Organization of Roman Brick Production in the First and Second Centuries A

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Organization of Roman Brick Production in the First and Second Centuries A ,- /"'""' --- ACTA INSTITUTI ROMANI FINLANDIAE(Vol. X:l -~j Offprint from ANNALES ACADEMIAE SCIENT~ARUM FENNICAE DISSERTATIONES HUMANARUM LITTERARUM 5 ORGANIZATION OF ROMAN BRICK PRODUCTION IN THE FIRST AND SECOND CENTURIES A. D. An Interpreta,tion of Roman Briçk Stamps BY TAPIO HELEN HELSINKI 1975 Acknow ledgements This book is an outcome of the study which l began in the Finnish Institute in Rome ten years ago. l was part of a group directed by Professar Jaakko Suolahti which made an inventory for publication of brick stamps found at Ostia. l wish to express my deep gratitude to Professar Suolahti for his continuous encouragement and constructive criticism; he helped me over many difficulties in ali phases of my work. The themes of this study w ere discussed within our group during the working pcriods at Ostia and on many 'occasions later, I owe much to my fellow tegulologists Tauno Huotari, Jussi Kuusanrniiki, Mirja Lahtinen, Henrik Lilius, Helena Pyotsiii, Piiivi Setiilii, Hannele Soini and Margareta Steinby, and to the mineralogists Hannu Appelqvist and Antti Savolahti. I am also very much indebted to my teachers, the Professors liro Kajanto, Erkki Kuujo and the late Professar Piiivo Oksala, and to Dr. Kaarle Hirvonen who kindly read my manuscript and made valuable suggestions. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Soprintendente alle Antichità di Ostia, Professar Maria Floriani Squarciapino, and to the Professors Guido Barbieri and Fausto Zevi for their kindly attitude to my work at Ostia. I should a! so like to express my gratitude to the following institutions which at · various points of my research offered needed financial assistance: the Instituturn Romanum Finlandiae Foundation, the Emi! Aaltonen Foundation, the Leo and Regina Wainstein Foundation; and to the State Commission for the Humanistic Studies for a research assistantship during three years. The publication of this book was made possible by the willingness of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and Professar Yrjo Blomstedt, the editor of the Hurnanistic section of the Anna! es, to ace ept my study for inclusion in their series, I wish to thank Mr. Hai Martin who translated the manuscript into English, and Professar Tauno F. Mustanoja who checked the English. My colleague Anne Helttula read with me the English version and with her corrections greatly ameliorated the text; I am very thankful to her. Helsinki, December 7, 197 5 Tapio Helen Contents lntroduction . 7 l. Study Materia! . ... .. .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 2. Description of Brick Stamps ............................................. _......... 9 3. Dating of Brick Stamps . l O 4. The Study of Brick Stamps . Il 5. The Problem . 12 Notes ........................................................................................ 14 II Pre-conditions for the Brick Industry . 16 l. Use of Bricks as Building Materia! ............................................ 16 2. Demand for Bricks and Market Structure ..................................... 18 Notes .......... 20 III Nomenclature and Social Status of Persons in Brick Stamps 22 l. Domini . 22 2. Total Number of Persons. Free an d Sia ves . 23 3. Freeborn an d Freedmen . 24 4. CJL VI, l, 1815 and the gens Calpetana of Roman Brick Stamps . 27 5. A Note o n the Reading of Stamps . 31 Notes . 35 IV Meaning of the Word 'figlinae' . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ........... 37 l. Introduction . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 37 2. Meaning of the Word 'figlinae' According t o D resse! and Cozzo . 38 3. Examples of Use of the Word 'jiglinae' Apart from Roman Brick Stamps . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 41 4. The Word 'jiglinae' in the Text of Roman Brick Stamps . 45 - Introduction . 45 - Stamps of the First Century . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 47 - Stamps of the Second Century . 53 - Late Second Century Stamps . 72 5. A Case Study: the figlinae Caepionianae . 76 6. Conclusions . 82 Notes ...................................................................... :................. 83 V Organization of Brick Production. Persons Mentioned in Brick Stamps in their Relation to the Brick Industry 89 l. The Persons of the Brick Stamps: dominus and officinator . 89 2. The Groups domini and officinatores of Dressel an d Bloch . 93 3. Problems . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 96 4. Persons in the Stamps of E;ens Domitia .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. l 00 5. Relationship of domi nus an d officina tar in the Rom an La w of Persons .