My Travel and History Blog, Focussing mostly on Roman and Mediaeval Times
29 Jan 2009
The Centurion Found the Stones
And poor Gaius Numerius and Quintus Didius are back at work.
The wine has not been found, but an investigation about the illegal trade of Roman weapons has been started. It could take some time, though, and the culprits will most likely be back in Rome by then and produce some evidence supported by high ranking patrons that they never did anything wrong.
As far as I know, the Roman army was the only one that regularly tasked the soldiers with building forts and border defenses or constructing roads. They also never entrusted the auxiliaries with those jobs. Made by Romans meant something back then. :)
Copyright of the comic unidentified.
¶ January 29, 2009 9 comments
And poor Gaius Numerius and Quintus Didius are back at work.
The wine has not been found, but an investigation about the illegal trade of Roman weapons has been started. It could take some time, though, and the culprits will most likely be back in Rome by then and produce some evidence supported by high ranking patrons that they never did anything wrong. As far as I know, the Roman army was the only one that regularly tasked the soldiers with building forts and border defenses or constructing roads. They also never entrusted the auxiliaries with those jobs. Made by Romans meant something back then. :)
Copyright of the comic unidentified.
¶ January 29, 2009 9 comments
22 Jan 2009
The Caledonians Are Coming!
Today the view from the remains of a fortress tower or mile castle along the Hadrian's Wall shows a peaceful scenery.
View from the ruins of a mile castle near Birdoswald
Back when the towers still stood proud, a Roman sentinel on guard service may have seen something else.
Damn, not another bunch of those ill tempered Caledonian Celts!
Exhibition at Birdoswald fortress
Hm, looks like they got some reinforcements from the continent. Some of those guys are really blond. Or is that our Batavian auxiliary? You never know what side they are on.*
Miniatures; Roman Army Museum
Some poor sod must have lost his sword. If the centurion sees all that rust, the guy will be in big trouble.
Roman sword; Roman Army Museum
And that's what is left behind today. A wall to keep the tourists and their money in.
Remains of the Hadrian's Wall near Birdoswald
* To be just, the Batavians were on the Roman side most of the time, except for that one big mutiny in 69 AD.
Not traveling around in the dark months of winter has its advantages; I finally manage to post some of my older photos. I take too many, that's the problem. ;)
¶ January 22, 2009 12 comments
Today the view from the remains of a fortress tower or mile castle along the Hadrian's Wall shows a peaceful scenery.
Back when the towers still stood proud, a Roman sentinel on guard service may have seen something else.
Damn, not another bunch of those ill tempered Caledonian Celts!
Hm, looks like they got some reinforcements from the continent. Some of those guys are really blond. Or is that our Batavian auxiliary? You never know what side they are on.*
Some poor sod must have lost his sword. If the centurion sees all that rust, the guy will be in big trouble.
And that's what is left behind today. A wall to keep the tourists and their money in.
* To be just, the Batavians were on the Roman side most of the time, except for that one big mutiny in 69 AD.
Not traveling around in the dark months of winter has its advantages; I finally manage to post some of my older photos. I take too many, that's the problem. ;)
¶ January 22, 2009 12 comments
19 Jan 2009
Roman Weapons
Since I came back from my visit to the Saalburg fortress in 2007 with a lot of photos; I got some more for you. How about a few sharp and pointy toys for the big boys?
Roman swords of the gladius type, with metal (to the left below) and bone (upper rows left) sheath mountings, and sword strap buckles (to the right).
A spatha, a Roman cavalry sword. Those were longer than the gladius type and used to fight from horseback. In the later Empire, the spatha began to replace the gladius even for the infantry.
Spears and javelins, partly reconstructed. Nothing tops the Roman pilum, lol.
Btw, I found our friend Aelius Rufus. He was hanging out in the Leisure Centre in Caerleon, but I've dragged him home.
¶ January 19, 2009 16 comments
Since I came back from my visit to the Saalburg fortress in 2007 with a lot of photos; I got some more for you. How about a few sharp and pointy toys for the big boys?
Roman swords of the gladius type, with metal (to the left below) and bone (upper rows left) sheath mountings, and sword strap buckles (to the right).
A spatha, a Roman cavalry sword. Those were longer than the gladius type and used to fight from horseback. In the later Empire, the spatha began to replace the gladius even for the infantry.
Spears and javelins, partly reconstructed. Nothing tops the Roman pilum, lol.
Btw, I found our friend Aelius Rufus. He was hanging out in the Leisure Centre in Caerleon, but I've dragged him home.
