In the same way offer wine to Janus and offer wine to Jupiter, in the same way as before in offering the pile of cakes, and in the consecration of the cake.
I wonder why they have to pray the same way every time. Why aren't there different prayers depending on what's being offered?
"Father Janus, in offering these cakes to you, I humbly pray that you will be propitious and merciful to me and my children, my house and my household."
These sayings really show how religious the Roman people were.
After the offering is made, plant millet, panic grass, garlic, and lentils.
I assume the offering is suppose to help these crops grow better.
The feast of Jupiter consists of roasted meat and an urn of wine.
That sounds really good.
"Jupiter Dapalis, since it is due and proper that a cup of wine be offered you, in my home among my family, for your sacred feast; for that reason, be honored by this feast that is offered you."
I think this is really interesting.
Offer to Jupiter Dapalis a cup of wine of whatever size you wish.
I'm surprised there's not a specific size he has to offer. Usually religion is all about the small details.
It is not remembered that anybody has ever been wounded by the beasts.
That's good at least.
At this point I have seen some of the beasts, including a bear, forcing their way outside at the first rush of the flames, some of them actually escaping by their strength.
I was not expecting for the animals to be burned alive in front of everyone. I don't think I could watch that.
It is, however, not >till the next day that the sacrifice is offered, and the festival is not only a state function but also quite a popular general holiday.
So it's a holiday that lasts a couple days?
The festival begins with a most splendid procession in honor of Artemis, and the maiden officiating as priestess rides last in the procession upon a car yoked to deer.
So they have someone dressed up as Artemis for the sacrifice? If so, that's actually really cool.
Round the altar in a circle they set up logs of wood still green, each of them sixteen cubits long.
I wonder why they have to use logs with green on them still and why they have to be sixteen cubits long.
Nero now began to collect vast sums both from individuals and nations, sometimes using downright compulsion, with the conflagration as his excuse, and sometimes obtaining funds by "voluntary" offers. As for the mass of the Romans they had the fund for their food supply withdrawn.
It's hard to tell whether Nero was trying to help is people or gain personal benefits from nations trying to help out. It's seems like the lather since it states the mass of Rome had their funds for food taken from them.
a sudden wind caught the fire and swept it over what remained.
Wind is a fire's bestfriend.
This state of things lasted not one day, but several days and nights running.
It probably took forever to put the fires out for good.
Men thrust, and were thrust back, upset others, and were upset themselves, many were suffocated or crushed; in short, no possible calamity at such a disaster failed to befall.
It just sounds like so much chaos is going on all at once.
The shouting and screaming of children, women, men, and gray beards mingled together unceasingly; and betwixt the combined smoke and shouting no one could make out anything.
This just sounds terrifying to go through. I couldn't imagine living through it.
men would learn that their own homes were blazing. Others learned, for the first time, that their property was on fire, by being told it was burned down.
How awful for those people.
Accordingly, Nero sent out by different ways men feigning to be drunk, or engaged in some kind of mischief, and at first had a few fires kindled quietly and in different quarters;
I'm guessing the men pretending to be drunk were to act as a distraction from the men setting the fires.
and it is likely enough that thugs and bandits pretended they had the Emperor's orders, when they spread the flames in the hope of getting new chances for plunder.
Not surprising.
The city of Rome was, for the most part, composed of very ill-built and inflammable insulae (tenement houses)
Seems perfect for a fire to feed on once it's started. No wonder the city was almost destroyed.
and who had charmed even the old Vespasian by the splendour of her presents,
People like presents, even emperors.
On the one hand, the provincials from long use felt a pleasure in the companionship of the soldiers, with whom many of them were connected by friendship or relationship; on the other, the soldiers from the long duration of their service loved the well-known and familiar camp as a home.
I can understand how the people are so used to the soldiers being there and making connections with them. It must've been hard for some of the soldiers to leave too if they considered the camp home.
He could speak Greek with considerable grace
Which was most likely very helpful during that time.
and listened to the joyful intelligence that came pouring in from all quarters.
This sounds like the soldiers are happy Vespasian is Emperor.
All this was done by the impulsive action of the soldiers without the preliminary of a formal harangue or any concentration of the legions.
