How many of you readers are cat lovers? Ever had your cat pee on something? Well, sometime they pee- sometime they spray. Spray is the worse. It is their inheritant way of being a- well- a "pest."
When Filipovic a medievalist visited the State Archives of Dubrovnik, he stumbled upon a 15th century manuscript with inky paw prints casually tracked across it.
According to the writing in the manuscript: “a Deventer scribe, writing around 1420, found his manuscript ruined by a urine (or spray) stain left there by a cat the night before. He was forced to leave the rest of the page empty, drew a picture of a cat and cursed the creature with the following words:”
Hic non defectus est, sed cattus minxit desuper nocte quadam. Confundatur pessimus cattus qui minxit super librum istum in nocte Daventrie, et consimiliter omnes alii propter illum. Et cavendum valde ne permittantur libri aperti per noctem ubi cattie venire possunt.
Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others [other cats] too. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come.
What I would sincerely love to know is whether, almost 600 years later, the urine/spray smell has left the page. Cat owners, you’ll know what I mean.
Whilst enjoying your New Year, remember to look back on 2013 and see what you wish to make of 2014! But before you do that, read on the historic background of New Years Day!
Originally, the Roman calendar designated March 1 as the New Year. The Roman Calendar only had ten months with March as the first month.
March: named after Mars, the god of war
April: from aperire, Latin for “to open” (buds)
May: named after Maia, the goddess of growth of plants
June: from junius, Latin for the goddess Juno
July: named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
August: named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C.
September: from septem, Latin for “seven”
October: from octo, Latin for “eight”
November: from novem, Latin for “nine”
December: from decem, Latin for “ten”
These were added later:
January: named after Janus, the god of doors and gates
February: named after Februalia, a time period when sacrifices were made to atone for sins
According to Livy, January was invented by Rome’s second king, Numa Pontilius, along with February. The first time the New year was celebrated on January 1st was in 153 B.C.E. However, this change from March 1st to January 1st was not always strictly enforced. It was mainly implemented for political reasons. The New Year was moved to January 1st, because this was when the beginning of the civil year occurred. The month that two newly elected Roman Consuls began their one-year term.
Julian Calendar: January 1st Officially Instituted as the New Year
In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a solar-based calendar that improved the ancient Roman calendar, which was a lunar- based which had become extremely inaccurate over the years. Julius Caesar’s calendar known as the Julian calendar decreed that the New Year would occurred on January 1st for the entire Roman world.
A statue representing Janus Bifrons in the Vatican Museums.
For the Romans, the month of January carried a special significance. Its name was derived from the two-faced deity Janus, the god of change and beginnings. Janus was seen to be looking back at the old and ahead to the new, and this idea became tied to the concept of transition from one year to the next.
Romans would celebrate January 1 by giving offerings to Janus in the hope of gaining good fortune for the new year. This day was seen as setting the stage for the next twelve months. According to Ovid, most Romans also chose to work for at least part of New Year’s Day, as idleness was seen as a bad omen for the rest of the year.
So start your year the right way with retrospection and introspection! Be safe and have fun!
"HER" showcases the acting skills of Joaquin Phoenix and his romantic relationship with his computer operating system (OS) or Samantha (Scarlet Johansson). "HER" permits Phoenix to give one of the best performance of his career. His ability to act with merely a voice is beyond commendable. As for the writing, Spike Jonze's script recounts the life of Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) who lives a mundane existing writing love letters for other people while he is going through a divorce. Jonze's narrative reveals the new (trending) mentality (or the preference) of socializing with people versus artificial intelligence; while simultaneously reminding the modern movie-goer of our social trends. Our social trends of computers, Facbook, Twitter, Tumblr, Vlogging, Blogging, smart phones, and our unconscious ability to distant ourselves from human interactions. Furthermore, the story taps into the raw energy of the most basic human condition: the need to be loved and be in love. Jonez's ability to tackle human emotions and the evolution of the OS in human society is a new genre untouched in cinema. Fun Fact: Samantha was modeled after Siri; see what Siri had to say of Johanssen's performance: http://www.essentialhommemag.com/ask-siri-what-she-thinks-about-the-movie-her/
ANCIENT CONNECTION:
[Pygmalion by Jean-Baptiste Regnault, 1786, Musée National du Château et des Trianons]
The film depicts a retelling of the myth of Pygmalion. Pygmalion, recounted in Ovid's "Metamorphoses," hopelessly falls in love with his creation, Galatea, which is an ivory statue. As in "HER," Phoneix and other characters make bonds of friendship and love with their personal OS which essentially are ivory statues (minus the corporal form). A quote from the film:
"Falling in love is a crazy thing to do, it’s like a socially acceptable form of insanity."
