The Classical World to a Modern Girl

Thoughts, Ideas, and Perspectives on the Classical World, Today.

[constatnotus]

I thought I would post another of my favourite translations I completed, a letter from Pliny the Younger to Titinius Capitonius, Patron of the Arts. If you would like to read the letter in the original Latin I have included the link at the bottom of this post.

You are persuading me to write history, and you are not the only one to do so: many have often advised me to do this and indeed I am willing, not because I am confident that I will be able to do it expertly - you might be too rash to think that unless you are experienced - but because it seems to me an especially fine thing not to let those die to whom eternity is owed, and to extend other peoples' fame at the same as one's own.

In my case however, love and desire for a lasting reputation, the most worthy concerns among men, drive me in a way that nothing else does. This is especially the case for a man who is not conscious of any guilt on his part and who does not fear being remembered by later generations.

And consequently I ponder day and night, whether I may be able to elevate myself above the mundane level in any way for that is sufficient for my desire and it is beyond my desire that my victorious name should fly across the lips of men, Although!: but this is enough which history alone seems to promise.

Small thanks are given to oratory and poetry, unless our eloquence is the greatest: history delights in whatever way is has been written. For men are curious by nature and they are swept away even by the barest narration of facts, so that they are even lead astray by anecdotes and fables. And in my case indeed a family example also propels me toward this kind of study.

My uncle, who was also my father through adoption, composed histories most scrupulously. Moreover I find that wise men think that it is very honourable to follow in the footsteps of ones elders, provided that they had followed an honest route. Why then do I hesitate?

I have delivered many great cases. These I intend to revise even if for me the reward from this task is trivial, lest the great work I put into them may die alongside me, if I do not add what remains to be done. For if you have a view to posterity, whatever has not been finished is considered as not having been started.

You will say 'You can compose a history and write up your speeches at the same time.' If only! But each is so great a task that to finish one of them would be an achievement.

When I was eighteen I began to speak in the forum, and only now do I see, albeit however still dimly, what it takes for an orator to stand out.

What should happen if a new burden was added to this one? Indeed oratory and history have many things in common but they are very different in the aspects which they seem to share. History tells a story and oratory tells a story, but differently: oratory suits the humblest topics, base and common subjects, whereas history suits research, splendour and loftiness in all matters.

Oratory more often than not is bones, muscles and nerves, but history requires a body and a full mane as it were; oratory pleases either by it's great force, it's sharpness or it's urgency; whereas history is pleasing to use a sweet and even agreeable tone; lastly they use different words, a different tone and a different form.

For it matters greatly, as Thucydides says, whether something is a lasting glory or a glory for the moment; oratory is the latter of these, history is the former. For these reasons I am not persuaded to confound and mix two dissimilar genres which are diverse in the very way in which they are most important, lest I become confused as if in a great jumble and I do to the one what I ought to do to the other; meanwhile therefore I seek your pardon so that I do not retreat from my familiar language so that I can continue as an advocat.

However, think about what time period you think would be best for me to approach now. Ancient history, that has been prepared but the gathering together is burdensome. An untouched and new period? The offence is heavy and the thanks is light.

For on top of this, there is the fact that there are more things to be blamed than praised in the great vices of our men, moreover if you will have praised someone too sparingly you will be said to have been overly critical, or however fulsome you will have been towards that man you will have done this with too much reservation.

But these maters do not slow me down, for I have enough confidence in my ability, I ask only that you prepare the way for the task which you encourage and that you choose the material lest now that I am prepared to write no other just reason for delaying and hesitating again may not arise.

Farewell. 

Pliny on History -  Latin

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles

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Petra, Jordan.

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Fact Friday - Finding Nobody

"Nemo" is the latin for "nobody". An entire film based around finding nobody. So Marlin spent all that time looking for his non-existent son. Sad really...

[constatnotus]

[ancientpeoples]

Makeup Trends in Ancient Times

The desire to look beautiful is nothing new: even in ancient times, cosmetics were eagerly used by men and women alike. Many frescoes, wall-paintings and reliefs, as well as poetry and literature, bear testament to the practice. There was a thriving trade in these products, and each culture had its own specific peculiarities in recipes and application. The application of makeup back in the day started out as a practice of the more well-off ladies and gents, but as time passed, cheaper variants of the products became available to the poorer women. Because the makeup had to be applied several times a day, however, women of the working class would not have had the slaves or the time to wear makeup each and every day.

