Suetonius Tranquillus, De vita et moribus Caesarum libri duodecim -- 1490-1508 -- manuscrits

Couverture souple - Penguin Books - 1957 - Condition: bon - RO60124327: 1957. In-12. Broché. Bon état, Couv. convenable, Dos satisfaisant, Intérieur acceptable. 315 pages. Texte en anglais (English). Annotation sur le 1er plat (ex-libris). . . . Classification Dewey : 420-Langue anglaise. Anglo-saxon - THE TWELVE CAESARS

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Suetonius: Vitae 12 CaesarumAustria ca. 1470

Amazon.com: The Twelve Caesars: 9781420929331: Suetonius, Thomson, Alexander: Books

This Suetonius-based list includes Julius Caesar and the first 12 emperors of Rome, from the Julio-Claudians through the Flavians.

The 'coenatio rotunda', which was discovered in the remains of the 1st century Golden Palace on Rome's Palatine Hill, is thought to be the one described by the Roman historian Suetonius in Lives of the Caesars.

Alea iacta est ("The die has been cast") is a variation of a Latin phrase attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar on January 10, 49 BC, as he led his army across the Rubicon river in Northern Italy.

A set of the Twelve Caesars in gold. Includes the following aurei: ,bJulius Caesar / A. Hirtius (8.11 gm). CRI 56. Good VF // Augustus / Gaius and Lucius Caesars (7.90 gm). RIC 206. Good VF // Tiberius / Livia (7.77 gm). RIC 25. VF // Gaius Caligula / Divvs Augustus (7.60 gm). RIC 1. Fine, ex jewelry // Claudius / Pax (7.78 gm). RIC 38. VF // Nero / Jupiter seated left (7.73 gm). RIC 52. Good VF // Galba / Roma (7.66 gm). RIC 59. VF // Otho / Victory (7.25 gm). RIC 13. Fine, ex jewelry // ; A VITELLIVS GER IMP AVG P MAX TR P / VESTA P R QVIRITIVM (7.32 gm). RIC -. Near EF, a few scuff marks // Vespasian / Pax (7.10 gm). RIC 18. Fine // Titus, Caesar / Annona (5.44 gm). RIC 218 (Vespasian). Fine, ex jewelry // Domitian, Caesar / Domitian on horseback (7.01 gm). RIC 232. cngcoins.com Augustus Bust of AugustusBefore he died, Julius Caesar had designated his great nephew, Gaius Octavius (who would be named Augustus by the Roman Senate after becoming emperor) as his adopted son and heir. Octavius' mother, Atia, was the daughter of Caesar's sister, Julia Caesaris. Octavian (not yet re-named Augustus) finished the civil wars started by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar. One by one, Augustus defeated the legions of the other generals who wanted to succeed Julius Caesar as the master of the Roman world. Suetonius includes descriptions of these civil wars, including the final one against Mark Antony that ended with the Battle of Actium. Antony had been Octavian's last surviving rival, but committed suicide after his defeat at Actium. It was after this victory in 31 BC that Octavian became master of the Roman world and imperator (or emperor). His declaration of the end of the Civil Wars that had started under Julius Caesar marked the historic beginning of the Roman Empire, and the Pax Romana. Octavian at this point was given the title "Augustus" (meaning "the venerable") by the Roman Senate. After describing the military campaigns of Augustus, Suetonius describes his personal life. A large section of the entire book is devoted to this. This is partly because after Actium, the reign of Augustus was mostly peaceful. It has also been noted by several sources that the entire work of The Twelve Caesars delves more deeply into personal details and gossip relative to other contemporary Roman histories. The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo A. Castro, painted 1672.Suetonius describes a strained relationship between Augustus and his daughter Julia. Augustus had originally wanted Julia, his only child, to provide for him a male heir. Due to difficulties regarding an heir, and Julia's promiscuity, Augustus banished Julia to the island of Pandateria and considered having her executed. Suetonius quotes Augustus as repeatedly cursing his enemies by saying that they should have "a wife and children like mine." According to Suetonius, Augustus lived a modest life, with few luxuries. Augustus lived in an ordinary Roman house, ate ordinary Roman meals, and slept in an ordinary Roman bed. Bust of Mark AntonySuetonius describes certain omens and dreams that predicted the birth of Augustus. One dream described in the book suggested that his mother, Atia, was a virgin impregnated by a Roman God. In 63 BC, during the Consulship of Cicero, several Roman Senators dreamt that a king would be born, and would rescue the Republic. 63 BC was also the year Augustus was born. One other omen described by Suetonius suggests that Julius Caesar decided to make Augustus his heir after seeing an omen while serving as the Roman Governor of Hispania Ulterior. Suetonius includes a section regarding the only two military defeats Rome suffered under Augustus. Both of these defeats occurred in Germany. The first defeat was inconsequential. During the second, the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, three Roman Legions (Legio XVII, Legio XVIII, and Legio XIX) were defeated by the West-Germanic resistence to Roman imperialism, led by Arminius. Much of what is known about this battle was written in this book. According to Suetonius, this battle "almost wrecked the empire." It is from Suetonius where we get the reaction of Augustus upon learning of the defeat. Suetonius writes that Augustus hit his head against a wall in despair, repeating, Quintili Vare, legiones redde! ('Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!') This defeat was one of the worst Rome suffered during the entire Principate. The result was the establishment of the rivers Rhine and Danube as the natural northern border of the Roman Empire. Rome would never again push its territory deeper into Germany. Suetonius suggests that Augustus never fully got over this defeat. Augustus died on August 19, AD 14, a