¶ January 19, 2009 16 comments
16 Jan 2009
Roman Pottery
I'm not a specialist in Roman pottery, but I've seen enough of it to get an image what a Roman table may have looked like. I've also eaten from the replica of Roman tableware in restaurants that serve Roman dishes. Which make for some interesting taste experiences, but that's another topic. (And no, stuffed dormouse was not on the menu, lol.)
The terra sigillata style Roman pottery was a mass product; shards of it can be found pretty much everywhere the Romans stayed for longer than an hour, and trade spread it even outside the spheres of Roman influence.
Some terra sigillata (Saalburg Museum)
What struck me as an interesting variation when I visited the museum in the Saalburg Fortress was another shelf with larger pots which were decorated with faces. I filed them under the Odd Things Roman category and pretty much forgot about them. Until I today came across a post in Adrian Murdoch's Bread and Circuses blog, linking to an obituary of Jill Braithwaite, an archaeologist specialising in those face pots.
Face pots can be found all over the Roman empire in the wake of the movements of the army. The Saalburg displays are finds from the area. Turns out they have nothing to do with food storage (like the amphorae also displayed in the museum).
Face pots (Saalburg Museum)
Obviously, at least some of those pots are connected with cremation burials. Sometimes, remains of human cremations have been found, and some pots were clearly located in cemeteries. The tradition stems from Italian burials where a number of pots display the face of Charon. It seems that the types of faces, often leering and grotesque, became more variable with further distribution, and local styles developed.
Another interesting aspect Mrs Braithwaite was exploring is the discovery that the style of those pots did not disappear from an area after the army left but lingered on in the civilian settlements. Someone else will now have to research this aspect further.
¶ January 16, 2009 8 comments
I'm not a specialist in Roman pottery, but I've seen enough of it to get an image what a Roman table may have looked like. I've also eaten from the replica of Roman tableware in restaurants that serve Roman dishes. Which make for some interesting taste experiences, but that's another topic. (And no, stuffed dormouse was not on the menu, lol.)
The terra sigillata style Roman pottery was a mass product; shards of it can be found pretty much everywhere the Romans stayed for longer than an hour, and trade spread it even outside the spheres of Roman influence.
What struck me as an interesting variation when I visited the museum in the Saalburg Fortress was another shelf with larger pots which were decorated with faces. I filed them under the Odd Things Roman category and pretty much forgot about them. Until I today came across a post in Adrian Murdoch's Bread and Circuses blog, linking to an obituary of Jill Braithwaite, an archaeologist specialising in those face pots.
Face pots can be found all over the Roman empire in the wake of the movements of the army. The Saalburg displays are finds from the area. Turns out they have nothing to do with food storage (like the amphorae also displayed in the museum).
Obviously, at least some of those pots are connected with cremation burials. Sometimes, remains of human cremations have been found, and some pots were clearly located in cemeteries. The tradition stems from Italian burials where a number of pots display the face of Charon. It seems that the types of faces, often leering and grotesque, became more variable with further distribution, and local styles developed.
Another interesting aspect Mrs Braithwaite was exploring is the discovery that the style of those pots did not disappear from an area after the army left but lingered on in the civilian settlements. Someone else will now have to research this aspect further.
¶ January 16, 2009 8 comments
10 Jan 2009
Winter Wonderland - Views from my Balcony
This post is a collection of several winter posts with photos taken from my balcony, because I love me some snow (and hoarfrost).
Hoarfrost on the famous tree in front of my balcony
The temperatures demonstrated how far they can get down when they really want. The record was -24°C on the night to Tuesday. And I seem to be the only one to like such temperatures, lol.
View from the kitchen window
We got a bit snow, too. I took a few pics when it fell at night. The ones I took with a flash make the snow flakes sparkle; it's a very pretty effect.
Snowfall at night
It's not enough for skiing, though. There is more snow in the Harz, but since I only have the weekends to myself these days, and the Harz is overrun by tourists who can't drive in winter, I haven't been there yet.
Snow on my balcony
It's still very cold. It makes you wonder how people in pre-central heating times coped with winters like this. Those castles must have been freezing cold - the fireplaces were not enough to warm the large halls, though maybe the cooks were happy. Alianore has a post about some cold winters during the time of Edward II.
Trees in the garden after sunset
According to the forecast, the cold will stay with us a bit longer. Some more snow would be nice, of course, but you can't have everything. It's a lot more winter than I got those last years, and I missed it.
View from my balcony a few minutes ago
Inside, it's nice and warm, the candles are burning and I got some hot tea and ginger cake. The writing still goes reasonably well though not at Nano speed. And of course, there are plotholes you can drive a truck through which I now have to fill in.
