- Roman and Mediaeval History, Illlustrated Travel Journals, Mediaeval Literature
29.5.09
Another Meme, Because I'm Lazy
Found that one on Kirsten's blog: Choose ten of your characters, then answer the questions. For best results, put names in a hat and number them at random.
I picked a bunch from A Land Unconquered.
1 Adgandes, Arminius' shield man and officer in the Roman army 2 Publius Cornelius Lentulus - Roman patrician of the haughty sort 3 Erelieva - Adgandes' sister 4 Caius Horatius Veranius - Roman patrician of the nice sort 5 Arminius - Prince of the Cherusci, praefect of the Cheruscian horse auxiliary 6 Caius Antonius Merenda - another Roman patrician and military tribune 7 Segestes - a chief of the Cherusci and Arminius' rival 8 Clodia Atella - Roman 'matron' (she's still young), married to Cornelius Lentulus 9 Rekahari - a Batavian 10 Germanicus - adopted son of Tiberius, Roman general
4 invites 3 and 8 to dinner at their house. What happens?
Once Erelieva gets over her hartred of the Romans, she and Clodia Atella would get a long fine, and together with Horatius Veranius plot how to get Clodia out of her unhappy marriage to that jerk Cornelius Lentulus.
9 tries to get 5 to go to a strip club. What happens?
Arminius would be amused and make some remarks about the things the Germans should not learn from the Romans (just to make dear ol' Tacitus happy).
You need to stay at a friend's house for a night. Who do you choose: 1 or 6?
They're both nice enough guys, but Antonius Merenda has the better bathrooms.
2 and 7 are making out. 10 walks in. What is their reaction?
Lentulus and Segestes having hot man sex? Noooo, I so don't need that image. Though they are both jerks, so it fits, in a creepy way. And Germanicus would laugh his ass off.
3 falls in love with 6. 8 is jealous. What happens?
Erelieva falls in love with Antonius Merenda? Now, that would make for some fun plot twist. Clodia won't get jealous because she's in love with Horatius Veranius.
4 jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue: 10, 2, or 7?
Horatius, I'm going to ask you the same thing Kirsten asked Marcus - don't they pay you well enough in the army, and you an officer? Germanicus, of course. As I said Lentulus and Segestes are both jerks. Though I have to admit Lentulus has a strong sense of Roman honour and might help someone on that situation because people who jump others in alleyways need to be brought to justice.
1 decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what is happening?
Adgandes would produce some Greek fire, or invent gun powder or some other stuff that will lead to a Big Boom.
3 has to marry either 8, 4, or 9. Whom do they choose?
Ok, not 8, because two girls can't marry under either Roman or Germanic right. Not Horatius Veranius because he's in love with 8 (Clodia). Remains 9, Rekahari. Could even work.
7 kidnaps 2 and demands something from 5 for 2's release. What is it?
Segestes kidnaps Lentulus and asks Arminius to send Segestes' daughter back who eloped against her father's will. Problem is that Arminius will just laugh at Segestes and tell him to keep Lentulus and have fun.
Everyone gangs up on 3. Does 3 have a chance in hell?
Well, she's a girl of the Cherusci and will fight back, but she doesn't stand a chance against some of the finest warriors of the time (Arminius, Germanicus) - her luck they won't ever do such a thing.
Everyone is invited to 2 and 10's wedding except for 8. How do they react?
Cornelius Lentulus and Germanicus marry? Truly a match made in heaven; those two can't stand each other. Clodia would be happy about not having been invited to the marriage of her ex. Good riddance, Lenty.
Why is 6 afraid of 7?
The only thing Merenda might be afraid of is having to listen to Segestes' pompous speeches in bad Latin.
1 arrives late for 2 and 10's wedding. What happens, and why were they late?
Adgandes had to clean up the mess he produced during his cooking show first. He won't be allowed anywhere near the grill during the party.
5 and 9 get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?
We would have a party, those German guys know how to throw one. And when he's drunk, Arminius might answer me a few questions without thinking first.