little over a month before his 76th birthday. [edit] Tiberius Bust of TiberiusSuetonius describes the early career of Tiberius, which included his command of several Roman armies in Germany. It was his leadership in these German campaigns that convinced Augustus to adopt Tiberius and to make him his heir. According to Suetonius, Tiberius retired at a young age to Rhodes, before returning to Rome some time before the death of Augustus. The ascendance of Tiberius to the throne was possible because the two grandsons that Augustus had died before Augustus, and the last grandson, Postumus Agrippa, although originally designated co-rule with Tiberius was later deemed morally unsound by Augustus. Augustus began a long (and at times successful) tradition of adopting an heir, rather than allowing a son to succeed an emperor. Suetonius quotes from the will Augustus left. Suetonius suggests that not only was Tiberius not thought of highly by Augustus, but Augustus expected Tiberius to fail. After briefly mentioning military and administrative successes, Suetonius tells of perversion, brutality and vice and goes into depth to describe depravities he attributes to Tiberius. Despite the lurid tales, modern history looks upon Tiberius as a successful and competent Emperor who at his death left the state treasury much richer than when his reign began. Thus Suetonius' treatment of the character of Tiberius, like Claudius, must be taken with a pinch of salt. Tiberius died of natural causes. Suetonius describes widespread joy in Rome upon his death. There was a desire to have his body thrown down the Gemonian stairs and into the Tiber River, as this he had done many times previously to others. Tiberius had no living children when he died, although his (probable) natural grandson, Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero (Gemellus), and his adopted grandson, Gaius Caesar Caligula, both survived him. Tiberius designated both as his joint heirs, but seems to have favored Caligula over Gemellus, due to Gemellus' youth. [edit] Caligula Bust of Caligula A caliga.Most of what is known about the reign of Caligula comes from Suetonius. Other contemporary Roman works, such as those of Tacitus, contain little, if anything, about Caligula. Presumably most of what existed regarding his reign was lost long ago. Suetonius refers to Caligula as Gaius during most of the work, his true name, Caligula -'little boots' - being the name given to him by his father's soldiers, because as a boy he would often dress in miniature battle gear and 'drill' the troops (without knowing the commands, but the troops loved him all the same and pretended to understand him). Caligula's father, Germanicus, was loved throughout Rome as a brilliant military commander and example of Roman pietas. Tiberius had adopted Germanicus as his heir, with the hope that Germanicus would succeed him. Germanicus died before he could succeed Tiberius in 19 AD. Upon the death of Tiberius, Caligula became emperor. Initially the Romans loved Caligula due to their memory of his father. But most of what Suetonius says of Caligula is negative, and describes him as having an affliction that caused him to suddenly fall unconscious. Suetonius believed that Caligula knew that something was wrong with him. He reports that Caligula married his sister, threatened to make his horse consul, and that he sent an army to the northern coast of Gaul and as they prepared to invade Britain, one rumour had it that he had them pick sea shells on the shore (evidence shows that this could be a fabrication as the word for shell in Latin doubles as the word that the legionaries of the time used to call the 'huts' that the soldiers erected during the night while on campaign). He once built a walkway from his palace to a Temple, so that he could be closer to his "brother," the Roman god Jupiter, as Caligula believed himself to be a living deity. He would also have busts of his head replace those on statues of different gods. He would call people to his palace in the middle of the night. When they arrived, he would hide and make strange noises. At other times, he would have people assassinated, and then call for them. When they did not show up, he would remark that they must have committed suicide. Suetonius describes several omens that predicted the assassination of Caligula. He mentions a bolt of lightning that struck Rome on the Ides of March, which was when Julius Caesar was assassinated. Lightning was an event of immense superstition in the ancient world. The day of the assassination, Caligula sacrificed a flamingo. During the sacrifice, blood splattered on his clothes. Suetonius also describes a comet that was seen shortly before the assassination. In the ancient world, comets were believed to foretell the death or assassination of important people. Suetonius even suggested that Caligula's name itself was a predictor of his assassination, noting that every Caesar named Gaius, such as the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar, had been assassinated (a statement which is not entirely accurate; Julius Caesar's father died from natural causes, as did Augustus). Caligula was an avid fan of Gladiatorial combats and he was assassinated shortly after leaving a show by a disgruntled Praetorian guard captain. [edit] Claudius Bronze bust of ClaudiusClaudius was the brother of Germanicus, the father of Caligula. He was descended from both the Julian and the Claudian clans, as was Caligula. He was about 50 years old at the time of Caligula's murder. He never held public office until late in his life, probably due to his family's concerns as to his health and mental abilities. Suetonius has much to say about Claudius' apparent disabilities, and how the imperial family viewed them, in the Life of Augustus. The assassination of Caligula caused great terror in the Palace and, according to Suetonius, Claudius, being