Not only the composition of makeup, but also the view on it and how cosmetics were used differed from culture to culture. While in Egypt scented oils had a more religious connotation, in Greece they were used to heighten the sensuality of the wearer. In Rome, men weren’t particularly fond of women using makeup, calling those who did deceitful and manipulative, while in Greece they only sometimes mocked women, and Egyptian men simply joined in on the fun.

Ancient Egypt

When thinking of Egypt, one almost immediately imagines the tell-tale kohl-lined eyes we know from statues, paintings and modern-day movies. Kohl was primarily made from either malachite or sulphide of antimony (later, lead sulphide gained a more wide-spread use), combined with other ingredients such as burnt almonds, soot and ochre. It was applied with a small stick, and believed to keep eye infections and other ailments at bay in addition to its beauty profits.

Cosmetics played a large role in the Egyptian health and hygiene rituals. Aside from kohl, they used lip and cheek paints, body oils, perfumes, and ointments and lotions to remove blemishes and wrinkles. Red ochre was used to give lips and cheeks a red tinge while the scented oils and perfumes were mixtures of almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, sweet rush, myrrh, castor oil and frankincense, as well as herbs such as marjoram, thyme, chamomile, cedar and many others. Donkey’s milk and honey were used in the lotions for smooth skin, and a popular cleansing agent was water mixed with salts of natron. Beeswax, oils and animal fats were used as a matrix to combine the other ingredients and make the cosmetic into a product that could be applied with ease.

Though makeup was most elaborately used, it wasn’t a gender-isolated practice. Men applied kohl to their eyes with the same regularity, and anointed their bodies with scented lotions. Taking makeup along was, as it is now, a female-only affair however. Egyptian noblewomen had a special box to contain their cosmetics, mirror, mixing palette and brushes they took with them to events and parties.

Ancient Greece

Nowadays, when we think of Greek women, we think of sultry, olive-skinned beauties. Back in the day, however, the noblewomen of Greek society preferred the palest skin possible. To obtain that effect, they mixed powdered white lead with water which they then daubed over their face, neck and arms. Red iron oxide was used as rouge and lip colouring, as were crushed mulberries or particular kinds of seaweed. For the eyes, they used ground charcoal or soot mixed with olive oil. Eyebrows weren’t excluded: they coloured these using dark powders made from the same materials as the eyeliner and –shadow. To connect the eyebrows was considered very fashionable.

Olive oil and honey were used as facial masks and lotions, to give the skin a natural, healthy glow. Of course, that didn’t protect the ladies in question from lead-poisoning – the price they paid for their smooth, white skins. Hair was lightened using vinegar and a spell in the sun; archaeologists have found broad-rimmed hats with a hole in the centre, possibly to keep the skin nice and pale while the hair turned lighter to match it.

Perfume was widely used, as well. Made from fragrant herbs like rose, iris, anise, lily, thyme and sage and oils such as castor, almond and linseed oils, these were applied mostly to be more appealing to the opposite gender. Though this wouldn’t help the women much who stayed indoors as much as possible, not only to prevent the sun from tanning them, according to the poet Eubulus, but also because sweating would cause their makeup to run.

Ancient Rome

The usage of cosmetics in Rome, while first for ritual purposes, soon became a fixed part of daily life of women. Not just the wealthy women, but prostitutes also employed the art of cultus (the Latin collective for makeup, perfume and jewellery) in order to look their best.

Like the Greek, Roman women desired the palest skin possible. They’d use not only white lead, but tin oxide or white marle among others, and even crocodile dung to get this effect. For rouge, they applied products made of Tyrian vermillion, alkanet, poppy petals, red chalk or red ochre. Blemishes were an absolute no-go, and a Roman woman had a variety of means at her disposal to conceal these. For the imperfections that proved too persisted for ointments and lotions made from swan’s fat, donkey’s milk, bean-meal and gum Arabic, there were leather patches of alum they could apply directly on to the spot, to make it look like a beauty mark. In contrast to their Greek and Egyptian contemporaries, Roman women did their best to have their makeup look as natural as possible. This might explain why there doesn’t seem to be evidence of lip paints being used by these women. Kohl was in use for eyes and eyebrows, with saffron added to it to mask some of the smell.