9 murders 2's best friend. What does 2 do to get back at them?
Lol, that's something that could indeed happen. Our dear, arrogant friend Lentulus would go the Roman way and bring Rekahari to court. Murder of a Roman citizen (and a Cornelius only has friends who are Roman citizens) would get Rekahari crucified.
6 and 1 are in mortal peril and only one of them can survive. Does 6 save themself or 1?
In the book, Antonius Merenda saves a group of survivors of the Varus battle by staying behind and engaging the pursuers, so yes, Merenda has a tendency to save others.
8 and 3 go camping. For some reason they forgot to bring along any food. What do they do?
Erelieva could put up some snares and catch a rabbit, and she knows which herbs, vegetables and fruits can be eaten. Clodia would be lost without her, I'm afraid.
5 is in a chariot crash and is critically injured. What does 9 do?
Hey, Arminius doesn't crash his chariot - Segestes must have tampered with the wheels. Ok, Rekahari would find Horatius Veranius and ask him to get a Roman surgeon for Arminius (he's lacking the right sort of social contacts himself).
I'm not tagging anyone, but I think it could be fun to do it with some random people from Edward's or Richard III's time. Or even some obscure Saxon kings. *wink*
Read more! ¶ 4:28 PM 9 comments
Found that one on Kirsten's blog: Choose ten of your characters, then answer the questions. For best results, put names in a hat and number them at random.
I picked a bunch from A Land Unconquered.
4 invites 3 and 8 to dinner at their house. What happens?
Once Erelieva gets over her hartred of the Romans, she and Clodia Atella would get a long fine, and together with Horatius Veranius plot how to get Clodia out of her unhappy marriage to that jerk Cornelius Lentulus.
9 tries to get 5 to go to a strip club. What happens?
Arminius would be amused and make some remarks about the things the Germans should not learn from the Romans (just to make dear ol' Tacitus happy).
You need to stay at a friend's house for a night. Who do you choose: 1 or 6?
They're both nice enough guys, but Antonius Merenda has the better bathrooms.
2 and 7 are making out. 10 walks in. What is their reaction?
Lentulus and Segestes having hot man sex? Noooo, I so don't need that image. Though they are both jerks, so it fits, in a creepy way. And Germanicus would laugh his ass off.
3 falls in love with 6. 8 is jealous. What happens?
Erelieva falls in love with Antonius Merenda? Now, that would make for some fun plot twist. Clodia won't get jealous because she's in love with Horatius Veranius.
4 jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue: 10, 2, or 7?
Horatius, I'm going to ask you the same thing Kirsten asked Marcus - don't they pay you well enough in the army, and you an officer? Germanicus, of course. As I said Lentulus and Segestes are both jerks. Though I have to admit Lentulus has a strong sense of Roman honour and might help someone on that situation because people who jump others in alleyways need to be brought to justice.
1 decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what is happening?
Adgandes would produce some Greek fire, or invent gun powder or some other stuff that will lead to a Big Boom.
3 has to marry either 8, 4, or 9. Whom do they choose?
Ok, not 8, because two girls can't marry under either Roman or Germanic right. Not Horatius Veranius because he's in love with 8 (Clodia). Remains 9, Rekahari. Could even work.
7 kidnaps 2 and demands something from 5 for 2's release. What is it?
Segestes kidnaps Lentulus and asks Arminius to send Segestes' daughter back who eloped against her father's will. Problem is that Arminius will just laugh at Segestes and tell him to keep Lentulus and have fun.
Everyone gangs up on 3. Does 3 have a chance in hell?
Well, she's a girl of the Cherusci and will fight back, but she doesn't stand a chance against some of the finest warriors of the time (Arminius, Germanicus) - her luck they won't ever do such a thing.
Everyone is invited to 2 and 10's wedding except for 8. How do they react?