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. l 03 Slaves .............................................................................. 103 a) Officinator is the Slave of dominus Mentioned in Same Stamp ................................................................. 104 b) Officinator is the Slave of Some Other Person than dominus 104 Officinator is lihertus of dominus 105 Conclusions ....................... 108 6. Offìcinatores ......................... IlO - W ome n as officinatores ........................................................ 112 - Societas in Brick Stamps ..................................................... .. 113 - Officinatores Who Appear in Stamps of More Than O ne domi nus ........................................................... 116 - Continuity of the Functions of officinatores: a) Far How Long Did They Operate? ................................... .. 118 b) Officinator gentes .......................................................... 119 7. Conclusion . 130 Notes ................ ·........................................................................ 131 List of officinatores Appearing in Stamps of More Than One dominus 139 Bibliography an d Abbrcviations ........................................................... l 5 l Note: Decorative elements ami ligatures occurinE; in the stamps are not marked in the reproductions of stamp texts in this hook (except in note 96 on p. 138). I Introduction l. Study Materia! Conditions prevailing in the Roman brick industry (in the city of Rome itself) during the early Empire are the theme of this study. A study of this kind is made possible by the preservation of a coherent set of evidence: the stamps which were impressed on bricks before firing. These stamps provide the only opportunity of examining the Roman brick industry, and any study of this subject becomes -in practice if not in principle - an interpretation of Roman brick stamps. These stamps have long been available in printed form to students. The main collections are Heinrich Dressel's C/L XV, l of 1891 and Herbert Bloch's Supplement to Val XV, l of the CIL, 1947. 1 Stamps not published in these collections, but forming part of my materia!, are further to be found in C/LXIV Supplementum I (No. 5308). The indexes made by Bloch for these three collections are an indispensable aid in dealing with the subject-matter. The originai brick stamps were the starting point for my studies, however. At Institutum Romanum Finlandiae I was part of a group directed by Professar Jaakko Suolahti which made an inventory-for publication of brick stamps found in excava­ tions at Ostia. We examined the stamped bricks found in early excavations and stored in the Castello of Ostia, the bricks stored in the Horrea Epagathiana within the ancient city, and some stores of smaller size; al so brought for our inspection were bricks from excavations stili in progress. Almost 9,000 stamped bricks were studied by us; there were some 1200 different stamps, which account for over 1/3 of the brick stamps discovered in the region of Rome and on the coast of Latium. They included some hitherto unpublished stamps, but these did not add greatly to the materia!. From the control of materia! standpoint, however, the work done at Ostia was important, for it is difficult to obtain a clear understanding of such materia! from publications alone. 2 Chronologically I have confined myself to the first two centuries. The composi­ tion of the materia! is the reason for this. Brick stamps are divided into two clearly distinguishable time groups. The last stamps of the earlier group are from the reign of Caracalla, and the first of the later group from the time of Diocletian; between these lies a blank period of severa! decades without any datable stamps. The earlier group, which wili be examined in this study, is by far the greater, comprising 7 almost 10 times as many stamps as the later group. In themselves both groups are very coherent entities, but great differences are found between them: in the later, for instance, names of persons are almost entirely absent, as are the words 'figlinae' and 'prae dia'. It is clearly appare n t that during the third century a great change occurred in the organization of brick production, part of the same process which affected economie !ife as a whole in the Empire of that time. lt would be interesting to study how the transition of the third century is reflected in Roman brick stamps, but this would require a precise analysis of stamps preceàing and following the transition, and a comparison of results. In my view this is too far-reaching a task, and I have therefore confined myself to the earlier period. Remaining ourside the study, accordingly, is CIL XV, l, caput i1· "lateres urbani aetatisDiocletianae et posterioris"(CIL 1540-1731; S. 597-615). 3 Because the object of study is the brick industry, pars ii "dalia, pelves, arcae" (CIL 2416-2557; S. 467-567) was also excluded from.the