I find it amusing how it was an impulse action among the soldiers.
Eventually this was to become a pattern.
Referencing the emperors to come after Vespasian.
Give many salutations to Capiton and my brother and sister and Serenilla and my firends.
I think it's sweet how in both of these letters you can tell how much they miss their family. They must be very homesick and I don't blame them. I would be too.
make obeisance before your handwriting, because you educated me well and I hope thereby to have quick advancement,
He wants to keep learning from his father's letters.
Now I ask you, my lord and father, write me a letter, telling me first of your welfare,
This shows how much he misses his family.
I received from Caesar three gold pieces for travelling expenses
That's really nice of Caeser to do that for him.
I thank the Lord Serapis that when I was in danger at sea he straightway saved me
This shows how religious people were in Rome.
Apion to Epimachus, his father and lord, very many greetings.
We immediately know the soldier is writing to their father.
I salute all who love you, each by name. I pray for your health.
You can really tell the soldier misses his family a lot by how many times he says he hopes they're in good health throughout this letter.
I beg you then, mother, look after yourself and do not worry about me; for I have come to a fine place.
He doesn't want her to worry about him. We know she will though because it's her child.
Before all I pray for your health. I myself am well, and make supplication for you before the gods of this place
It's sweet how the first thing he writes is hoping she's in good health.
Apollinarius to Taesis, his mother and lady, many greetings!
I immediately know they're writing to their mother.
acting for the Roman People, declare and make actual war upon the enemy!
It's important that he states he's a representative for the people because that shows the people's voices are being heard, whether it's true or false. Even if it's a lie it puts him in a good light with others.
he said to the senator first questioned, what think you? Then the other said, I think that [our rights] should be demanded by a just and properly declared war, and for that I give my consent and vote. Next the others were asked in order, and when the majority of those present had reached an agreement, the war was resolved upon
This shows they wanted to be very civilized and calm when deciding on war factors. They didn't want to act erratically.
call you to witness that this nation _____ is unjust, and has acted contrary to right. And as for us, we will consult thereon with our elders in our homeland, as to how we may obtain our rights.
He's saying the nation has been acting unjustly and the gods need to hear that. Then the people in the nation need to look to their elders for what their rights are and how they can get those rights.
These words he repeats when he crosses the frontiers; he says them also to the first man he meets [on the way]; again when he passes the gate; again on entering the [foreigners'] market-place, some few words in the formula being changed
I feel like he's trying to spread the word to as many people as possible so the message will be heard as far as possible across the land.
Ancus Marcius desired that the ceremonies relating to war might be transmitted by himself to future ages.
This is saying how Ancus Marcius will be remembered for centuries to come.
Additional height was given to the structure; this was the only variation which religion would permit, and the one feature which had been thought wanting in the splendour of the old temple.
It's interesting how the only thing they were allowed to change of the temple was the height of it. I wonder why that is.
The soothsayers had previously directed that no stone or gold which had been intended for any other purpose should profane the work.
So the stone and gold on the temple were only intended to be used for the temple.
Contributions of gold and silver and virgin ores, never smelted in the furnace, but still in their natural state, were showered on the foundations.
This is cool.
first purified the spot with the usual sacrifice of a sow, a sheep, and a bull,
Since it's a usual sacrifice this sacrifice must be used all the time.
Then the vestal virgins, with a troop of boys and girls, whose fathers and mothers were still living, sprinkled the whole space with water drawn from the fountains and rivers
This is interesting.
Lucius Vestinius, a man of the Equestrian order, who, however, for high character and reputation ranked among the nobles.
He is described as someone who can be trusted with this project.
The dinner itself consisted of sows' udder; boar's head; fish-pasties; boar-pasties; ducks; boiled teals; hares; roasted fowls; starch pastry; Pontic pastry.
These definitely don't sound very good to eat compared to the food we can make today.
Before the dinner proper came
I feel like this is an indication of the Romans eating a lot for an appetizer before the main course. Or they have a lot of options to choose from for their appetizer.
, handicapped by the absence of most forms of modern ices, and of sugar.
I didn't know that.
The art of cooking was placed almost on a level with that of sculpture or of music.