DOES LOVE MAKE YOU CRAZY?
Is it Insanity? Loving Statues? Loving an OS? Loving Narcissus? Loving "people" or "things" tends to bring out the crazy rawness of the human spirit. Desire. Obsession. Love. Eros. Friendly Love. Jealous. Competitiveness. Sexual Desire. Et Cetera. "HER" shows the evolution of "Love" through a futuristic approach; while at the same time it reveals how the trend of loving "things" outside of humanity is truly archaic. It broaches the subject of human inadequacy for certain people. Furthermore, it demonstrates the lengths of human transgressions within the bounds of "love." Our ability to love beyond the flesh reveals our emotional and mental need for an "connection."
WHAT DOES LOVING SOMETHING REVEAL?
The similarity between the Pygmalion and Twombly is their "falling in love" with their creations is obvious; although, Twombly falls for a creation within his society. Perhaps it is the idea that these beings (Samantha and Galatea) are created in the eye of their master and therefore are the perfect form and ideal partner. It could then even be taken a step further and argued that as the creators of the OS or statues that our love for our creations reflects our love and desire for ourselves. This would even relate to our own narcissistic tendencies and this narcissistic love only results in alienation and loneliness, as it did with Narcissus.
I wonder, What do you see in the picture above featuring Theodore Twombly at the beach? Is he happy? Lonely? Social? A product of his time?
RATING:
I would rate the film at a 8.5/9 out of 10 or 4 1/2 stars! The film has already been nominated for several awards for its script and actors. Furthermore, Phoenix's absence from Hollywood did make my heart grow fonder...well, at least mine. I would bet money on the film receiving an Oscar nomination. I would recommend adults or young adults to see the film and discuss the philosophy of the script the dilemmas of the future yet to come. If people are still interested in Jonze's ability to weave such an influential narrative, please consult his blog on his inspirations for the film "HER:" http://www.herthemovie.com/#/everything-about-everything
- Classical Studies & Ancient History
Are you sitting? Well you've better, this list will blow your mind!
2014
Hercules: The Legend Begins debuted last weekend. The film is based in Ancient Greece, but inaccurately attributes the Latin name "Hercules" instead of the Greek form Herakles.
Next Month, Son of God and Pompeii are hitting the silver screen. Both films are projected to do fairly well. The reconstruction of Pompeii and its destruction should be well worth the cheesy love story.
Plebs follows the story of three desperate young men from the lower classes as they try to partake in sexual intercourse, keep jobs and ascend the social ladder in the big city. Brace yourself for more Plebs! It has been renewed for a second season for SPRING 2014. "Can the bumbling misadventures of young Romans Marcus and Stylax and their lazy slave with an attitude problem, Grumio, possibly become more low-brow…or hilarious?"
FILM SOMETIME 2014
The Roman: "One lonely Roman general is wounded in battle. He heads toward the woods to die. Once entering the woods he is granted another day by the gods. He meets an Egyptian slave who has left his camp and both men meet in a death ridden forest and are tested." The film also has a sequel in post-production called The Son of Raw's the Roman
ZvG: Zombies vs. Gladiators. With the Zombie craze, this was an inevitable project. The story recounts the story of the first ever zombie horde. A shaman, about to die in the gladiatorial games, casts a spell that unleashes the first zombie horde. Other gladiators take it upon themselves to stop the undead before the destroy Rome and the Empire! The film will either be campy or gory, but either way- it will allow audiences to be engaged in an ancient setting. The details are the release are not cemented, but the writer-director of the film with be the horror veteran Clive Barker. More release info here.
Mortis Rex (Latin for “King of the Dead”) is set in A.D. 122 near Hadrian's Wall, as a disgraced Roman has been sent to defend a garrison in remote Scotland from a spate of mysterious murders. He must unite with the local Druids to vanquish a supernatural beast. This Ancient World Monster Movie should be interesting as it is a project of Peter Briggs (co writer of Hellboy). More details can be found on the movie's Facebook page.
Gladiators v. Werewolves : AD 160. beasts beyond the great wall, senses an opportunity to win favour with the Emperor and even a place in the senate. But what will happen to if these beast become part of the Gladiatorial games? More can be read on it here.