Recommended publications
  • A Guide to Ceramic Building Materials
    A Guide To Ceramic Building Materials An Insight Report By J.M. McComish ©York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research 2015 Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 5 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 5 3. ROMAN CERAMIC BUILDING MATERIAL (LATE 1ST TO 4TH CENTURY AD)..................................... 6 3.1 ANTEFIX ................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 BESSALIS .................................................................................................................................. 8 3.3 CHIMNEY ................................................................................................................................. 9 3.4 FLUE ...................................................................................................................................... 10 3.5 IMBREX .................................................................................................................................. 11 3.6 LYDION .................................................................................................................................. 12 3.7 NON-STANDARD SHAPES ........................................................................................................... 13 3.8 OPUS SPICATUM .....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Hadrian: the Restless Emperor Free Download
    HADRIAN: THE RESTLESS EMPEROR FREE DOWNLOAD Anthony R. Birley | 424 pages | 01 Jun 2000 | Taylor & Francis Ltd | 9780415228121 | English | London, United Kingdom Hadrian: The Restless Emperor Search Within These Results:. Condition: As New. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. Nerva—Antonine dynasty Hadrian: The Restless Emperor 96— Anthony R. Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection. Ulpia [i]. BirleyHadrian, the Restless Emperorp. I'm trying to get into Non-Fiction and this wasn't the book to start with. Revised ed. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. An excellent, and long overdue, biography of one of the greatest and most accomplished of the Hadrian: The Restless Emperor emperors. Douglas Coupland. Hard Cover. Steve Jobs. Pages and cover are clean and intact. After a few days' consideration, Antoninus accepted. A person of mercurial character, Hadrian: The Restless Emperor died after a long illness, hated by many but having left a remarkable stamp on the culture and character of the empire. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Fadilla [xxiii]. Escape the Present with These 24 Historical Romances. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. This One of the better books in this series in my opinion. I found it informative, but his prose too She relied too much on Dio Cassius, who seems to have had some kind of animus toward Hadrian.
    [Show full text]
  • Ovid, Fasti 1.63-294 (Translated By, and Adapted Notes From, A
    Ovid, Fasti 1.63-294 (translated by, and adapted notes from, A. S. Kline) [Latin text; 8 CE] Book I: January 1: Kalends See how Janus1 appears first in my song To announce a happy year for you, Germanicus.2 Two-headed Janus, source of the silently gliding year, The only god who is able to see behind him, Be favourable to the leaders, whose labours win Peace for the fertile earth, peace for the seas: Be favourable to the senate and Roman people, And with a nod unbar the shining temples. A prosperous day dawns: favour our thoughts and speech! Let auspicious words be said on this auspicious day. Let our ears be free of lawsuits then, and banish Mad disputes now: you, malicious tongues, cease wagging! See how the air shines with fragrant fire, And Cilician3 grains crackle on lit hearths! The flame beats brightly on the temple’s gold, And spreads a flickering light on the shrine’s roof. Spotless garments make their way to Tarpeian Heights,4 And the crowd wear the colours of the festival: Now the new rods and axes lead, new purple glows, And the distinctive ivory chair feels fresh weight. Heifers that grazed the grass on Faliscan plains,5 Unbroken to the yoke, bow their necks to the axe. When Jupiter watches the whole world from his hill, Everything that he sees belongs to Rome. Hail, day of joy, and return forever, happier still, Worthy to be cherished by a race that rules the world. But two-formed Janus what god shall I say you are, Since Greece has no divinity to compare with you? Tell me the reason, too, why you alone of all the gods Look both at what’s behind you and what’s in front.