I like the comparison of food to a sculpture and music.
The Romans laid a vast stress upon the joys of eating.
This is an immediate indication there's going to be a lot of talk about the foods the Roman's ate.
Take my advice, my lad
It is an older person giving advice to someone younger than them.
Mindful of this, be gentle, is my prayer,
Just be careful.
Love that so easily men's hearts can flay
It seems like this is saying it's easy for men to peel love off their heart.
While him who loved you first you'll treat as cold
Because they loved their ex first they will treat them poorly.
to-morrow changing Wilt seek another
That bad person will do him wrong then go on to do the same to someone else.
May creep upon thee.
Be careful of bad people sneaking into your life.
'Twill make thee glad and grateful in the end
This makes me even more curious to find out what his advice will be.
They say, dear boy, that wine and truth agree
It automatically seems like this poem is someone giving a younger child advice from their own experiences.
If a solid lighter than a given fluid rest in that fluid the weight of the solid to the weight of an equal volume of the fluid will be as the part of the solid which is submerged is to the whole solid.
I feel like I just read through a geometry lesson. I'm not very good at geometry.
If a solid lighter than a given fluid be forced into lhat fluid the solid will be driven upwards again by a force which is equal to the difference between the weight of the fluid and the weight of the amount of fluid displaced.
This reminds me of forcing things underwater just to see them shoot back up out of it with my friends when I was younger. It was funny till you're the one that got hit by it.
Those solids which are of the same weight as a fluid in proportion to their size, when sunk in that fluid will be submerged in such a way that they neither extend above that fluid nor sink below it.
So half of the solid is above the fluid and half is submerged in the fluid?
Therefore, since I have discovered that these things hold true of these figures I do not fear to place them alongside my own previous results and the most thoroughly established theorems of Eudoxus, such as: any pyramid is equal to one-third of the prism of the same base and height, and any cone is equal to one-third of the cylinder of the same base and height.
I can't even imagine how thrilled he must have been when he figured that out after several people before them dedicated their time to it.
These are: 1. The surface of any sphere is four times the surface of its greatest circle; 2. The surface of any segment of a sphere is equal to the surface of that circle the radius of which equals the straight line drawn from the vertex of the segment to the circumference of the circle which serves as the base of the segment; 3. That a cylinder with a base equal to the great circle of a given sphere, and a height equal to the diameter of thesphere contains half the volume of that sphere and its surface is equal to half the surface of that sphere.
It amazes me how people are smart enough to figure stuff out like this. I, myself, could never do that.
Kerferd’s claim that we can distinguish between philosophy and sophistry by appealing to dialectic remains problematic, however.
This makes sense.
The sophists were thus a threat to the status quo because they made an indiscriminate promise – assuming capacity to pay fees – to provide the young and ambitious with the power to prevail in public life.
They made promises that went unfulfilled causing them to become a threat.
Indeed, Protagoras claims that the sophistic art is an ancient one, but that sophists of old, including poets such as Homer, Hesiod and Simonides, prophets, seers and even physical trainers, deliberately did not adopt the name for fear of persecution.
Wow, this is surprising. I didn't realize people were scared to be considered a sophist out of fear of being killed.
Although Socrates did not charge fees and frequently asserted that all he knew was that he was ignorant of most matters, his association with the sophists reflects both the indeterminacy of the term sophist and the difficulty, at least for the everyday Athenian citizen, of distinguishing his methods from theirs.
So Socrates wasn't a sophist because he didn't charge a fee?
The narrower use of the term to refer to professional teachers of virtue or excellence (aretē) became prevalent in the second half of the fifth century B.C.E., although this should not be taken to imply the presence of a clear distinction between philosophers, such as Socrates, and sophists, such as Protagoras, Gorgias and Prodicus. This much is evident from Aristophanes’ play The Clouds (423 B.C.E.), in which Socrates is depicted as a sophist and Prodicus praised for his wisdom.
I can see where people would get sophists confused with philosophers. The two are quite similar from what I've read so far on sophists.
The term sophist (sophistēs) derives from the Greek words for wisdom (sophia) and wise (sophos).
They're pretty much named wise people.
