehuda Poliker is an Israeli singer, songwriter, musician, and painter. Poliker first became known in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for the band Benzene. In 1985, after the band was dismantled, he began a varied solo career that included motifs from rock, pop and traditional Greek music. He is openly gay.

Yehuda Poliker (birth name: Leonidas Polikaris) was born in Kiryat Haim, a suburb of Haifa, Israel. His parents were Greek Jews and Holocaust survivors who were deported to Auschwitz from Thessaloniki.

In 1981, Poliker began his career-long collaboration with writer and producer Yaakov Gilad. Poliker's band, Benzene, released two albums: 24 Sha'ot (24 Hours) and Mishmeret Layla (Night Watch), which included hit singles such as "Hofshi Ze Legamrei Levad" ("Free Is Totally Alone"), "Geshem" ("Rain") and "Yom Shishi" (Friday). After Benzene broke up, Poliker began a solo career. In 1985, he released his first solo album, Einaim Shely (These Eyes of Mine). All of the tracks on the album were well-known Greek songs literally translated into Hebrew. In 1986, Poliker released his second solo album, Kholem Behakitz (Daydreamer). His third album, Efer VeAvak (Dust and Ashes), released in 1988, dealt mostly with the children of Holocaust survivors. It sold more than 70,000 copies, and in 2005, was rated by Ynet as number one of the top 100 best albums ever recorded in Israel.

Poliker's father, Jacko, told the story of his escape from Auschwitz in the 1988 film Because of That War (Hebrew: B'Glal Hamilhamah Hahi), which featured music by his son. The film included interviews with Yehuda Poliker and Yaakov Gilad, whose parents, Polish Jews, also survived Auschwitz.

1978 – Dylan Vox is an American actor and producer who has worked in television, film and theatre.

Vox was born in Marietta, Georgia, and was adopted one month after birth by Donna Blount. At an early age, he began riding horses and showed Western Pleasure placing in both regional and national competitions. After high school graduation, Vox received bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Journalism from the Georgia Southern University before moving to Denver, Colorado and training with Olympic Ice Dancer Carol Fox where he had some success on the national level with his partner Erin Bales. Vox retired from skating, and attended and graduated from law school.

Vox starred in the Los Angeles premiere of Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical and the world premiere of the hip-hopera "City Kid" earning a LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nomination and a NAACP theatre award nomination.. He also was an original cast member of Hunky Dory, an original musical interpretation of the 1971 David Bowie album.

Vox appeared as himself on the reality television series Fight for Fame, Open Call, and the Spike detective series Murder. Vox has appeared in the here! cable station's gothic horror series Dante's Cove as Colin and as a series regular in here!'s vampire series The Lair also playing a character named Colin (although they are different characters).

Under the name Brad Benton, Vox performed in many hard and soft gay pornographic films, including Big Timber, Blades, BuckleRoos, Desperate Husbands, Devil Inside, and Longhorns. and was nominated for over 12 GayVN Awards and 15 Grabby Awards, winning Best Supporting Actor at the GayVN Awards in 2004 and 2005 and nine Grabby awards over all.

Vox has written for a number of LGBT-themed websites and writes a blog entitled "21st - Century Vox." He currently serves as the Sports Editor and as a featured columnist for GayWired.com.

1982 – Two married US Army men are found, fully clothed, in bed together and are accused of sex. They say they only fell on the bed while drunk, but accept honorable discharges rather than fight the charges and possibly receive dishonorable discharges.

[chthonic-sorcery]

All me and my homes hate Theodosius I

[wandering-cemeteries]

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, built in 5th century. It is thought to contain the tomb of Galla Placidia (died 450), the daughter of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Someone accidentally burned the contents of the tomb in 1577. Emperor Valentinian III or Emperor Honorius and Galla’s husband Emperor Constantius III may still be buried in the tomb. Ravenna, Italy

[sforzesco]

many thanks @twobeesornottwobees for helping me out with the theodosius biography!! at long last, agrippa makes a reappearance on my blog! and additionally octavian because it feels wrong to draw agrippa without him

[girlactionfigure]

Gaza was once destroyed over a watermelon!

URI KURLIANCHIK

NOV 6

It’s true!

In my previous newsletter, I mentioned that Gaza was abandoned during Crusader Times. This wasn’t the first time the city stood empty and ruined.

Throughout her long history, Gaza was destroyed many times. Alexander the Great killed all the men of Gaza and sold all the women and children into slavery in 332 BCE. The Judean king Alexander Janus forced the people of Gaza to convert to Judaism after conquering the city and killing its leaders in 100 BC. The Mongol horde massacred everyone and everything in 1260 CE. Yes, Gaza was never a stranger to violence. However, none of its many ruinations had a sillier reason than the Arab destruction of the city in 8th century CE.

The first thing that you need to know is that two Arab tribes, Qays and Yaman, both alike in dignity, have feuded for over a 100 years all over the Caliphate. In fact, these tribes kept feuding well into the 19th century under Ottoman rule, but that’s a different story. Say one thing for these guys, say they know how to hold grudge.

It all began in 792, when a member of the al-Qays tribe from Jund Filastin (modern Israel) came to grind wheat in al-Balqa in Jund al-Urduun (modern Jordan) and stole some watermelons on the way. Now, Bedouins aren't famous for their de-escalation technique so this minor offense rapidly spiraled into a full-fledged civil war in the Bilad al-Sham province. 

Casualties began to mount as tribes from the Golan Heights joined the war as allies of the Yamani coalition. The entire region was reduced to anarchy. The roads became impassable due to attacks by Bedouin bands. Arab tribes resumed raiding the Christian monasteries of the Judean Desert that were until recently under imperial protection. 

The St. Chariton Monastery was robbed. Dozens of monks at Mar Saba were murdered. The monasteries of St. Cyriacus, St. Theodosius, and St. Euthymius were all raided and looted.

Yours truly overlooking the Mar Saba monastery. It’s still active!

Caliph Harun al-Rashid viewed this as a rebellion and dispatched a large army headed by his Persian vizier Jafar al-Barmaki to restore order to the wayward district, which the latter accomplished after much bloodshed and destruction. Sadly, this seems to be the only way anyone can bring peace to this region. By the time the dust settled, 1,400 people were dead and several cities, including Gaza lay in ruins. 

This Arab civil war came to be known as the War of the Watermelon. And now it seems we’re having another!

[attila-werther]

anyway, this is funny to me