    [Show full text]
  • “At the Sight of the City Utterly Perishing Amidst the Flames Scipio Burst Into
    Aurelii are one of the three major Human subgroups within western Eramus, and the founders of the mighty (some say “Eternal”) “At the sight of the city utterly perishing Aurelian Empire. They are a sturdy, amidst the flames Scipio burst into tears, conservative group, prone to religious fervor and stood long reflecting on the inevitable and philosophical revelry in equal measure. change which awaits cities, nations, and Adding to this a taste for conquest, and is it dynasties, one and all, as it does every one any wonder the Aurelii spread their of us men. This, he thought, had befallen influence, like a mighty eagle spreading its Ilium, once a powerful city, and the once wings, across the known world? mighty empires of the Assyrians, Medes, Persians, and that of Macedonia lately so splendid. And unintentionally or purposely he quoted---the words perhaps escaping him Aurelii stand a head shorter than most unconsciously--- other humans, but their tightly packed "The day shall be when holy Troy shall forms hold enough muscle for a man twice fall their height. Their physical endurance is And Priam, lord of spears, and Priam's legendary amongst human and elf alike. folk." Only the Brutum are said to be hardier, And on my asking him boldly (for I had and even then most would place money on been his tutor) what he meant by these the immovable Aurelian. words, he did not name Rome distinctly, but Skin color among the Aurelii is quite was evidently fearing for her, from this sight fluid, running from pale to various shades of the mutability of human affairs.
    [Show full text]
  • Novice – Preliminary Round 1 1
    Yale Certamen 2019 Written by Samir Al-Ali, Nestoras Apodiakos, Margot Armbruster, Aspen Bombardo, Andres Cook, Ram Gollapudy, Noah Harris, Connor Harrison, Michael Howard, Minyoung Hwang, David Jackson, David Jaffe, Lina Kapp, Michael Kearney, John Kim, Carina Layfield, Joshua Lomasney, Mindren Lu, Noah McThenia, Gabriel Molina, Ali Murray, Matt Nelson, Ben Ream, Henry Schott, Jason Tan, Matthew Thomas, and Jonathan Yuan. Edited by Michael Kearney. Novice – Preliminary Round 1 1. Complete the following analogy: “Rōma” is to “Italy” as “Athēnae” is to “blank”? ​ ​ ​ ​ GREECE B1: Now complete this analogy: “Rōma” is to “Italy” as “Alexandria” is to “blank”? ​ ​ ​ ​ EGYPT B2: Now complete this analogy: “Rōma” is to “Italy” as “Londinium” is to “blank”? ​ ​ ​ ​ ENGLAND 2. What daughter of Idmon hanged herself after losing a weaving contest to Athena? ARACHNE B1: What offensive image did Arachne weave into her tapestry? MISDEEDS OF THE GODS // GODS’ AFFAIRS WITH MORTALS [ACCEPT EQUIVALENTS] B2: What woman did Athena transform into a Gorgon after she lay with Poseidon in the goddess’ shrine? MEDUSA 3. In the following Chicago lyrics, identify a word derived from the Latin verb for “see”: ​ ​ “Unless of course that personage should be, / invisible, inconsequential, me.” INVISIBLE B1: From what Latin word with what meaning do we derive “personage”? PERSŌNA – PERSON / CHARACTER / MASK ​ B2: In the following Hamilton lyric, please identify either word derived from a Latin verb ​ ​ meaning “stand”: “He woulda been dead and destitute without a cent of ​ restitution.” DESTITUTE or RESTITUTION 4. What enemy of Rome, acting on behalf of the city of Tarentum, led his war elephants against the Romans at Heraclea in 280 B.C.? PYRRHUS (OF EPIRUS) B1: What Roman refused to be bribed by Pyrrhus? (GAIUS) FABRICIUS B2: Where did the Romans, led by Curius Dentatus, defeat Pyrrhus in 275 B.C.? BENEVENTUM / MALEVENTUM 5.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Months (De Mensibus) (Lewiston, 2013)
