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Hadrian, like many educated Romans, was a Greek freak realizing that their culture was much moresophisticated and artistically attractive than that of Rome. As we have discussed earlier, to no smalldegree of consternation and confusion, older man-younger man relationships between members of theupper classes was not homosexual or gay in our definition of the term. The lover and the beloved had a"loving" relationship regardless of whether the sexual contact involved penetration or merely intercrualsex. We have a hard time dealing with this--but if you go to the sources you will see that that was the way it was in Classical times--at least until Constantine established (?) Christianity as the official religion of the Empire. Coda; The Turks found this in Constantinople in 1453 and kept it. There is a whole world of Persian and Turkish poetry about this subject which Alas I cannot read.
Security reasons–Rome could not be defended–ended up in the far north of Italy in a place called Ravenna which was more easily defended--fens and swamps abounded in the area, but communication by sea was not difficult. In 476, as we all know, Odoacer deposed the last Emperor--at Ravenna.
It is a cheap trip–fly to Rome–boat across the sea–the city sits on it!Sell the dog, pawn the silver and go!
Wally:What an excellent fellow you are!Salad Bowl--YES!!!!!!!!!We must have taken the same course. I have been using this analogy for forty years! Huzzah!WillyD good evening to you sir. E serebbe meglio domani!
AHA! I understand. Please be assured that although I come from peasant stock, time and money havegiven me a patina of educated sophistication and I shall not deviate from the well marked path. Yourgoal is laudatory and it is indeed a pleasure to converse with people who use words I understand and a syntax that is comprehensible. Thank you for your guidance.WillyD
So if I am going along in a sentence and slip into Japanese, Attic Greek Italian or French I beat the automatic censor? This is merely a question as I would never do such a thing--no scamp here.Also--who is the administrator and is there a list of what words would be deemed not clean other than the obvious? Thanks for the feedback--I am now in the vestibule of understanding.
Just found this–beware the sources! A working hypothesis. Still amazed he was misplaced.ALEXANDER'S BURIAL AND THE ADVENTURE OF HIS REMAINS Alexander the Great with Macedonian helmet with lambrequin.It is well known that Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 b.C.. According to Herodotus, Strabo and Stobaeus the dead were n ot mummified nor cremated there, but buried enveloped in honey or wax. The same must have happened to the body of Alexander the Great (Will Durant, Th.Birth). Initially it was to be buried in Macedonia, but in 321 b.C. it was violently taken from Damascus to Egypt by Ptolemy I (Pausanias, Arrian, Aelianus). According to the most reliable sources it was buried in the sacred city of Memphis "in observance of the Macedonian custom that wanted the dead to be cremated".(Pausanias, Parion Chronicle, Curtius Rufus)The view that the body was transferred directly to Alexandria where it was buried (Diodorus Siculus) cannot be supported as it was technically unfeasible for the magnificent mausoleum to be prepared for his burial. There are also other reasons.Queen Roxanne and their infant child "arrived in Macedonia in the same year and were murdered by Cassander in Amphipolis in 311 b.C. Their remains were scattered" (Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Justin). Amphipolis was relatively close to Vergina and it was easy for the remains to be carried to the royal tombs.The first cremation of Alexander's body, which took place in Memphis, is also verified by - among other things - the fact that according to Professor of Anthropology A.Bartsiokas, most of the bones of the male skeleton of Tomb II "were dry when cremated, after the flesh had been decomposed by burial". This means that in Vergina we, probably, have the reburial of the same king. Iron helmet from the tomb II different from Macedonian helmet.Another important anthropological finding is the fact that according to Professor of Anthropology N.Xirotiris, "this skeleton was nearly complete; even very small fragments had been collected". Also "the remaining bone fragments had been sorted according to size and length and had been arranged anatomically correctly, when they were embedded in the larnax ". "The remaining bone fragments had been sorted according to size and length, and had been arranged anatomically correctly, when they were imbedded in the larnax. In the top layer the fragments of the scull were found. In the middle layers the small bones of the postcranial skeleton and in the lowest layer the long bones of the extremities had been thoroughly layed out diagonally". "It is obvious that the bones must have been carefully cleaned and any ashes removed". (Archaiologike Ephimeris 1981)On the contrary, according to Pr. Xirotiris, the female bones in the antechamber of the same tomb in comparison to the remains in the main chamber "were scantier and had been soiled with ashes. No bones could be completely reconstructed".In my view, the logical explanation for this is that these remains were transported and buried in Vergina from two different places, as in the case of Alexander the Great and his wife Queen Roxanne. Roxanne's bones, as mentioned above, "had been scattered", so, naturally, could not have all been collected.According to the evidence drawn, all personal mementoes of Alexander the Great and Roxanne as well as the field marshal's arms followed at the time of Antigonus Gonatas, after 274 b.C.; they were placed next to the royal family in the Vergina tombs, where they were found. Translation of relics of kings who had died in a foreign land to their homeland was a sacred tradition for ancient Greeks. It would have been impossible for the bones of Alexander the Great to be an exception to this rule.As one can also conclude, ancient Macedonians "after two unsuccessful attempts, in 321 b.C.", did, finally, manage - as all evidence presented in my book confirms - to remove Alexander's relics from Memphis (Diodorus Siculus, Aelinius). This, in my view, happened before they were transported two years later by Ptolemy I or even later by Ptolemy II to Alexadria (Pausanias) and replaced with other relics or an effigy of Alexander's that may have been seen later by Roman emperors.