frightened by the sounds of soldiers scouring the Palace for further victims, hid behind some curtains, being convinced that he would be murdered as well. A soldier checking the room noticed feet sticking out from underneath the curtains, and upon pulling back the curtains discovered a terrified Claudius. Upon the arrival of other soldiers to the room, they acclaimed Claudius emperor and hustled him out of the Palace. Claudius was taken to the Praetorian camp, where he was quickly proclaimed emperor by the troops. We learn from Suetonius that Claudius was the first Roman commander to invade Britain since Julius Caesar a century earlier. Cassius Dio gives a more detailed account of this. He also went farther than Caesar, and made Britain subject to Roman rule. Caesar had "conquered" Britain, but left the Britons alone to rule themselves. Claudius was not as kind. The invasion of Britain was the major military campaign under his reign. Suetonius says Claudius suffered from ill health all of his life until he became emperor, when his health suddenly became excellent. Claudius suffered from a variety of maladies, including fits and seizures, as well as several disagreeable personal habits like a bad stutter and excessive drooling. Suetonius accuses Claudius of cruelty and stupidity, assigning some of the blame to his wives and freedman. Suetonius discusses several omens that foretold the assassination of Claudius. He mentions a comet that several Romans had seen shortly before the assassination. As mentioned earlier, comets were believed to foretell the deaths of significant people. Per Suetonius, Claudius, under suggestions from his wife Messalina, tried to shift this deadly fate from himself to others by various fictions, resulting in the execution of several Roman citizens, including some Senators and aristocrats. Suetonius paints Claudius as a ridiculous figure, belittling many of his acts and attributing his good works to the influence of others. Thus the portrait of Claudius as the weak fool, controlled by those he supposedly ruled, was preserved for the ages. Claudius’ dining habits figure in the biography, notably his immoderate love of food and drink, and his affection for the city taverns. His personal and moral failings aside however, most modern historians agree that Claudius generally ruled well. They cite his military success in Britannia as well as his extensive public works. His reign came to an end when he was murdered by eating from a dish of poisoned mushrooms, probably supplied by his last wife Agrippina in an attempt to have her own son from a previous marriage, the future emperor Nero, ascend the throne. [edit] Nero Bust of NeroSuetonius portrays the life of Nero in a similar fashion to that of Caligula—it begins with a recounting of how Nero assumed the throne ahead of Claudius' son Britannicus and then descends into a recounting of various atrocities the young emperor allegedly performed. One characteristic of Nero that Suetonius describes was Nero's fascination with music. Suetonius describes Nero as being a gifted musician. Nero would often give great concerts with attendance compelled for upper class Romans. These concerts would last for hours on end, and some women were rumored to give birth during them, or men faking death to escape (Nero forbade anyone from leaving the performance until it was completed). Nero's eccentricities continued in the tradition of his predecessors in mind and personal perversions. According to Suetonius, Nero had one boy castrated, and then had sex with him as though he were a woman. Suetonius quotes one Roman who lived around this time who remarked that the world would have been better off if Nero's father Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus had married someone more like the castrated boy. It is in Suetonius we find the beginnings of the legend that Nero "fiddled as Rome burned." Suetonius recounts how Nero, while watching Rome burn, exclaimed how beautiful it was, and sang an epic poem about the sack of Troy while playing the lyre. Suetonius describes Nero's suicide, and remarks that his death meant the end of the reign of the Julio-Claudians (because Nero had no heir). According to Suetonius, Nero was condemned to die by the Senate. When Nero knew that soldiers had been dispatched by the Senate to kill him, he committed suicide. [edit] Galba Bust of GalbaThe book about Galba is short. Galba was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. Galba was able to ascend to the throne because Nero's death meant the end of Julio-Claudian dynasty. Suetonius includes a brief description of Galba's family history. Suetonius describes Galba as being of noble birth, and born into a noble patrician family. Suetonius also includes a brief list of omens regarding Galba and his assassination. Most of this book describes Galba's ascension to the throne and his assassination, along with the usual side notes regarding his appearance and related omens. Suetonius does not spend much time describing either any accomplishments nor any failures of his reign. According to Suetonius, Galba was killed by Otho's loyalists. About this time, Suetonius has exhausted all his imperial archival sources. [edit] Otho Bust of OthoHis full name was Marcus Salvius Otho. Otho's reign was only a few months. Therefore, the book on Otho is short, much as the book on Galba had been. Suetonius used a similar method to describe the life of Otho as he had used to describe the life of Galba. Suetonius describes Otho's family, and their history and nobility. And just as Suetonius had done with prior Caesars, he includes a list of omens regarding Otho's reign and assassination. Suetonius spends most of the book describing the ascension of Otho, his assassination, and the other usual topics. Suetonius suggests that as soon as Otho ascended the throne, he started defending himself against