    John Lydus On the Months (De mensibus) Translated with introduction and annotations by Mischa Hooker 2nd edition (2017) ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations .......................................................................................... iv Introduction .............................................................................................. v On the Months: Book 1 ............................................................................... 1 On the Months: Book 2 ............................................................................ 17 On the Months: Book 3 ............................................................................ 33 On the Months: Book 4 January ......................................................................................... 55 February ....................................................................................... 76 March ............................................................................................. 85 April ............................................................................................ 109 May ............................................................................................. 123 June ............................................................................................ 134 July ............................................................................................. 140 August ........................................................................................ 147 September ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Handout Name Yourself Like a Roman (CLAS 160)
    NAME YOURSELF LIKE A ROMAN Choose Your Gender 0 Roman naming conventions differed for men and women, and the Romans didn’t conceive of other options or categories (at least for naming purposes!). For viri (men): Choose Your Praenomen (“first name”) 1 This is your personal name, just like modern American first names: Michael, Jonathan, Jason, etc. The Romans used a very limited number of first names and tended to be very conservative about them, reusing the same small number of names within families. In the Roman Republic, your major options are: Some of these names (Quintus, Sextus, • Appius • Manius • Servius Septimus, etc.) clearly originally referred • Aulus • Marcus • Sextus to birth order: Fifth, Sixth, Seventh. Others are related to important aspects of • Decimus • Numerius • Spurius Roman culture: the name Marcus probably • Gaius • Postumus • Statius comes from the god Mars and Tiberius from the river Tiber. Other are mysterious. • Gnaeus • Publius • Tiberius But over time, these names lost their • Lucius • Quintus • Titus original significance and became hereditary, with sons named after their • Mamercus • Septimus • Vibius father or another male relative. Choose Your Nomen (“family name”) 2 Your second name identifies you by gens: family or clan, much like our modern American last name. While praenomina vary between members of the same family, the nomen is consistent. Some famous nomina include Claudius, Cornelius, Fabius, Flavius, Julius, Junius, and Valerius. Side note: if an enslaved person was freed or a foreigner was granted citizenship, they were technically adopted into the family of their “patron,” and so received his nomen as well. De Boer 2020 OPTIONAL: Choose Your Cognomen (“nickname”) Many Romans had just a praenomen and a nomen, and it was customary and polite to address a 3 person by this combo (as in “hello, Marcus Tullius, how are you today?” “I am well, Gaius Julius, and you?”).