The smell was very important: many of the ingredients used in cosmetics had a terrible stink to them, such as facial masks made from the sweat of sheep (now known as lanolin and still in use in many products). While in the early Roman Republic only pure oils were used as beauty products, in the later Empire many herbs and fragrant ingredients would be added to mask the stench of other products. Fresh breath was highly valued as well, and men and women alike would chew a mix of pumice powder and baking soda to counter foul odours.

Images courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

[constatnotus]

On This Day... The Founding of Rome 753BC

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The date of the founding of Rome is one of those events that we will never truly be able to prove but it has been widely accepted by Classicists that it occurred on 21st April 753BC. This date was suggested by Marcus Terentius Varro and was accepted by the majority of the Roman population. This in itself probably isn't enough to convince most people but as archaeological evidence of early settlements on the Palatine Hill have been found dating as far back as c750 BC, it shouldn't be too far off.

The most common founding story is that of Romulus and Remus, twin boys who were abandoned at birth due to their threat to the usurper king who had deposed their grandfather. A she-wolf came across them and suckled the boys (as pictured above), saving them from death. Soon after a shepherd found them and he and his wife took them in as their own. Once they were grown they were told of their true heritage and, as in most epics, gathered about them an army, overthrew the evil king and placed their grandfather back on the throne. The twins then decided to go on to found a new city but disagreed over where to build it, arguments ensued resulting in the murder of Remus by his brother Romulus, leaving the latter to found the city where he wished, on the Palatine.

A brief explanation but you can read a more detailed story here.

The fight for Lavinia, Aeneas and Turnus

However, there is another founding story that is meant to have occurred earlier than that of Romulus and Remus. The Aeneid by Virgil details how Aeneas, a Trojan, escaped the sack of Troy around 1220BC and led the others who survived to find a suitable place to found a new Troy. After many trials and tribulations he arrived in Latium and fell in love with the daughter of King Latinus, Lavinia. However, King Turnus had intended to marry Lavinia and was not too impressed to find out she had married somebody else. This led to a war between Aeneas and Turnus (a bad move by Turnus there). As the son of Venus, Aeneas was unsurprisingly triumphant and won the right to stay in Latium.

As the Aeneid was written during the Roman empire between 29-19BC, a good 1200 years after the sack of Troy, some continuity issues arose. The Roman's however were able to clear this matter up as they stated that Aeneas was an ancestor of Romulus and Remus through a succession of kings thus making the two stories into one, much longer, story.

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles

[constatnotus]

Fact Friday - Athena's Son

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Olympian God Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths and craftsmen, was married to the well known goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure, Aphrodite. Their marriage was known as an unhappy one, with Aphrodite being very unfaithful and desired by countless men and gods alike.

Partly because of this unhappiness, when Athena came to Hephaestus for weapons, he was so overcome with passion for the virgin goddess that he tried to seduce her. Although unsuccessful, he was so excited that he ejaculated on to Athena's leg, which she quickly wiped off with some wool and threw to the earth. But, when the wool reached the ground it grew into a baby, Erichthonius.

Athena, wanting to keep the baby a secret, placed Erichthonius in a box and left him with the daughters of Cecrops, warning them not to open the box. The daughters, inevitably, opened the box and were terrified to see a half-human, half-snake baby inside. The sight scared them so much that it drove them insane, causing them to throw themselves off a cliff.

Erichthonius later grew up to be King of Athens.

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles

[constatnotus]

Fact Friday... The Alphabet

The Ancient Greek's are responsible for creating the first 'true' alphabet. They adapted the Phoenician alphabet into their own, adding separate letters for every vowel as these were far more important in Greek writing. The Greek's are also responsible for the western world writing from left to right as they initially started writing from right to left but switched around in their early writing days.