Cornelius Lentulus and Germanicus marry? Truly a match made in heaven; those two can't stand each other. Clodia would be happy about not having been invited to the marriage of her ex. Good riddance, Lenty.
Why is 6 afraid of 7?
The only thing Merenda might be afraid of is having to listen to Segestes' pompous speeches in bad Latin.
1 arrives late for 2 and 10's wedding. What happens, and why were they late?
Adgandes had to clean up the mess he produced during his cooking show first. He won't be allowed anywhere near the grill during the party.
5 and 9 get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?
We would have a party, those German guys know how to throw one. And when he's drunk, Arminius might answer me a few questions without thinking first.
9 murders 2's best friend. What does 2 do to get back at them?
Lol, that's something that could indeed happen. Our dear, arrogant friend Lentulus would go the Roman way and bring Rekahari to court. Murder of a Roman citizen (and a Cornelius only has friends who are Roman citizens) would get Rekahari crucified.
6 and 1 are in mortal peril and only one of them can survive. Does 6 save themself or 1?
In the book, Antonius Merenda saves a group of survivors of the Varus battle by staying behind and engaging the pursuers, so yes, Merenda has a tendency to save others.
8 and 3 go camping. For some reason they forgot to bring along any food. What do they do?
Erelieva could put up some snares and catch a rabbit, and she knows which herbs, vegetables and fruits can be eaten. Clodia would be lost without her, I'm afraid.
5 is in a chariot crash and is critically injured. What does 9 do?
Hey, Arminius doesn't crash his chariot - Segestes must have tampered with the wheels. Ok, Rekahari would find Horatius Veranius and ask him to get a Roman surgeon for Arminius (he's lacking the right sort of social contacts himself).
I'm not tagging anyone, but I think it could be fun to do it with some random people from Edward's or Richard III's time. Or even some obscure Saxon kings. *wink*
Read more! ¶ 4:28 PM 9 comments
20.5.09
Room Sharing, Roman Style
Hi, it's me, Aelius Rufus. I know I've been rare those last months, but I was busy visiting my friends in Britannia and didn't find much time to write those blog posts for you. And I admit I spent a good deal of time in the leisure centre at Caerleon. If you had seen my living quarters in the Saalburg castellum, you'd understand.
Interior of a room in a fort barrack (Caerleon Museum)
Eight of us, a so called contubernium, share a room of 15 square metres plus a little anteroom with shelves for our equipmen, and a kitchenette. You see it's pretty dark and sparsely furnished - not that there'd be space for anything more than bunk beds, one table, and a few pegs in the wall. When on campaign, we also share a tent.
(Left, oven for a contubern-ium, Caerleon Museum)
Roman soldiers and auxiliaries don't have a central dining hall and no chefs (Asterix got that one wrong); we have to do our own cooking and can be glad if one of the chaps gets a bit of a hand for it. The ingredients, grain, beans, bacon, sometimes dried figs or other fruit and a bit fish, as well as beer and wine are distributed by the command. There is always enough to keep us fit, but it's not roasted venison in a creamy juniper berry sauce, and potato gratin (ops, that's Gabriele chiming in, I have no idea what potatoes are).
Usually ten contubernia, a centuria that is, share a barrack in the fort. We're led by a centurion, and those guys don't live in such crowded and dark quarters. No, centurions are special and have their own house at the end of the barrack and slaves to cook for them, and us poor soldiers to clean their armour. They also get ten times the salary we get. It's a damn injustice - invented by Augustus, I've been told. He wanted a gap between the ordinary soldiers and the officers so the army wouldn't stick together and turn against him or some such. And indeed, when there were mutinies like the time Tiberius became Emperor while the legions prefered Germanicus, it was the centurions who got killed during the mess, and in the end the mutiny came to nothing and Tiberius stayed put.
Modell of a fortress (Birdoswald Museum)
In the lower part you can see the barracks with the attached houses for the centurions
There's one good thing, though, and that's the fact the centurions are ranked according to the place of the centuria they lead, and half of them spend their time ogling the place of the centurion ranking above them. It's even worse in the regular legions where there are sixty of the lot and the structure is even more complicated.
