Do you have a favourite (or favorite) time of Rome and/or Roman person? When, who and why?
(For example, are you more interested in the Republic or in the Empire era?)
(For example, are you more interested in the Republic or in the Empire era?)
Favorite period, favorite emperor, favorite person
- Thread starter meisenimverbis
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Hmm... I don't really have a favorite Roman person or period, no. I'm potentially interested in all periods of Roman history, though I suppose some figures, especially wicked-bonkers ones*, and some events, especially tragic ones**, are more apt to arouse my imagination.
*Caligula, for instance, whose life I'm currently versifying.
**The story of Antony and Cleopatra, for example, probably because of Shakespeare's play and the series Rome, where Mark Antony was my favorite character.
*Caligula, for instance, whose life I'm currently versifying.
**The story of Antony and Cleopatra, for example, probably because of Shakespeare's play and the series Rome, where Mark Antony was my favorite character.
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My main interest had always been the late republic and the early principate ... mainly the time from Marius all the way down to its fall with the death of Caesar in 44 and Cicero in 43 and from there the struggle for the 'restitution' (as Octavianus called it) of the res publica down to Augustus's death and Tiberius's principate.
I think I just felt kind of attached to Cicero as a prose author and the Augustean poets (especially Ovid and Vergil; and apart from them Catullus) as authors of poetry. Everything that came before that time is still kind of interesting to me, but anything that came after never interested me much.
I think I just felt kind of attached to Cicero as a prose author and the Augustean poets (especially Ovid and Vergil; and apart from them Catullus) as authors of poetry. Everything that came before that time is still kind of interesting to me, but anything that came after never interested me much.
The late empire, the barbarian invasions and the empire's fall are also of interest to me.
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I've noticed that ... you seem to like those Germanic tribes somehow
 Tongue.gif "(1) Tongue out :p")
I've done a bit on the later periods, too, obviously ... but for some reason it's never really caught on to me.
And their proper names. If I had a son and if I dared, I might call him something like Theoderic, Alfric or Alaric.I've noticed that ... you seem to like those Germanic tribes somehow
But I won't have any, so...
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And their proper names. If I had a son and if I dared, I might call him something like Theoderic, Alfric or Alaric.
I think you would actually get away with those names in Germany or in England (not sure about other countries) ... I would advise against Alfric, but the other ones seem decent enough. I once thought if I had a daughter, I'd call her Tullia, but that probably won't happen either ... and if it did, it would probably not be the best name to go with.
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I know ... but probably not a name you'd want to go to school with
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In Germany there's a law, as far as I'm aware, that a name has to fulfil certain criteria. If it isn't German name, the onus is on the parents to provide evidence that it exists in some other culture. I've always assumed this referred to those that are currently around, which might scupper Tullia, but perhaps I'm wrong.
In the UK and the US, by contrast, you can be as cruel to your child as the official registering the birth will allow. Can't you get these impulses out of your system on a dog or a cat?
In the UK and the US, by contrast, you can be as cruel to your child as the official registering the birth will allow. Can't you get these impulses out of your system on a dog or a cat?
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I don't think Tullia would be much of a problem ... it's analogous to regular names like Julia and it quite clearly shows that the child is of female sex. I've seen people get away with worse names than that.
Well, as I said, I'd have second thoughts about that name because you would also not want your child to be an easy target at school just by the merit of his or her name.
I've been more drawn to the Empire recently. Still, I do intend to go back and study Republican History... (And write stories there too.) I was naturally drawn to the Empire because I began studying the emperors. And I quite liked it.
In a way, It'll be easier to write in the Republic. There's more regular information on naming, religion and religious calendar... But I've been enjoying the Empire, for now.
I think the Christian Empire a little weird. (From Constantine on.) Still, it is likeable. The best times must have been from Trajan to Antonine...
In a way, It'll be easier to write in the Republic. There's more regular information on naming, religion and religious calendar... But I've been enjoying the Empire, for now.
I think the Christian Empire a little weird. (From Constantine on.) Still, it is likeable. The best times must have been from Trajan to Antonine...
If we're talking classically inspired names, I rather like the name Sophonisba Breckinridge. Though her namesake certainly met a rather tragic end.