We also get the word 'alphabet' from the first two Greek letters, 'alpha' and 'beta'.

The Ancient Greek alphabet: The source of all modern European alphabets.

[fernsandmoss]

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While there is life, there is hope

Cicero

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The British Museum: A Historian's Treasure Trove

Having lived in London for three years, I experienced my fair share of memorable and iconic places the city has to offer. From Camden Market to Richmond Park to the 'delights' of a little place called Danebury Avenue, each presents something different to the beholder. I know it's probably quite a difficult task to name your favourite place in London for most people, but for me it's one of the easiest decisions I've ever made.

The British Museum.

I have always been a lover of museums. Even from a very young age I was attracted to them. I would be taken on day trips to places like Longleat Safari Park and Bowood House and Adventure Park where, although there were amazing things to see and do outside, I would crave to be taken into the stately homes that had been restored and presented in their original state. Not exactly what you expect from a 7 year old, but that was me and still is nearly 16 years later.

Before you even enter the British Museum, you are hit with it's breathtaking architecture. Having taken inspiration from ancient Greece it's no surprise that you feel like you're looking up at a gargantuan Greek temple. The exterior alone made me fall in love with the place but the sheer amount of history from all over the world represented within it's walls is something I don't think I will ever bore of.

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A Brief History

Founded in 1753, it was not only the first national public museum in the world, it was also completely admission free (glad they've kept that going!). Starting with Sir Hans Sloane who, in his will, left his entire collection of interesting and ancient artifacts to King George II for the benefit of the nation, lead to the passing of an Act of Parliament on 7th June 1753 that established the British Museum. 15th January 1759 saw the doors first opened to the public and ever since then the Museum's collections (and storage space) has been continually expanding with it's latest development project, the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, due to be completed this year. Now receiving around six million visitors each year, it has become one of the most visited museums in the world.

From Ancient Egyptian history to Tibetan culture, you think of it, they've probably got something on it. Some of the biggest draws for me are the ancient Greek and Roman sculpture collections which are numerous and incredibly beautiful, the Egyptian artifacts and mummies (obviously), and, my particular favourite, the Enlightenment Gallery. This Gallery is possibly one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever been in. My love of beautiful libraries is almost as strong as my love for museums and when there's a room that is a combination of both of these things, well, there's not a lot better. As the British Museum website describes it, objects on display reveal the way in which collectors, antiquaries and travellers during this great age of discovery viewed and classified objects from the world around them. The Enlightenment Gallery is divided into seven sections that explore the seven major new disciplines of the age: Religion and ritual, Trade and discovery, the birth of archaeology, Art history, Classification, the decipherment of ancient scripts and Natural history. In short, it's a room that represents all of the beautiful and fantastic discoveries and developments people made during one of the most important historical eras, ever, especially as my degree in Classical Civilisation would probably never have been founded without it.

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I could ramble on and on about this place but I think i'll leave it there for now. After countless visits I still haven't experienced everything this place has to offer, and I don't think I ever will.

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles

[constatnotus]

As transient as a mere dream is precious youth.

Mimnermus, Poem 5

[constatnotus]

All speech is vain and empty unless it be accompanied by action.

Demosthenes

[constatnotus]

On This Day... The Death of Emperor Tiberius 37AD

                                        TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS NERO - Born 16th November 42BC on the Palatine at Rome. Son of (another) Tiberius Claudius Nero, Livia Drusilla and, later, step-son of Augustus. He was a successful soldier and went on to marry the daughter of Augustus, Julia. After several years campaigning in the army, Tiberius succeeded his adoptive father to become the second Emperor of Rome. His reign was initially successful but Tiberius went on to become not the most popular of emperors, so much so that he spent his later years in the city of Capreae and very rarely, if ever, returned to Rome. His death in 37AD, at the age of 78, was received happily by the majority of the citizens of the Empire. The cause of death however is still a little uncertain. Admittedly, living to the age of 78 suggests that it was merely old age that killed him. But some sources, such as Tacitus, have suggested that he was in fact smothered.