But now I must go and fix the hobnails on those damn sandals. I swear they'll use lost nails to track the ways of the Roman army one day. *
Oh noes, Crispus and Buccio are playing at dice again. Which means the rest of us can listen to Buccio complaining that he's lost a weeks worth of pay. Again. He should know better and not play against Crispus, that man has some uncanny luck.
Another interior shot
* They have in fact done that in Hedemünden where those nails mark the way from the south to Hedemünden Camp and the further route north on the hills along the Visurgis valley. A smaller camp (sort of a mile castle) also was discovered along that way, and that one obviously had been attacked at some point.
BTW, that mysterious shadow in the Birdoswald Modell photo is me shooting said photo.
Read more! ¶ 8:03 PM 9 comments
Hi, it's me, Aelius Rufus. I know I've been rare those last months, but I was busy visiting my friends in Britannia and didn't find much time to write those blog posts for you. And I admit I spent a good deal of time in the leisure centre at Caerleon. If you had seen my living quarters in the Saalburg castellum, you'd understand.
Eight of us, a so called contubernium, share a room of 15 square metres plus a little anteroom with shelves for our equipmen, and a kitchenette. You see it's pretty dark and sparsely furnished - not that there'd be space for anything more than bunk beds, one table, and a few pegs in the wall. When on campaign, we also share a tent.
(Left, oven for a contubern-ium, Caerleon Museum)Roman soldiers and auxiliaries don't have a central dining hall and no chefs (Asterix got that one wrong); we have to do our own cooking and can be glad if one of the chaps gets a bit of a hand for it. The ingredients, grain, beans, bacon, sometimes dried figs or other fruit and a bit fish, as well as beer and wine are distributed by the command. There is always enough to keep us fit, but it's not roasted venison in a creamy juniper berry sauce, and potato gratin (ops, that's Gabriele chiming in, I have no idea what potatoes are).
Usually ten contubernia, a centuria that is, share a barrack in the fort. We're led by a centurion, and those guys don't live in such crowded and dark quarters. No, centurions are special and have their own house at the end of the barrack and slaves to cook for them, and us poor soldiers to clean their armour. They also get ten times the salary we get. It's a damn injustice - invented by Augustus, I've been told. He wanted a gap between the ordinary soldiers and the officers so the army wouldn't stick together and turn against him or some such. And indeed, when there were mutinies like the time Tiberius became Emperor while the legions prefered Germanicus, it was the centurions who got killed during the mess, and in the end the mutiny came to nothing and Tiberius stayed put.
In the lower part you can see the barracks with the attached houses for the centurions
There's one good thing, though, and that's the fact the centurions are ranked according to the place of the centuria they lead, and half of them spend their time ogling the place of the centurion ranking above them. It's even worse in the regular legions where there are sixty of the lot and the structure is even more complicated.
But now I must go and fix the hobnails on those damn sandals. I swear they'll use lost nails to track the ways of the Roman army one day. *
Oh noes, Crispus and Buccio are playing at dice again. Which means the rest of us can listen to Buccio complaining that he's lost a weeks worth of pay. Again. He should know better and not play against Crispus, that man has some uncanny luck.
* They have in fact done that in Hedemünden where those nails mark the way from the south to Hedemünden Camp and the further route north on the hills along the Visurgis valley. A smaller camp (sort of a mile castle) also was discovered along that way, and that one obviously had been attacked at some point.
BTW, that mysterious shadow in the Birdoswald Modell photo is me shooting said photo.
Read more! ¶ 8:03 PM 9 comments
14.5.09
It's Official
I'm traveling to Scotland June 3 to June 17. One part of the journey will take place in the Edinburgh - Stirling - Falkirk area, including the Antonine Wall, and the second part in Oban and the interesting places to be found in the surroundings, like Mull and Iona and a few castles. Maybe some Pictish or Dálriatan remains as well.