Snow on the winter plants on my balcony
Advent time with snow; a rare thing in Germany. The flip side of this time is that the town is always crowded with people and grocery shopping is even less fun than the rest of the year.
With the new year (2010), the winter has come to Germany with snow and temperatures of minus 10°C -15°C during the nights and still below zero during the days.
Fluffy stuff
The pretty pillows in the foreground are some of my potted heather. Yep, we got a nice amount of the white fluff this time, and more is to come next weekend, hopefully.
My balcony again
My balcony is somewhat sheltered by the balcony above, but some snow found its way inside to powder my conifers.
Gardens in the snow
The summer gardens in the Leine valley offer a beautiful view from my balcony all year round. Now they are snowed in - let's hope for some time. Rainy winters are so dreary.
¶ January 10, 2009 12 comments
This post is a collection of several winter posts with photos taken from my balcony, because I love me some snow (and hoarfrost).
The temperatures demonstrated how far they can get down when they really want. The record was -24°C on the night to Tuesday. And I seem to be the only one to like such temperatures, lol.
We got a bit snow, too. I took a few pics when it fell at night. The ones I took with a flash make the snow flakes sparkle; it's a very pretty effect.
It's not enough for skiing, though. There is more snow in the Harz, but since I only have the weekends to myself these days, and the Harz is overrun by tourists who can't drive in winter, I haven't been there yet.
It's still very cold. It makes you wonder how people in pre-central heating times coped with winters like this. Those castles must have been freezing cold - the fireplaces were not enough to warm the large halls, though maybe the cooks were happy. Alianore has a post about some cold winters during the time of Edward II.
According to the forecast, the cold will stay with us a bit longer. Some more snow would be nice, of course, but you can't have everything. It's a lot more winter than I got those last years, and I missed it.
Inside, it's nice and warm, the candles are burning and I got some hot tea and ginger cake. The writing still goes reasonably well though not at Nano speed. And of course, there are plotholes you can drive a truck through which I now have to fill in.
Advent time with snow; a rare thing in Germany. The flip side of this time is that the town is always crowded with people and grocery shopping is even less fun than the rest of the year.
With the new year (2010), the winter has come to Germany with snow and temperatures of minus 10°C -15°C during the nights and still below zero during the days.
The pretty pillows in the foreground are some of my potted heather. Yep, we got a nice amount of the white fluff this time, and more is to come next weekend, hopefully.
My balcony is somewhat sheltered by the balcony above, but some snow found its way inside to powder my conifers.
The summer gardens in the Leine valley offer a beautiful view from my balcony all year round. Now they are snowed in - let's hope for some time. Rainy winters are so dreary.
¶ January 10, 2009 12 comments
5 Jan 2009
Autumn at the Werra / Weser
Autumn is my favourite season, and it has truly arrived here. Not only with the flame coloured leaves and melancholical mists, but also with storms and rain, and the first hoarfrosts.
The Werra, linguistically the same as the Weser (the Roman Visurgis), is another of those typical German rivers surrounded by mountains and fertile plains where the valley widens. It runs through Thuringia and northern Hessia, the ancient land of the Chatti. Like most German rivers, its main direction is south to north to either the Baltic or the North Sea (the Werra / Weser runs into the North Sea).
Werra river in the autumn sun
It is an area rich in history as well, all the way back to the Roman camp in Hedemünden close to where the Werra confluences with the Fulda and is then called Weser.
View from the Hanstein
A view from Hanstein Castle overlooking the Werra. I love the warm colours and the soft haze that veils the distant views, the promise of winter in the crisp air. It's a time of melancholy and poems, of breathing more slowly and deeply, of being aware of time.
Werra river with limestone cliffs
The dramatic cliffs in the background are shellbearing limestone, carved out by the river during thousands of years.
Another view of the cliffs
The place is called 'Werra's Knee', a bend in the river near town and castle Creuzburg (another castle connected with the landgraves of Thuringia - and another one on my increasing list of Posts to Write If I Can Find the Time).
Creuzburg Castle in the evening sun
The Creuzburg is an intact (partly reconstructed, of course) castle that today houses a hotel and restaurant. It has a different atmosphere than those splendid ruins so abundant in Germany, but at least it survived by being in use over time.
A reconstructed Medieaval boat on the Werra
We came across this reconstructed merchant vessel in the Schlagd, the old harbour of Wanfried. The Schlagd of Wanfried was a change harbour where goods from the ships were loaded upon pack animals and wagons for further transportation.