    [Show full text]
  • January 2021 the ORACLE
    NEWSLETTER OF THE SAN MARCOS HOUSING AUTHORITY January 2021 THE ORACLE PHOTO BY KAYLA SPENCER This year, many of our families were affected by Kindness at Christmas COVID. From losing a job to having their kids at home By Maria Calcaben doing online schooling, our families struggled to have a sense of normalcy, and Christmas was no different. Every year we try to get presents for the kids of the PODER After-School Program, but this year we wanted to do a little extra and with the help of our community — especially the Jackson Chapel United Methodist Church and the Tommy Hilfiger store in San Marcos — we were able to do just that! Jackson Chapel was generous enough to provide toys, board games, and balls so each of our kids could get presents along with a “Family Game” present to encourage family interaction. The church also donated goodie bags filled with candy, hand sanitizer, a water bottle, and an activity pad which each child received as they were going home. They also sponsored our meal and cupcakes for dessert, which the kids happily ate while watching the move Elf. The Tommy Hilfiger store in San Marcos, and their partners, donated clothing for our kids. They also donated enough adult clothing to share some with our other housing sites. They even donated two bicycles! Lastly, a donor that wanted to remain anonymous donated sets of socks, scarves, hats, and gloves for each child. Because of the generosity shown by our local supporters, our kids were overwhelmed with armloads of gifts and had faces full of smiles as they hurried home to their families for their Christmas break.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Roman Empire
    EDITIONLAUSANNE Limited to one tbousand registered sets N0.4'7 THE DECLINEAND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE VOL. I1 THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE BY EDWARD GIBBON EDITED BY J. B. BURY, M.A. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE RT. HON. W. E. H. LECKY VOL. I1 NEW YORK FRED DE FAU & COMPANY PUBLISHERS COPYRIGHT,I+, FRED DE FAU & COMPANY. CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME PACE... LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......... xu1 CHAPTER X The Emperors Decks. Gallus. Amilianus. Valerian. and Galliersur - The General Irruption of the Barbarians - The Thirty Tyrads A.D. 248-268 The Nature of the Subject .......i The Emperor Philip .........a 249 Services.Revolt. Victory. and Reign of the Emperor Decius . a 250 He marchesagainst the Goths ......3 Origin of the Goths from Scandinavia .....4 Religion of the Goths ........5 Institutions and Death of Odin .......6 Agreeable. but uncertainHypothesis concerning Odin . 6 Emigration of the Goths fromScandinavia into Prussia . 7 -from Prussia to theUkraine ...... 8 The Gothic Nation increases in its March .... 9 Distinction of the Germans and Sarmatians ....10 Description ofUkraine the ......10 The Goths invade the Roman Provinces .....11 250 Various Events of the Gothic War ... ..12 251 Decius revives the ofice of Censor in the Person of Valerian . 14 The Design Impracticable. and without Effect ....15 Defeat and Death of Decius and his Son .....16 251 Election of Gallus .........IS 252 Retreat of the Goths ....... 18 gallus purchases Peace by the Payment of an annual Tnbut; 18 Popular Discontent .........19 253 Victory and Revolt of Ahilianus ......20 Gallus abandoned and slain .......20 Valerian revenges the Death of Gallus .....21 Is acknowledged Emperor ........21 'i Character of Valerian ....
    [Show full text]
  • Des Soldats De L'armée Romaine Tardive: Les Protectores (Iiie-Vie
    THÈSE Pour obtenir le diplôme de doctorat Spécialité : Histoire, histoire de l’art et archéologie Préparée au sein de l’Université de Rouen Normandie Des soldats de l’armée romaine tardive : les protectores e e (III -VI siècles ap. J.-C.) Volume 2 : Prosopographie et annexes Présentée et soutenue par Maxime EMION Thèse soutenue publiquement le 6 décembre 2017 devant le jury composé de Professeur émérite d’histoire romaine, M. Michel CHRISTOL Examinateur Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Professeur d’histoire romaine, Université M. Pierre COSME Directeur de thèse de Rouen Normandie Professeur d’histoire romaine, Université Mme Sylvie CROGIEZ-PETREQUIN Rapporteur François-Rabelais, Tours Professor Doktor, Kommission für Alte M. Rudolf HAENSCH Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Rapporteur Archäologischen Instituts, Munich Maître de conférences d’histoire romaine, M. Sylvain JANNIARD Examinateur Université François-Rabelais,Tours Thèse dirigée par Pierre COSME, GRHis (EA 3831) UNIVERSITÉ DE ROUEN NORMANDIE École doctorale Histoire, Mémoire, Patrimoine, Langage (ED 558) THÈSE DE DOCTORAT EN HISTOIRE, HISTOIRE DE L’ART ET ARCHÉOLOGIE Des soldats de l’armée romaine tardive : e e les protectores (III -VI siècles ap. J.-C.) Volume II – Prosopographie, Annexes, Bibliographie Présentée et soutenue publiquement le 6 décembre 2017 par Maxime EMION Sous la direction de Pierre COSME Membres du jury : Michel CHRISTOL, Professeur des universités émérite, Université Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne Pierre COSME, Professeur des universités, Université de Rouen Normandie Sylvie CROGIEZ-PÉTREQUIN, Professeur des universités, Université François-Rabelais de Tours Rudolf HAENSCH, Professor Doktor, Kommision für Altegeschichte und Epigraphik, Munich Sylvain JANNIARD, Maître de conférences, Université François-Rabelais de Tours CATALOGUE PROSOPOGRAPHIQUE, ANNEXES, BIBLIOGRAPHIE 567 568 Introduction au catalogue prosopographique.