competing claims to the throne. According to Suetonius, Otho suffered a fate similar to the fate Galba had suffered. It was the loyalists of another aspiring emperor (in this case, the next emperor Vitellius) who wanted to kill him. Suetonius claims that one night Otho realized that he would soon be murdered. He contemplated suicide, but decided to sleep one more night before carrying out a suicide. That night he went to bed, with a dagger under his pillow. The next morning he woke up, and stabbed himself to death. [edit] Vitellius Bust of VitelliusIn the book of the last of the short-lived emperors, Suetonius briefly describes the reign of Vitellius. Suetonius says that it was the followers of Vitellius who had assassinated Otho. This book gives an unfavorable picture of Vitellius; however it should be remembered that Suetonius' father was an army officer who had fought for Otho and against Vitellius at the first Battle of Bedriacum, and that Vespasian basically controlled history when he ascended to the throne. Anything written about Vitellius during the Flavian dynasty would have to paint him in a bad light. Suetonius includes a brief description of the family history of Vitellius, and related omens. Suetonius finally describes the assassination of Vitellius. According to Suetonius, Vitellius was dragged naked by Roman subjects, tied to a post, and had animal waste thrown at him before he was killed. However, unlike the prior two emperors, it was not the next emperor who killed Vitellius. The next emperor and his followers had been waging a war against the Jews in Judaea at the time. The death of Vitellius and subsequent ascendance of his successor ended the worst year of the early principate. [edit] Vespasian Bust of VespasianSuetonius begins by describing the humble antecedents of the founder of the Flavian dynasty and follows with a brief summary of his military and political career under Aulus Plautius Claudius and Nero and his suppression of the uprising in Judaea. Suetonius documents an early reputation for honesty but also a tendency toward avariciousness. A detailed recounting of the omens and consultations with oracles follows which Suetonius suggests furthered Vespasian's imperial pretensions. Suetonius then briefly recounts the escalating military support for Vespasian and even more briefly the events in Italy and Egypt that culminated in his accession. Suetonius presents Vespasian's early imperial actions, the reimposition of discipline on Rome and her provinces and the rebuilding and repair of Roman infrastructure damaged in the civil war, in a favourable light, describing him as 'modest and lenient' and drawing clear parallels with Augustus. Vespasian is further presented as being extraordinarily just and with a preference for clemency over revenge. Suetonius describes avarice as Vespasian's only serious failing, documenting his tendency for inventive taxation and extortion. However, he mitigates this failing by suggesting that the emptiness of state coffers left Vespasian little choice. Moreover, intermixed with accounts of greed and 'stinginess' are accounts of generosity and lavish rewards. Finally Suetonius gives a brief account of Vespasian's physical appearance and penchant for comedy. Having contracted a 'bowel complaint,' he tried to continue his duties as emperor from what would be his deathbed, but on a sudden attack of diarrhea he said "An emperor ought to die standing," and died while struggling to do so. [edit] Titus Bust of TitusTitus was the elder son of Vespasian, and second emperor of the Flavian dynasty. As Suetonius writes: "The delight and darling of the human race." Titus was raised in the imperial court, having grown up with Britannicus. The two of them were told a prophesy pertaining to their future where Britannicus was told that he would never succeed his father and that Titus would. The two were so close that when Britannicus was poisoned Titus who was present tasted it and was nearly killed. "When Titus came of age, the beauty and talents that had distinguished him as a child grew even more remarkable." Titus was extremely adept at the arts of "war and peace." He made a name for himself as a colonel in Germany and Britain; however, he really flourished as a commander under his father in Judea and when he took over the siege of Jerusalem. Titus' near six month siege of Jerusalem ended with the destruction of the Herod's Temple and the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem. The resulting period is known as the Jewish diaspora (roughly from 70 till 1948). Titus had an love affair with the Jewish Queen Berenice, whom he brought briefly to Rome. As Emperor he tried to be magnanimous and always heard petitions with an open-mind. And after going through a day having not granted any favors he commented that "I have wasted a day." During his reign he finished what would be the most enduring reminder of his family, the Flavian Amphitheater. His reign was tainted by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, a great fire in Rome, and one of the worst plagues "that had ever been known." These catastrophes did not destroy him, rather, as Suetonius remarks, he rose up like a father caring for his children. And although he was deified, his reign was short. He died from poison (possibly by his brother, Domitian), having only reigned for "two years, two months and twenty days." At the time of his death he "[drew] back the curtains, gazed up at the sky, and complained bitterly that life was being undeservedly taken from him-since only a single sin lay on his conscience." There is speculation about the "single sin," Suetonius believes it may have been attributed to an affair he allegedly had with his brother's wife. However, this is unlikely since she usually boasted about her infidelity and vehemently denied that she had slept with Titus. [edit] Domitian Bust of DomitianYounger