Agree with all you said–but–I am still astonished that one of the most famous men in the world–a God_King could be misplaced like a remote or as set of car keys!WillyDἈνδρῶν γαρ ἐπιφανῶν πᾶσα γῆ τάφος
YES: How many men to an oar vs.number of banks of oarswere some double hulled? Giants of the Hellenistic periodwere outriggers really used?
Scout:1.Being out of high school for 20 years would seem long enough to purge your system of the pablum fedto you whilst there. I am assuming that you went to a normal high school circa 1990. I did in an earlier era. You have an added advantage in that your family was historically minded and have been here a very long time. Mine came in 1848 and in 1888 and my wife's in 1901. They were all peasants and mymaternal grandfather, who never owned shoes till he was 18, was a pig farmer prior to coming to America via Canada where he deserted the Canadian army who had paid his passage from Ireland.2.Manifest destiny was passed over quickly in my high school and the theme was that we were bringingthe benefits (sic) of civilization to the benighted brown and red races that inhabited the lands stretching to the Rio Grande and the Pacific. You do admit of course that there was opposition to theMexican war and the Spanish American war--check the Teller amendment for the latter which guaranteed that our control of Cuba would have to be from behind a curtain of money and influence rather thanacquisition. Mark Twain and others was most critical of that whole conflict as you are no doubt aware.The idea of A democratic republic having colonies was repugnant to many and absurd to many more.3.Wilson: Poor Woodrow--his reputation waxes and wanes. I only mentioned the race item because iwas so surprised by it. Teddy had blacks for dinner at the White House, but he was from New York, not Virginia. I am guessing they did not mention this in High school because it would have been in poor taste or the teachers did not even know about it. Few had graduate degrees in History. Wilson hasenough to criticize in his knapsack--this was just a morsel to which those of us who are eternal sophomoric gadflies are heavily addicted.4.I understand it still exists--virtual as well as actual. Mercifully cubicle dwellers are no longer whippedfor rule violations--merely sacked. The new slavery is real.5.Your father was a very wise man. They should have warned us of this in school. Why do you supposethey did not? Are not the schools supposed to prepare us for life? My father died when I was quiteyoung and I lost the benefit of his guidance and wisdom. What I did have was uncles who wereinvolved in law enforcement, unions, one was head of the County American Legion and several werevets of WWi and WWII. We also had priests. They taught me to obey the law, not to question authority,follow the rules and respect my elders. Of course I did the opposite.6.Ok--I did not mean we should air the dirty laundry. What I meant is that we should strive for a fair andbalanced account of our past. At one point in my life I taught History at the high school and college levels and I always managed to steal a few moments to point out that there are other voices out therewith other stories to tell. There really is enough time and you feel a lot better relating to them thatthere is often worth and meaning in the parallax view.7.Oh it was awful! A senile (?) President, a lying colonel, law breaking staffers--it was almost enoughto ruin dinner. Iran-Contra--ugh!8.Winston--oh what a fellow--lots of good--some bad. Like Wilson he was moulded by his times and foundit unreasonable and possibly foolish that Indians could rule themselves--Democracy for some, but notfor all! Oh well--his mom was well loved.Of course Wally was right--Marx never took a course in psychology, never had a real job, and according to Mrs. Marx--lacked Capital!There has never been a nation that followed his teachings--Scientific Socialism--although many, includingours ,have adopted ideas from progressive and socialist agendas. Many European nations which are infact true democracies provide what they consider a better deal for their citizens than we provide forours. Some examples of these are universal health care, guaranteed 30 day paid vacations, maternityleave--in many cases paid for--old age pensions more generous than ours, subsidized child care centers for working mothers and many more. Now all of this is not free and the tax burdens are higher. The point is that they voted for it, they pay for it and they are, in most cases, content with it despite theproblems that always exist in providing services to the public. I have lived abroad for several years and have been to many places in front of and behind the iron curtain. I have concluded that people arehappiest when they control their own destiny and choose the form of economic and political systemsunder which they will live. If they choose to tax themselves and provide a broader safety net--then that is their choice