Courtesy of AV Pictures.
Nicaea begins with the triumph of the Christian emperor Constantine at the battle of the Milvian Bridge , then proceeds to depict the Council of Nicaea, which established the official creed of state-sponsored Christianity. Production should begin in 2014 and more details can be found on the movie's official page.
SOMETIME 2015
Mary: "From Mary's youth to her struggles as a young mother caring for her child, Jesus, up to the age of 12 years old. We will peer into Mary's life at ages 8, 15, 19 and 27." IMDB. Odeya Rush will play the title role in the feature film . Ben Kingsley (as Herod) will lend star-power to the cast.
The Roman: "An origin story of the future dictator as a young general in the Roman army ( a rarely discussed period of his life). Kidnapped by Cilician pirates and enslaved on their prison island, Caesar escapes with his men, and the decisions he makes during this time directly affect the political and social upheaval happening in Rome." But if you want the real story of Caesar and the Pirates, Roman historian Josiah Osgood explores all the sources here.
The Lost Legion; In 53 BC, the Roman army of Crassus was massacred by Parthian forces at the battle of Carrhae. In the 1940s, Oxford scholar Homer H. Dubs speculated that some of Crassus’s Roman soldiers were taken prisoner and eventually found themselves in the Gansu province of Han Dynasty China. From this intriguing material, scripter Kurt Johnstad is working on this film.
Soon and Rumored
Cleopatra, Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Brokeback Mountain) has admitted publicly he would love to explore the untold history of Cleopatra with a film starring Angelina Jolie. Jolie has expressed some mutual interest as well. The film would be an adaptation of Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff.
The novel series by Conn Iggulden known as Emperor looks like it will be made into a film. Gianni Nunnari (producer of Alexander, 300, and Immortals) is working on a movie about the young Julius Caesar based on this novel series
Hannibal and his men crossing the Alps.
Hannibal the Conqueror: Vin Diesel long ago announced his intention to make his directorial debut and star as Hannibal , the Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants to menace Rome, working from a script by Oscar-winner David Franzoni (Gladiator and King Arthur) based on the novel "Hannibal" by Ross Leckie. Vin Diesel had the following to say on the trilogy last May:
Q:Are you referring to the Hannibal the Conqueror project? A:That’s the hardest one. I was just looking at a script, 10 years old, by David Franzoni, that was my first Hannibal draft. To think that 10 years later, we’re still marching towards the Alps is surreal. Now, after Universal’s seen me produce this Fast trilogy, they are much more cautious about letting [the Hannibal] trilogy go to another studio. Now they feel like: “This is the trilogy guy, this is the guy who thinks in trilogies, he can do that.” There is another studio that’s saying they want to do all three films, do the trilogy. Q:It sounds like a pretty large-scale undertaking. A:You just keep building. I’ve had Frank Miller in storyboard meetings, where he couldn’t resist taking a pen and drawing out panels for Hannibal. I’ve had Tarantino in my house acting out scenes he’d love to see in the movie. Acting them out! Probably the last great director meeting I had was with Tony Scott. He [told me that] Denzel Washington’s always wanted him to do Hannibal. And he said: “But after looking at the story, after talking to you, we should get Denzel to play your father, Hamilcar Barca.” And that came from Tony Scott, who was just the nicest and most terrific man, one of the nicest directors I’ve ever met in my life.
When your dream’s about to come true, when you’re about to get that shot, it’s like: “Holy s—! Is this really gonna happen? Am I sure I’m ready to immortalize or to channel this spirit that’s been dormant for 2,000 years, and never represented right?” Q:Time to start practicing riding war elephants! A:I started practicing riding African elephants 10 years ago.
Rome Sweet Rome: "A unit of current U.S. Special Forces are suddenly transported back to ancient Rome and encounter one of the world's most legendary villains and disrupt history. To return home, they have to set history back on the track they altered," is the plot summary so far provided. However, it will be interesting to see what "villain" is being mentioned. Memoirs of Hadrain: A film based on Marguerite Yourcenar's book. Daniel Craig is rumored to be Hadrian, but there is no news as to who would play Antinius
I, Claudius (based on the novel by Robert Graves), made news recently that noted the HBO and BBC2 have “joined to remake the mini-series, with the creative team that produced the HBO series Rome in charge.”