brother of Titus, second son of Vespasian, and third emperor of the Flavian dynasty. Recorded as having gained the throne through deliberately letting his brother die of a fever. During Titus' rule he had caused dissent and had sought the throne through rebellion. From the beginning of his reign Domitian ruled as a complete autocrat, partly because of his lack of political skills, but also because of his own nature. Having led a solitary early life, Domitian was suspicious of those around him, a difficult situation which gradually got worse. Domitian's provincial government was so carefully supervised that Suetonius admits that the Empire enjoyed a period of unusually good government and security. Domitian's policy of employing members of the equestrian class rather than his own freedmen for some important posts was also an innovation. The Empire’s finances, which the recklessness of Titus had thrown into confusion, were restored despite building projects and foreign wars. Deeply religious, Domitian built temples and established ceremonies and even tried to enforce public morality by law. Domitian personally took part in battles in Germany. The latter part of his reign saw increasing trouble on the lower Danube from the Dacians, a tribe occupying roughly what is today Romania. Led by their king Decebalus, the Dacians invaded the Empire in 85 AD. The war ended in 88 in a compromise peace which left Decebalus as king and gave him Roman "foreign aid" in return for his promise to help defend the frontier. One of the reasons Domitian failed to crush the Dacians was a revolt in Germany by the governor Antonius Saturninus. The revolt was quickly suppressed, but from then on, Suetonius informs us, Domitian's already suspicious temper grew steadily worse. Those closest to him suffered the most, and after a reign of terror at the imperial court Domitian was murdered in 96 AD, the group that killed him, according to Suetonius, including his wife, Domitia Longina, and possibly his successor, Nerva. The Senate, which had always hated him, quickly condemned his memory and repealed his acts, and Domitian joined the ranks of the tyrants of considerable accomplishments but evil memory. He was the last of the Flavian emperors, and his murder marked the beginning of the period of the so-called Five Good Emperors. SEE: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars

Boudica was a queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. However, the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus’ eventual victory over Boudica confirmed Roman control of the province. Boudica then either killed...

Decorate laptops, Hydro Flasks, cars and more with removable kiss-cut, vinyl decal stickers. Glossy, matte, and transparent options in various sizes. Super durable and water-resistant. At the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE the Romans lost three legions led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. According to Suetonius emperor Augustus shouted for many years: Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!

THE BATTLE FOR ROMAN BRITANNIA 60 AD In 60 AD, an alliance of British tribes led by Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, rose up against Roman rule and severely mauled  the 9th Hispania Legion under General Quintus Cerialis. She then went on to completely destroy the towns of Verulamium, Colchester and the capital city of London. The military Governor of Roman Britannia, Gaius Suetonius, hastily gathered the 14th Gemina and parts 20th Valeria Victrix Legion (In all some ten thousand men) and awaited Boudica's much larger army nearly one hundred thousand strong in the midlands between London and Wroxeter. The Romans lined up in a narrow gorge with thick forests to thier flanks and rear. The gorge itself opened out into a wide plain which offered a limited front in which Suetonius was to give battle. By contrast Boudica's forces set up and paraded wildly everywhere. Thier confidence was such that they placed there wagon train in an arc formation at the end of the battlefield, from which point the women and children could watch what they expected to be a great victory. Boudica began the battle launching a massive frontal assault on the Roman Lines. As the Britons drew nearer, they were met by waves of Roman javelins which killed or wounded almost five thousand tribesmen with each volley, decimating there front ranks. As Boudica's charge began to wain, General Suetonius concluded they had absorbed the fury and  momentum from the Britons and ordered his Legionaries to draw there short swords and began to march forward. With there superior weapons, armor and training, they easily advanced unappeaded through the densely packed masses of the enemy. As British losses mounted they attempted to turn and flee but thier escape was blocked by thier own wagons and they were mercilessly cut down and slaughtered. The Romans killed not only armed warriors but also the women and children. After an entire day of one sided carnage and butchery, seventy five thousand Britons lay dead or dying for the meager Roman losses of six hundred Legionaries. It is believed that Boudica survived the battle only to have poisoned herself afterwards to avoid capture