Perhaps because of the interpretative difficulties mentioned above, the sophists have been many things to many people. For Hegel (1995/1840) the sophists were subjectivists whose sceptical reaction to the objective dogmatism of the presocratics was synthesised in the work of Plato and Aristotle. For the utilitarian English classicist George Grote (1904), the sophists were progressive thinkers who placed in question the prevailing morality of their time. More recent work by French theorists such as Jacques Derrida (1981) and Jean Francois-Lyotard (1985) suggests affinities between the sophists and postmodernism.
This shows it depends on the person and the way they look at the sophists. Not everyone thinks of them the same. Some think they had good intentions while others not so much.
If one is so inclined, sophistry can thus be regarded, in a conceptual as well as historical sense, as the ‘other’ of philosophy.
I find this very interesting and intriguing.
Only a handful of sophistic texts have survived and most of what we know of the sophists is drawn from second-hand testimony, fragments and the generally hostile depiction of them in Plato’s dialogues.
So maybe not all sophists had good intentions , if any, since Plato depicted them as hostile.
In return for a fee, the sophists offered young wealthy Greek men an education in aretē (virtue or excellence), thereby attaining wealth and fame while also arousing significant antipathy
I wonder how much the fee was since it states the sophists became wealthy from teaching the young men who were also wealthy.
Where there are rich slaves it is no longer profitable that my slave should be afraid of you.
Rich slaves? Never heard of this before so that's interesting.
Such advantages would indeed very soon throw the poor into complete subjection.
I feel like this is kind of obvious.
f, on the other hand, you investigate good order, first of all you will see that the most capable make laws for others; then the the elite will keep the thieves in check and will deliberate on matters of state, refusing to allow madmen to sit on the Council or make speeches or attend the general assemblies.
Interesting how thieves are referred to as "madmen" by the end of this statement.
For if the poor and the common people and the worse elements are treated well, the growth of these classes will exalt the democracy;
I feel like if the poor and common people were treated well they wouldn't actually exalt the democracy.
Secondly, some people are surprised that everywhere they give the advantage to thieves, the poor, and the radical elements rather than to the the elite.
I'm definitely surprised.
As for the constitution of the Athenians, their choice of this type of constitution I do not approve, for in choosing thus they choose that thieves should fare better than the elite.
This is interesting since in the book it describes the elites and more wealthy people have better lives than the poor.
Thou hast only to add thy vote to my side and thy country will be free, and not free only, but the first state in Greece
Reading this sentence, I can definitely tell Miltiades seems extremely confident with the speech he has just given. While reading this sentence I automatically used a strong and confident tone of voice, which shows how powerful his words were.
We generals are ten in number, and our votes are divided; half of us wish to engage, half to avoid a combat
When reading this sentence, I wonder at this point if Miltiades knows he has convinced enough generals to go into battle. If not, I wonder if he even thought there was a slight chance of being able to convince people to go into combat.
"With thee it rests Callimachus, either to bring Athens to slavery, or, by securing her freedom, to leave behind thee to all future generations a memory beyond even Harmodius and Aristogeiton.
We already know Miltiades successfully convinces Callimachus and the rest of Polemarch to continue fighting. He started listing a few good things that will happen if they fight and win the Battle of Marathon.
The most disgraceful thing in the world, they think, is to tell a lie; the next worst, to owe a debt: because, among other reasons, the debtor is obliged to tell lies.
Why is the debtor obliged to tell lies? Is it so they can get the money from the person faster that owes them the debt? Or whatever reason they are in debt for.
They are very fond of wine, and drink it in large quantities. To vomit or obey natural calls in the presence of another is forbidden among them. Such are their customs in these matters.
Why can't they vomit or go to the bathroom when they need to after drinking wine with other people? Why is it forbidden of them?
Of all the days in the year, the one which they celebrate most is their birthday
I find it amusing Herodotus makes it sound like the Persians absolutely love celebrating their birthdays. It's something small that you forget people have been doing for hundreds of years. It's not just a modern thing.
This comes, I think, from their not believing the gods to have the same nature with men, as the Greeks imagine.
This makes me wonder why they don't believe gods have the same nature with men like the Greeks believe. Did something happen for the Persians to think this way?