    [Show full text]
  • Calendar of Roman Events
    Introduction Steve Worboys and I began this calendar in 1980 or 1981 when we discovered that the exact dates of many events survive from Roman antiquity, the most famous being the ides of March murder of Caesar. Flipping through a few books on Roman history revealed a handful of dates, and we believed that to fill every day of the year would certainly be impossible. From 1981 until 1989 I kept the calendar, adding dates as I ran across them. In 1989 I typed the list into the computer and we began again to plunder books and journals for dates, this time recording sources. Since then I have worked and reworked the Calendar, revising old entries and adding many, many more. The Roman Calendar The calendar was reformed twice, once by Caesar in 46 BC and later by Augustus in 8 BC. Each of these reforms is described in A. K. Michels’ book The Calendar of the Roman Republic. In an ordinary pre-Julian year, the number of days in each month was as follows: 29 January 31 May 29 September 28 February 29 June 31 October 31 March 31 Quintilis (July) 29 November 29 April 29 Sextilis (August) 29 December. The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th.
    [Show full text]
  • Work at the Ancient Roman Villa: Representations of the Self, the Patron, and Productivity Outside of the City
    Wesleyan University The Honors College Work at the Ancient Roman Villa: Representations of the Self, the Patron, and Productivity Outside of the City by Emma Graham Class of 2019 A thesis submitted to the faculty of Wesleyan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors from the College of Letters and with Departmental Honors in Classical Civilizations Middletown, Connecticut April, 2019 TABLE&OF&CONTENTS! ! Acknowledgements! 2! ! Introduction! 3! Villa%Rustica%versus%Villa%Maritima%% 10% % % % % % % 2% Chapter!One:!Horace! 15! Remains!of!Horace’s!Villa% 18% Satire%2.6!on!Horace’s!Villa% 25% Chapter!Two:!Statius! 38! Silvae%1.3!on!the!Villa!of!Vopiscus%% 43% Silvae%2.2!on!the!Villa!of!Pollius!Felix%% 63% Chapter!Three:!Pliny!the!Younger! 80! Remains!of!Pliny!the!Younger’s!Tuscan!Villa%% 84% Epistula%5.6!on!Pliny!the!Younger’s!Tuscan!Villa%% 89% Epistula%9.36!on!Pliny!the!Younger’s!Tuscan!Villa% 105% Pliny!the!Younger’s!Laurentine!Villa% 110% Epistula%1.9!on!Pliny!the!Younger’s!Laurentine!Villa%% 112% Epistula%2.17!on!Pliny!the!Younger’s!Laurentine!Villa% 115% Conclusion!! 130! ! Appendix:!Images! 135! Bibliography!! 150! ! ! ! ! 1! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!! ! To!the!places!I!have!worked.!Third!floor!of!Olin!Library!next!to!the!window,!with! a!strong!diagonal!light!from!the!left!always!illuminating!my!desK.!The!College!of! Letters!library,!with!free!coffee!that!sustained!me!and!endless!laughter!of!friends! that!are!so!dear!to!me.!My!room!on!Home!Ave.,!at!my!desk!under!the!large!poster!
    [Show full text]