THE BATTLE FOR ROMAN BRITANNIA 60 AD In 60 AD, an alliance of British tribes led by Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, rose up against Roman rule and severely mauled  the 9th Hispania Legion under General Quintus Cerialis. She then went on to completely destroy the towns of Verulamium, Colchester and the capital city of London. The military Governor of Roman Britannia, Gaius Suetonius, hastily gathered the 14th Gemina and parts 20th Valeria Victrix Legion (In all some ten thousand men) and awaited Boudica's much larger army nearly one hundred thousand strong in the midlands between London and Wroxeter. The Romans lined up in a narrow gorge with thick forests to thier flanks and rear. The gorge itself opened out into a wide plain which offered a limited front in which Suetonius was to give battle. By contrast Boudica's forces set up and paraded wildly everywhere. Thier confidence was such that they placed there wagon train in an arc formation at the end of the battlefield, from which point the women and children could watch what they expected to be a great victory. Boudica began the battle launching a massive frontal assault on the Roman Lines. As the Britons drew nearer, they were met by waves of Roman javelins which killed or wounded almost five thousand tribesmen with each volley, decimating there front ranks. As Boudica's charge began to wain, General Suetonius concluded they had absorbed the fury and  momentum from the Britons and ordered his Legionaries to draw there short swords and began to march forward. With there superior weapons, armor and training, they easily advanced unappeaded through the densely packed masses of the enemy. As British losses mounted they attempted to turn and flee but thier escape was blocked by thier own wagons and they were mercilessly cut down and slaughtered. The Romans killed not only armed warriors but also the women and children. After an entire day of one sided carnage and butchery, seventy five thousand Britons lay dead or dying for the meager Roman losses of six hundred Legionaries. It is believed that Boudica survived the battle only to have poisoned herself afterwards to avoid capture

Record number: B-10 06628 Author: Suetonius, approximately 69-approximately 122 Title: XII Caesares. Imprint: Basileae, H. Petri, 1560. Binding description: A contemporary German (?) blind tooled binding, sewn on 6 double thongs forming raised bands.. Plain white endleaves. Yellow linen double endbands.Yellow textblock edges. Full bound brown calfskin over wooden boards bevelled on inside edges and partially on outside edges. Covers finished in blind with 3-line fillet, forming three panels, the outer panel containing an intaglio roll depicting Paris, Venus, Juno, and Pallas; the middle panel with a single leaf and flower motif, and the inner panel with an intaglio roll depicting Fides, Lucretia and other unidentified figures. Spine finished with 3- line fillet forming panels, continued around to covers; the 4 middle bands finished with a single-line fillet, the top and bottom bands with a diagonal roll. Squares finished with a one-line fillet. Two brass and leather clasps, hinged on lower cover. Extent: 165 x 105 mm. Rights info: No known restrictions on access Repository: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Canada, M5S 1A5, library.utoronto.ca/fisher

Before the Domus Aurea, there was the Domus Transitoria. The architectural genius and decorative virtuosities remain intact. The first palace of Nero set in the heart of the Palatine, is impressive to say the least. After almost seventy years of closure, the Domus Transitoria, the first house of the eccentric and (some might say) visionary emperor, built between 60 and 64 AD in the name of unbridled luxury, will open to the general public on April 11, Alfonsina Russo director of the archaeological park of the Colosseum announced. Credit: WikiCommons This is an important milestone in Russo's ambitious plan to expand the sites on the Colle dei Cesari. It took years of restoration work and refurbishment to reveal this almost unseen monumental complex, which had a relatively short lifespan, since after the fire of AD 64 Nero commissioned the construction of the new Domus Aurea extending from the Palatine to the Oppio Hill. After that, the damnatio memoriae did the rest. The renunciation by the successors, the Flavians, weighed on the conservation of Nero's architecture. The tours will involve small groups, as one enters through either of the two original ancient staircases, descending into the belly of the Palatine, in a large space that today is sealed off like a cave by a vast loft built in the 1960s. It is located beneath the so-called Coenatio Iovis of the Domus Flavia, known as Bagni di Livia, first excavated in the 18th century by the Farnese family. Credit: La Repubblica Credit: La Repubblica The opulence of the rooms is evident here. The architectural structure of a nymphaeum conceived as the frons scaene of a theatre that was meant to showcase fountains like a theatrical performance to entertain Nero and his guests is immediately striking. There are small niches on the pulpit decorated with polychrome marble columns, from which two thousand years ago gushes of water exploded in unison with the waterfall of the nymphaeum. Opposite stands the pavilion supported by porphyry columns where Nero would lie down, the heart of a procession of luxuriously decorated rooms, where the foundations of the Domus Aurea now lie. Water played a leading role: this structure was used for summer activities where Nero found refreshment during the summer. The historian Suetonius wrote that Nero's dream was to bring back the golden age, and it will be through multimedia technology that the original effect will be restored. Credit: La Repubblica Credit: La Repubblica The visitor's path, created by Alessandro D'Alessio, is enriched by a lighting design that highlights the key points of opulence, between the floors in marble inlays in opus sectile, and the vaults with frescoes, covered with gold leaves, lapis lazuli. In the hall of the pavilion, a projection in both Italian and English audio introduces visitors to the history of the first Neronian residence on the Palatine and its relation to the subsequent Domus Aurea. The tour continues by exploring other remarkable settings, until it crosses an unexpectedly imposing 80-seat latrine, intersected by the foundation wall of the subsequent construction of the Domitian era. Credit: La Repubblica The final section, which does not belong to the Domus Transitoria, contains a video wall that will offer a spectacular reconstruction of the pictorial decoration of Nero's time. Source: Il Messaggero [March 26, 2019] Labels Archaeology, Europe, Heritage, Italy, Southern Europe TANN you might also like Newer Post Older Post