A brief obituary from Tacitus:

And so died Tiberius, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Nero was his father, and he was on both sides descended from the Claudian house, though his mother passed by adoption, first into the Livian, then into the Julian family. From earliest infancy, perilous vicissitudes were his lot. Himself an exile, he was the companion of a proscribed father, and on being admitted as a stepson into the house of Augustus, he had to struggle with many rivals, so long as Marcellus and Agrippa and, subsequently, Caius and Lucius Caesar were in their glory. Again his brother Drusus enjoyed in a greater degree the affection of the citizens. But he was more than ever on dangerous ground after his marriage with Julia, whether he tolerated or escaped from his wife's profligacy. On his return from Rhodes he ruled the emperor's now heirless house for twelve years, and the Roman world, with absolute sway, for about twenty-three. His character too had its distinct periods. It was a bright time in his life and reputation, while under Augustus he was a private citizen or held high offices; a time of reserve and crafty assumption of virtue, as long as Germanicus and Drusus were alive. Again while his mother lived, he was a compound of good and evil; he was infamous for his cruelty, though he veiled his debaucheries, while he loved or feared Sejanus. Finally, he plunged into every wickedness and disgrace, when fear and shame being cast off, he simply indulged his own inclinations.

My intention is to make this post the first in a series of 'On This Day...' posts. Not the most exciting to open with but I thought i'd start while I still had the idea knocking around in my head. Tiberius is one of the emperors I know least about as my studies have swayed me in the direction of Augustus, Claudius, and Nero but i'm hoping to change that with these posts!

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles

[constatnotus]

The only thing that is valuable is one's own pleasure, anything else that has value is only valuable as far as it provides pleasure.

Epicurus

[constatnotus]

Than love nothing whatsoever is sweeter. All forms of happiness rank second.

Nossis, Greek Anthology, 5.170

[constatnotus]

The Construction of Female Sexual Power

Considering how much stress and suffering my dissertation caused me, I'm surprised I haven't deleted everything to do with it and erased it from my life. Shockingly though, I've found myself craving a re-read of the 10-month-long life destroyer!

                                          "The Construction of Female Sexual Power by Roman Writers, Specifically Focusing on Valeria Messalina", the long-winded title I gave my masterpiece, explored the portrayal of elite Roman women in ancient historical texts and their influence on the men in their lives.

Not particularly out there, as far as dissertation topics go, but it's always a favourite story of mine to tell as to why I chose it. It all began in June 2012 when I was having a mad panic trying to think of a topic proposal before the deadline. I was so desperate that I ended up on StumbleUpon clicking through the Ancient History interest when I came across a page that generated random facts. I was on this page for a while when a fact about a woman named Valeria Messalina, third wife of the Emperor Claudius, came up. It stated that Valeria Messalina was so promiscuous that she had a competition with a prostitute to see who could sleep with the most people in one night. She won. Obviously, I was instantly intrigued. Wondering whether this was actually true, I looked into it further and found out that other elite Roman women had been portrayed in similar ways. I wanted to know why. And, basically, the rest is history. (OH, an unintentional history pun!)

It's 38 pages long so I'm generously not going to include the whole thing on here (hooray!) but I thought I'd include a short segment from Chapter One - The Portrayal of Roman Women.

Levick argues that Messalina used her sexuality to protect the accession of her son, Britannicus, as well as using her relationship with the heir to protect herself. Instead of being an 'adolescent nymphomaniac', she acted out of political interests. If this is the case then an argument can be made for Messalina having more societal virtues than originally thought. Her attempts to protect the future of her son, albeit through very different avenues, are similar to the actions of women such as Cornelia. Men expected women to care for their children and be diligent in the protection of their welfare and future prospects. Messalina could be argued to be doing this, albeit in a slightly less acceptable manner.

The wives of Claudius in particular are shown to be the most 'un-Roman' noble women of the Julio-Claudian age, presenting an 'inverted image' of female criminality and a lack of moderation. Instead of being the upstanding female citizens they were expected to be, they were represented as immoral and possessing masculine traits. Tacitus used this to show a clear difference between positive and negative women and their actions. Messalina had already been shown to be a persuasive and sexually controlling woman but Claudius’ second wife, Agrippina the Younger was argued to have been no better if not worse.

Success is dependent on effort - Sophocles 

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