I've never seen a Tullia (Túlia) or Tullius (Túlio) in Portuguese in our time, though it sounds absolutely common and is certainly an acceptable name. It might sound old. We have Nicolau, which sounds old but still is used (I have a cousin named thus), but we don't have Menelau. (Not that I know anyway, though there might be someone around with this name... I might find one on facebook... Maybe you could find a Túlio or Túlia on facebook, I don't know... Nicolau though will be more common. Nicolas, nowadays, must be more common than Nicolau, because it sounds English. Brazilians like to adapt. There's Douglas, Washington and Wellington, and, more recently, Maicon (for Michael), Daiane/Dayane (and other variations) for Diane, and very weird spellings of Jennifer, James (with Jh meaning that you should pronounce the J in an Englishish way).)
Would you use Tullia because of Cicero?
I've never seen an Alfrico... There's Frederico and Alfredo... (Both sound old, but are plausible and there still are a few. I have another cousin called Frederico.) No Alfrico though. There's Eurico. Alfredo and Eurico will be more common in Portugal, I guess. There are Visigoths in their history that someone might recall... In Brazil though, we don't study history. With this new government, they now tend not to study at all...
Common translations of Michael and Diana are Miguel and ..well, Diana (pronounced like what would sound in Italian Gianna, Di- in Brazilian Portuguese sounds like Italian Gi-).
As I said somewhere else, I don't like translating names, in certain cases. I've been translating the gospel of Mark because (besides any other reasons) I'm annoyed with the translations of names, so I'm returning their forms to at least look a little bit more like Hebrew, Ioanan for John/João, Iesua for Jesus, Matiá for Matthew/Mateus, or Greek, Filipos for Philip/Filipe, Petros for Peter/Pedro, or Latin (just the one name, Pontius Pilatus for Pôncio Pilatos).
Common translations of Michael and Diana are Miguel and ..well, Diana (pronounced like what would sound in Italian Gianna, Di- in Brazilian Portuguese sounds like Italian Gi-).
As I said somewhere else, I don't like translating names, in certain cases. I've been translating the gospel of Mark because (besides any other reasons) I'm annoyed with the translations of names, so I'm returning their forms to at least look a little bit more like Hebrew, Ioanan for John/João, Iesua for Jesus, Matiá for Matthew/Mateus, or Greek, Filipos for Philip/Filipe, Petros for Peter/Pedro, or Latin (just the one name, Pontius Pilatus for Pôncio Pilatos).
I know a guy who named his daughter 'Tula', from the Sanscrit तुला tulā for 'balance, weight, equilibrium' (= the S name for Libra). He was a Sanscritist, go figure!Pacifica dixit:
Question (about people)...
The sculptures above, on the forum header... Is the first one Cicero? The second is Caesar, right? After him I don't know.. Caligula, maybe? (Or is it Augustus?) After him there is a lady I can't figure out, the following one I think is Claudius (or maybe one of the Flavii?), the next Marcus Aurelius, after him, maybe Severus?, and the last one is the giant head of Constantinus. Do I get them right?
Emperors
Do you guys know all the emperors, or do you get lost? I was pretty lost on emperors until the beginning of this year, when I began to "decline emperors" (write them down, make my own lists.. study them). I'm still a little lost with Republican personalities and times, which I intend to study as soon as I can, not right now though (once I'm still studying imperial days). I'm really happy not to get lost on emperors anymore
The sculptures above, on the forum header... Is the first one Cicero? The second is Caesar, right? After him I don't know.. Caligula, maybe? (Or is it Augustus?) After him there is a lady I can't figure out, the following one I think is Claudius (or maybe one of the Flavii?), the next Marcus Aurelius, after him, maybe Severus?, and the last one is the giant head of Constantinus. Do I get them right?
Emperors
Do you guys know all the emperors, or do you get lost? I was pretty lost on emperors until the beginning of this year, when I began to "decline emperors" (write them down, make my own lists.. study them). I'm still a little lost with Republican personalities and times, which I intend to study as soon as I can, not right now though (once I'm still studying imperial days). I'm really happy not to get lost on emperors anymore
You're right about most of them. Take a look here: THREAD: capita-latine-loquentium-nostro-in-foro
I'll have to say a big NO here I'm afraid. Not that I've ever tried to memorize them all.
Whoa! I can't see anything after Constantinus! Monitor ends there...
I haven't (yet) memorized all of them. But at least I don't feel lost anymore. I mean, if you give me a random emperor's name, I can (reasonably enough) tell where in the timeline he is, and to what group of emperors (I'm not sure the word dynasty aplies) he belongs... (I did so precisely to get to ground myself in the timeline of the Roman Empire. I gather that in the Republic, I'll have to go for events, once there's no monarch to think "this happened in the days of that man", and I'll definitely not list all the Roman consuls...)