Pontius Pilate: Another Brad Pitt rumor(besides his Space themed Odyssey film) has him playing the Roman governor of Judea who sat in judgment on Jesus. Read a description of the screenplay and an interview with writer Vera Blasi here.
As of the New Year, I am sure many of us have chosen to “lose weight” or “eat healthier” as a resolution. As there are many diets and trends to follow in order to lose weight; one of the most respectable ways is to eat healthy and exercise at 30 minutes a day. However, this was not the case for the Ancient Romans. Popular Food
Fruits- Figs
Nuts
Oil
Wine (Watered Down; of course)
Vegetables
Breads
Eggs
Fish and Shellfish
Garum
Poultry
So far, food doesn’t seem that different from our traditional food. However, the tradition of watering down wine is a Greek custom in which “civilized” people would water down wine in order not to dull the senses. Garum is also a unique food condiment. Garum equivalent to the use that many have for ketchup was a type of fish sauce. You can make your own recipe here. Delicacies in Ancient Rome
Snails
Dormice
Giraffe
The Giraffe is the latest find (Jan 5th, 2014 to be exact) by archaeologists. It was discovered in the drains of an ancient restaurant.
“This is thought to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy,” researcher Steven Ellis, of the University of Cincinnati, says. Read More on it here.
The rich and famous of Ancient Rome sure ate some interesting things. Would you be willing to eat certain exotic foods in order to lose weight or uphold status? More interesting recipes can be found in Apicius’ Cookbook. You can view the cookbook here. Vocabulary
Category
Latin
Principal Parts
English Meaning
English Derivative
Dining
prandium
prandii n.
lunch
ientaculum
ientaculi n.
breakfast
cena
cenae f.
dinner
vesperna
small supper
prima mensa
main course
Sanitas! Bona! Bene tibi Sit!
Health, Good things, May it be well for you (sg.) AKA:Cheers!
Edamus
Let’s Eat!
Laetitia omnibus
Happiness to all!
secunda mensa
dessert
Manners
si tibi placeat
please
gratias tibi
thank you
nihil est
not at all, ’tis nothing
ignosce mihi
excuse me
Food
panis
panis m.
bread
potio
potionis f.
beverage
triticum
wheat
cibi
food
sucus
suci m.
juice
aqua
aquae f.
water
lac
lactis n.
milk
puls
porridge
vinum
vini n.
wine
sal
salis m.
salt
mel
honey
caro
caronis m.
meat
bubula
bubulae f.
beef
porcina
porcinae f.
pork
pisces
piscis m.
fish
pullus
pulli m.
chicken
holus
holeris n.
vegetable
fructus
fructüs m.
fruit
solanum tubersum
solani n.
potato
uvae
grapes
olivae
olives
fabae
beans
fungi
mushrooms
Where would people sit?
Reproduction of a triclinium.
As I am sure many of the enthusiasts of this blog have seen ancient movies or ancient TV series. Do you recall Roman families dining at a table? Were they sitting upright? Reclining? Laying Down being fed grapes? Most dining would occur in a room known as the triclinium. The Getty provides an insightful article on the details of where guests and hosts sat during dining parties in the triclinium. What was it like?
As language lovers, we are constantly trying to understand the culture of the language which we pursue proficiency. However, with Latin as well as Ancient Greek, it is difficult to grasps a culture that is essential dead or no longer available outside history books or classroom settings. Albeit, primary sources aid in our ability to see a glimpse into history and indirectly into the habits of the ancients.
After each course fingers were washed again and napkins (mappae) were used to wipe one’s mouth. Guests could also bring their own mappae to take home the leftovers from the meal or small gifts (apophoreta). Since not everything could be eaten (e.g. bones and shells), these were thrown onto the floor, whence it was swept away by a slave.
However, slaves were not always so capable of sweeping the floors (often mosaics) of triclinium. There is some proof that Roman households actually designed mosaics that were dirty and messy on purpose in order to hide any food thrown on the floor. The Getty has a conservation project in order to restore some of these mosaics; which can be found here.
The video is a fun little note to leave off on about a Roman emperors and dining with them. I do hope you enjoy! It has been fun writing on such a topic and I do hope it was resourceful.
Cheers!
Forgive my absence dear reader. My mother passed away three weeks ago. I have been dealing with the various emotion that come with that along with my several financial and legal issues as well as the holidays. Thank you for your patience and loyalty. Back to Blogging.