Didyma (Greek: Δίδυμα) was an ancient Ionian sanctuary, the modern Didim, Turkey,[1] containing a temple and oracle of Apollo, the Didymaion. In Greek didyma means "twin", but the Greeks who sought a "twin" at Didyma ignored the Carian origin of the name.[2] Next to Delphi, Didyma was the most renowned oracle of the Hellenic world, first mentioned among the Greeks in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo,[3] but an establishment preceding literacy and even the Hellenic colonization of Ionia. Mythic genealogies of the origins of the Branchidae line of priests, designed to capture the origins of Didyma as a Hellenic tradition, date to the Hellenistic period.[4] Didyma was the largest and most significant sanctuary on the territory of the great classical city Miletus. To approach it, visitors would follow the Sacred Way to Didyma, about 17 km long. Along the way, were ritual waystations, and statues of members of the Branchidae family, male and female, as well as animal figures. Some of these statues, dating to the 6th century BC are now in the British Museum, taken by Charles Newton in the 19th century. Greek and Roman authors laboured to refer the name Didyma to "twin" temples — not a feature of the site — or to temples of the twins, Apollo and Artemis, whose own cult center at Didyma was only recently established, or whether, as Wilamowitz suggested there is a connection to Cybele Dindymene, "Cybele of Mount Dindymon", is mooted. Recent excavations by the German team of archaeologists have uncovered a major sanctuary dedicated to Artemis, with the key ritual focus being water. The 6th-century Didymaion, dedicated to Apollo, enclosed its smaller predecessor, which archaeologists have identified. Its treasury was enriched by gifts from Croesus. Until its destruction by the Persians in 494 BC, Didyma's sanctuary was administered by the family of the Branchidae, who claimed descent from a purely eponymous Branchos, a youth beloved of Apollo.[7] The priestess, seated above the sacred spring, gave utterances that were interpreted by the Branchidae. Both Herodotus[8] and Pausanias[9] dated the origins of the oracle at Didyma before the Ionian colonization of this coast. The Branchidae were expelled by Darius' Persians, who burned the temple in 493 BC and carried away to Ecbatana the archaic bronze statue of Apollo, traditionally made by Canachus of Sicyon[10] in the 6th century; the spring dried up, it was reported, and the archaic oracle was silenced.[11] Though the sanctuaries of Delphi and Ephesus were swiftly rebuilt, Didyma remained a ruin until the first steps of restoration were undertaken, in 334 BC. Callisthenes, a court historian of Alexander reported that the spring began once more to flow after Alexander passed through, but there had been a complete break in the oracles' personnel and tradition.[12] Inscriptions, including inquiries and responses, and literary testimony record Didyma's role as an oracle, with the "grim epilogue"[13] of Apollo's supposed sanction of Diocletian's persecution of Christians, until the closing of the temples under Theodosius I. Location of Didyma South of Maeander River's mouth and Miletus.After his capture of Miletus in 334 BC Alexander the Great reconsecrated the oracle but placed its administration of the oracle in the hands of the city, where the priest in charge was annually elected. About 300 BC[14] Seleucus I Nicator brought the bronze cult image back, and the Milesians began to build a new temple, which, if it had ever been completed, would have been the largest in the Hellenic world. Vitruvius recorded a tradition that the architects were Paeonius of Ephesus, whom Vitruvius credited with the rebuilding of the Temple of Artemis there, and Daphnis of Miletus. The peripteral temple[15] was surrounded by a double file of Ionic columns. With a pronaos of three rows of four columns, the approaching visitor passed through a regularized grove formed of columns. The usual door leading to a cella was replaced by a blank wall with a large upper opening through which one could glimpse the upper part of the naiskos in the inner court (adyton). The entry route lay down either of two long constricted sloping passageways built within the thickness of the walls which gave access to the inner court, still open to the sky but isolated from the world by the high walls of the cella: there was the ancient spring, the naiskos— which was a small temple itself, containing in its own small cella the bronze cult image of the god— and a grove of laurels, sacred to Apollo. The inner walls of the cella were articulated by pilasters standing on a base the height of a man (1.94 m). Turning back again, the visitor saw a monumental staircase that led up to three openings to a room[16] whose roof was supported by two columns on the central cross-axis. The oracular procedure, so well documented at Delphi, is unknown at Didyma and must be reconstructed on the basis of the temple's construction, but it appears that several features of Delphi were now adopted: a priestess[17] and answers delivered in classical hexameters. At Delphi, nothing was written; at Didyma, inquiries and answers were written; a small structure, the Chresmographion featured in this process: it was meticulously disassembled in the Christian period. The annual festival held there under the auspices of Miletus was the Didymeia; it was made a Panhellenic festival in the beginning of the 2nd century BC. German excavations made between 1905 and 1930 revealed all of the incomplete new temple and some carved fragments that belonged to the earlier temple and to associated statues. Pausanias visited Didyma in the later 2nd century AD.