“Constantinople was an impregnable city …”
— Robert B. Kebric,
Roman People (4th edition), epilogue.
Posts filed in Roman stuff
When I first read this, I imagined for a moment that 1204 and 1453 had been nothing but bad dreams. Reality dawing on me felt like a fist in my guts
The priorities of the people
“In the year of his tribunate (58 B.C.), Clodius made the ordinary people of the city of Rome (plebs urbana) a significant power in politics for the first time. By comparison, the exile and return of Cicero (58/57 B.C.) was a second-rate phenomenon that was of primary concern only to Cicero himself, who had a [...]
A TV Dante
My sister is one of the most important students at NTNU’s Department of Nordistics (or whatever) and Literature, primarily through her role as founder of the departemental body responsible for arranging events related to the relevant field of study (primarily Nordic linguistics and literature, as well as literature in general). Yesterday, she had arrange a [...]
Consequences of the Middle Republic Wars — lecture #4
Inner Strife and the Dynasts of the Late Republic.
(This post is based on a lecture held by Jan Frode Hatlen at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, September 11 2008, but any factual errors in the text are strictly my responsibility.)
(Also, lecture #3 was a discussion lecture where we were given extracts from the [...]
The Punic Wars and Expansion — Lecture #2
2nd lecture — The Punic Wars: From Village to Mediterranean Empire.
(This post is based on a lecture held by Jan Frode Hatlen at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology on August 28 2008. However, any factual errors in the text is strictly my responsibility.)
Introduction and Overview — Lecture #1
Lecture #1 — A General Introduction and Overview.
(This post is based on a lecture held by Jan Frode Hatlen at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, August 21 2008. However, any factual errors in the text is strictly my responsibility.)
It is hard to be precise about what Rome was like before approximately 500 BCE, [...]
Not again!
Shit.
Here I turn my head for a second, and when I turn back towards the ‘net again, two months have passed. If I’d had a dollar for every time this has happened (or, perhaps more precise, for every time I’ve done this) in the last three years, I’d probably have… enough for a soda, anyway.
So, [...]
A Plague! A Plague on Our Houses!
In my Last.fm shoutbox, I was recently asked by one of my readers to post more frequently in my blog, and seeing as your whim is my law, I bring you this: an essay of sorts about the last topic you’d expected me to write about!
One of the things you might not know [...]
Is there anything more fun that an academic insult?
“I en klasse for seg er Christian Meier. I Res Publica amissa. Eine Studie zur Verfassung und Geschichte der späten römischen Republik, Wiesbaden 1966, finner han at bruk av valgforbund er sjeldnere enn factio-skolen (Taylor, Scullard og Ronald Syme) har hevdet. For øvrig er boka preget av total mangel på kildekritikk idet moralistiske utsagn fra [...]
Why I’m skeptical to Toynbee
At several occasions in the past two years, I’ve found myself in positions where I critizise other people for referring to Toynbee in discussions on the Roman Republic, but I’ve been unable to remember where I got this antipathy from. Today, I believe I learned why I’m skeptical to Toynbee.
It is often so that one’s [...]
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