Edinburgh Castle
I hope I'll get some better pics this time than scans of old photos.
Read more! ¶ 8:45 PM 14 comments
I'm traveling to Scotland June 3 to June 17. One part of the journey will take place in the Edinburgh - Stirling - Falkirk area, including the Antonine Wall, and the second part in Oban and the interesting places to be found in the surroundings, like Mull and Iona and a few castles. Maybe some Pictish or Dálriatan remains as well.
I hope I'll get some better pics this time than scans of old photos.
Read more! ¶ 8:45 PM 14 comments
5.5.09
Because it's Raining
I wanted to share some pictures of a sunny evening. Follow me on a walk through the Old Botanical Garden (Alter Botanischer Garten) in Göttingen.
The garden lies directly outside the Mediaeval town walls and has a size of 5 hectares. There are a new botanical garden and a forestry garden outside the modern town, but the old garden possesses more charm; and it provides a shortcut from the centre to the Archaeological Institute.
I should bring my camera more often, there are plenty of pretty motives hiding in the garden and elswhere in the old part of the town.
The Botanical Garden was founded by Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777), a Swiss born anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet. He was called to the chair of medicine, anatomy, botany and surgery in Göttingen in 1736. Yes, that was one chair - specialisation hadn't taken off back then.
Von Haller held the chair until 1753 when he returned to his native Berne. The Botanical Institute still bears his name: Albrecht-von-Haller-Institut für Plfanzenwissenschaften. Besides his duties as teacher and his research, von Haller also found time to write essays about literature and history.
More than 10.000 plant species grow in the garden and in the adjacent greenhouses (plus another 4000 in the new garden), that makes the Botanical Garden in Göttingen one of the six most important ones in Germany. Especially well assorted are the mosses and ferns, swamp and water plants, and bromelias and other plants from South- and Middle America, plus a cactus collection.
The Botanical Garden not only serves as park, but also as research basis (fe. for biodiversity and evolution) and often preservation basis of rare and endangered plants. There are exchange programs of seeds and plants with other gardens world wide.
Read more! ¶ 5:14 PM 4 comments
I wanted to share some pictures of a sunny evening. Follow me on a walk through the Old Botanical Garden (Alter Botanischer Garten) in Göttingen.
The garden lies directly outside the Mediaeval town walls and has a size of 5 hectares. There are a new botanical garden and a forestry garden outside the modern town, but the old garden possesses more charm; and it provides a shortcut from the centre to the Archaeological Institute.
I should bring my camera more often, there are plenty of pretty motives hiding in the garden and elswhere in the old part of the town.
The Botanical Garden was founded by Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777), a Swiss born anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet. He was called to the chair of medicine, anatomy, botany and surgery in Göttingen in 1736. Yes, that was one chair - specialisation hadn't taken off back then.
Von Haller held the chair until 1753 when he returned to his native Berne. The Botanical Institute still bears his name: Albrecht-von-Haller-Institut für Plfanzenwissenschaften. Besides his duties as teacher and his research, von Haller also found time to write essays about literature and history.
More than 10.000 plant species grow in the garden and in the adjacent greenhouses (plus another 4000 in the new garden), that makes the Botanical Garden in Göttingen one of the six most important ones in Germany. Especially well assorted are the mosses and ferns, swamp and water plants, and bromelias and other plants from South- and Middle America, plus a cactus collection.
The Botanical Garden not only serves as park, but also as research basis (fe. for biodiversity and evolution) and often preservation basis of rare and endangered plants. There are exchange programs of seeds and plants with other gardens world wide.
Read more! ¶ 5:14 PM 4 comments
More Botanical Garden Photos
Here are some more shots from the Old Botanical Garden.
The passage in the old town wall that leads into the garden.
It's difficult to get photos without people. :)
Last rays of the sun.
Read more! ¶ 5:00 PM 3 comments
Here are some more shots from the Old Botanical Garden.
Read more! ¶ 5:00 PM 3 comments