Old guest house at the Schlagd in Wanfried
Today a nice little town on the border between Hessia and Thuringia, Wanfried was involved in several feuds in the Midde Ages.
Hawthorne
The photos below are from the part of the river known as Weser, after it confluences with the Fulda in Hannoversch-Münden.
Meadows and woods at the Weser
The fields are plown, the winter wheat starting to sprout. Red and yellow leaves rustle in a breeze still warm with memories of summer.
An old orchard
Grazings and orchards down at the river, woodcovered mountains, haze-veiled, rising behind.
Sunset
I love to just sit and watch the dark waters flow by and the sun vanish behind the hills. And I think maybe Arminius has sat here as well, finding a moment of peace.
Westwork of Bursfelde Abbey
Traces of the past: the the west towers of the Romanesque abbey church in Bursfelde, surrounded by some former abbey buildings.
A river of history and myth
The leaves begin to turn yellow and red, and on a hazy day, a golden shimmer lies over the woods. We've had the first autumn gale that sent the leaves dancing and the crows swirling towards the town with angry croaks. Mists veil the valleys in the morning, and the air smells of wet leaves and coming frost.
Woods at the Weser
It is my favourite time of the year. Somehow I always wax a lot more poetic when describing fall than spring. Maybe it's the gentle melancholy of this time that responds to my mood, the muted light and warm colours.
A hidden lake
Of course there are other days, too, days of what one website called Varus weather. Torrential rains and icy blasts that make the ground slippery and bend the branches. Days where you want to stay inside with a cup of hot tea and listen to the rain drops singing on the window panes
¶ January 05, 2009 12 comments
Autumn is my favourite season, and it has truly arrived here. Not only with the flame coloured leaves and melancholical mists, but also with storms and rain, and the first hoarfrosts.
The Werra, linguistically the same as the Weser (the Roman Visurgis), is another of those typical German rivers surrounded by mountains and fertile plains where the valley widens. It runs through Thuringia and northern Hessia, the ancient land of the Chatti. Like most German rivers, its main direction is south to north to either the Baltic or the North Sea (the Werra / Weser runs into the North Sea).
It is an area rich in history as well, all the way back to the Roman camp in Hedemünden close to where the Werra confluences with the Fulda and is then called Weser.
A view from Hanstein Castle overlooking the Werra. I love the warm colours and the soft haze that veils the distant views, the promise of winter in the crisp air. It's a time of melancholy and poems, of breathing more slowly and deeply, of being aware of time.
The dramatic cliffs in the background are shellbearing limestone, carved out by the river during thousands of years.
The place is called 'Werra's Knee', a bend in the river near town and castle Creuzburg (another castle connected with the landgraves of Thuringia - and another one on my increasing list of Posts to Write If I Can Find the Time).
The Creuzburg is an intact (partly reconstructed, of course) castle that today houses a hotel and restaurant. It has a different atmosphere than those splendid ruins so abundant in Germany, but at least it survived by being in use over time.
We came across this reconstructed merchant vessel in the Schlagd, the old harbour of Wanfried. The Schlagd of Wanfried was a change harbour where goods from the ships were loaded upon pack animals and wagons for further transportation.
Today a nice little town on the border between Hessia and Thuringia, Wanfried was involved in several feuds in the Midde Ages.
The photos below are from the part of the river known as Weser, after it confluences with the Fulda in Hannoversch-Münden.
The fields are plown, the winter wheat starting to sprout. Red and yellow leaves rustle in a breeze still warm with memories of summer.
Grazings and orchards down at the river, woodcovered mountains, haze-veiled, rising behind.
I love to just sit and watch the dark waters flow by and the sun vanish behind the hills. And I think maybe Arminius has sat here as well, finding a moment of peace.
Traces of the past: the the west towers of the Romanesque abbey church in Bursfelde, surrounded by some former abbey buildings.
The leaves begin to turn yellow and red, and on a hazy day, a golden shimmer lies over the woods. We've had the first autumn gale that sent the leaves dancing and the crows swirling towards the town with angry croaks. Mists veil the valleys in the morning, and the air smells of wet leaves and coming frost.
It is my favourite time of the year. Somehow I always wax a lot more poetic when describing fall than spring. Maybe it's the gentle melancholy of this time that responds to my mood, the muted light and warm colours.
Of course there are other days, too, days of what one website called Varus weather. Torrential rains and icy blasts that make the ground slippery and bend the branches. Days where you want to stay inside with a cup of hot tea and listen to the rain drops singing on the window panes
¶ January 05, 2009 12 comments