[18] Pliny reported[19] the worship of Apollo Didymiae, Apollo of Didymus, in Central Asia, transported to Sogdiana by a general of Seleucus and Antiochus whose inscribed altars there were still to be seen by Pliny's correspondents. Corroborating inscriptions on amphoras were found by I.R. Pichikyan at Dilbergin.[20] Clement of Alexandria quotes Leandrios saying that Cleochus, grandfather of the eponymous founder Miletus, was buried within the temple enclosure of Didyma. "The temple is adorned with costliest offerings consisting of early works of art." Strabo, Geography (XIV.1.5)The fourth largest sanctuary in the Greek world after the Temple of Artemis (and the Heraion of Samos and the Olympieion at Sicily), the Didymaion was built to rival the Artemision, employing one of the same architects, who was completing his work there, and having the same approximate dimensions. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great liberated the cities of Ionia. Although the oracle pronounced him to be the son of Zeus in 331 BC, it probably was not until about 300 BC (the cult statue of Apollo had been returned in 301 BC) that the citizens of Miletus were able to begin rebuilding the earlier archaic temple that had been plundered (including treasures that had been dedicated by Croesus) and burned by the Persians in 494 BC. Betrayed by the Branchidae, the priestly caste who were guardians of the site, in exchange for their lives, their descendants later were said to have been massacred by a vengeful Alexander. But the project proved too ambitious and the magnificent structure never was completed. One hundred and twenty columns were planned, each over sixty-four feet high (the tallest of any Greek temple). Inscribed accounts of the construction indicate that each column cost approximately forty-thousand drachmas, at a time when a worker earned about two drachmas a day. Suetonius indicates that Caligula intended to complete the sumptuous temple, and Pausanius (VII.5.4) later writes that the temple was unfinished even in his own time, almost five centuries later. When it was learned that the Temple of Artemis had been destroyed by invading Goths, the temple at Didyma was fortified against attack and escaped destruction. But its famous oracle, second only to that at Delphi, was silenced by the edict of Theodosius to Cynegius in AD 385 and later closed altogether, its sanctuary replaced by a church. At the end of the fifteenth century, an earthquake reduced the temple to rubble, collapsing all but three of its columns. The temple is unusual in that it was hypaethral and had no roof. Raised on a high, stepped podium and surrounded on all four sides by a double row of columns (double peristyle or dipteral), twenty-one along the sides and ten across the front and rear façades (decastyle), the interior cella (naiskos) was exposed to the sky, providing a large open sanctuary (adyton) within this forest of columns. Behind an array of twelve more columns in the temple's deep porch (pronaos), there was a great doorway but with such a high threshold that it did not serve as an entrance but as an antechamber or stage, on either side of which were two vaulted passageways that descended in the dark, not to the traditional cella but out onto the sunlit inner court of the sanctuary, itself. There, at the far end, was a small tetrastyle temple that housed the cult statue of Apollo and a spring. Turning around, one saw a broad flight of stairs leading up to doors on the other side of the antechamber. Having fasted for three days in preparation and inspired by the chthonian powers of the sacred underground spring, the prophetess received the oracle of the god, but it is uncertain exactly how that message was conveyed. It may be that the antechamber was used as a chresmographeion and the oracle was pronounced from there by the prophet of the temple, or it may be that the cult statue was intended to be seen and petitioners were permitted to go down the passageways to the adyton. The oracle chamber also may have been another building altogether, where the prophecies, many of which survive, were rendered into verse and delivered in writing. In the variety and complexity of its interior spaces, Didyma is unique. It is exceptional for another reason: In 1979, fine, barely visible lines were discovered incised on the high interior walls of the adyton. They are the actual blueprint of the temple, rendered in full-scale and precisely scratched into the surface of the marble to serve as a guide over the several lifetimes it would take to complete construction. They survive at the Didymaion because the temple never was finished and the walls of the cella court did not receive their final polishing. "With regard to the enlargement made at the middle columns, which among the Greeks is called entasis, at the end of the book a figure and calculation will be subjoined." Vitruvius' De Architectura originally was illustrated with ten such drawings, all of which have been lost. One set of inscribed lines at Didyma actually provides a scheme for laying out the entasis (the slight convex bulge of the column to make it appear straight) and so provides an example of how the missing scale drawing might have looked. References: Didyma: Apollo's Oracle, Cult, and Companions (1988) by Joseph Fontenrose; Lothar Haselberger (1985); The Seven Wonders of the World (1995) by John and Elizabeth Romer; Greek Architecture (1996) by A. W. Lawrence, revised by R. A. Tomlinson. Vitruvius: The Ten Books on Architecture (1960) translated by Morris Morgan (Dover Books); The Geography of Strabo (1929) translated by Horace Leonard Jones (Loeb Classical Library); Pausanius: Description of Greece (1933) translated by W. H. S. Jones and H. A. Ormerod (Loeb Classical Library). video http://www.greektube.org/content/view/149921/2/