and they are not less moral or less worthy as human beings because they have decided that the government ought to be charged with tasks that in America we do for ourselves. Democracy allows this to happen--we choose and if they fail to deliver--we can vote the bastards out!Of course Obama is not a Socialist--Newt was wrong to say so. I did not say he was a fascist--I said his actions could lead one to conclude he was acting as a Fascist--which would, of course, be foolishlyhyperbolic. Obama's tax desires count for little. Congress decides who gets taxed and who does not--they write the legislation and ,if signed, it becomes law. This is democracy in action. If they decide totax the rich to fund programs deemed necessary for the nation's well being, we have no choice but toobey the law or choose the path of the lawbreaker and engage in illegal or criminal activity. The choiceis yours. At least some of your ancestors decided that King George III's financial wizards were deadwrong in their desire to tax the colonies and revolted. Thanks to the French we succeeded and over200 years later are still undecided as to who should pay for what. I was in law enforcement for over 20years and should warn you that prisons are horrible places in the USA--overcrowded, underfunded anddangerous. Pay your taxes--stay out of jail! If you are unable to stomach this--start a revolt, find anally and overthrow the government--you are free to try.If your solution to the current problem in to educate the proles, I suggest you re-read Brave New World, especially the sections mentioning SOMA and check your texts for the disappointment of King Canute.9.I belonged to many unions--some good ,some bad. I learned almost nothing about them at school, butas the local steel and auto plants employed over 100,000 people I was inculcated at an early age withthe union ethos. You are correct about parties--everyone in my family--all of them--were members of FDR's party and part of his supporters. After the 1960's many of the faithful deserted and helped electRonnie in 1980 as he seemingly stood for things they believed in. The firing of the Air Traffic Controllerssurprised them a bit and was a foreshadowing of the labor debacles to come. As Corporations have been deemed "persons" due to, I am told, a misinterpretation by a law clerk rather than a ruling of the court,so too unions have the same rights. The problem is that Corporations have and will continue to have alot more money to Lobby lawmakers who seemingly cannot resist the pressure. A clever friend suggested we hold a second Constitutional Convention and have the fifty largest Corporations substitute for the 50 states, close the doors and spin the wheel and see what happens. It would make the de facto de jure. Think he is being silly?10.Textbooks do not cover the story--they cover the part approved by the state in which the school districtis located. The correct manner is to tell--as best as possible--the whole story. Consider the absurdity of Texas. Here is an example. When in school, did anyone ever discuss the concept of jury nullification--bet a buck they did not and you know why!Rankean:Bully for you--choose your documents with due diligence--he did.America has done more good for the world than all the rest of the nations in the world since thecity of Jericho was first built. However, we are not perfect and I am appalled by the media outlets that fill the airwaves with paeans of praise for our nation as though it was perfect in all ways. The proleslap this up like moonshine and ,lacking critical thinking ,utilize the sound bites in lieu of thought andmouth platitudes and cliches to each other and call it speech. I am proud to be an American and mostof the time I am supportive of the government that we have elected to run the establishment for a time.One must never confuse the government with the nation--the administration is the hired help.Thank you for taking the time to respond is such a courteous and learned manner. it is much appreciated. This appears to be forum with an embarrassment of riches.WillyD
Bismarck was a truly skilled diplomat, a real Conservative and a student of human nature. I wasalways surprised that he finally agreed to the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine as he knew that thiswould plant seeds that would poison relationships in the future. I agree that his diplomacy following the defeat of Denmark and Austria were masterful. My father's people came from Baden Baden in southernGermany in 1848 after the aborted revolutions. My grandfather was a great admirer of Bismarck andcriticized him only for his failure to include Austria in the Empire. That of course would have beenimpossible and we had to wait for Hitler before that happened.England and Germany became enemies in the decades before WWI which perhaps explains the paucityof material that I too have noticed.Oh yes--my paternal ancestors were draft dodgers as were my wife's (Russia 1901)
