Ahhh, knowledge

I love acquiring it, and I see it as a goal to learn something new every day. With the help of a fellow blogger, far more knowledgeable than I, I've learned several new things and re-enforced other things.

May I have the honor of introducing Paleoglot? The man is near to a fount of Etruscan knowledge, though I got to him through analysis of the Piacenza liver. His analysis is very well reasoned, though many of the technicalities of Etruscan language escape me.

I suggest you have a good root around his archives, they're really interesting. He also uses tags much more efficiently than I do. For anyone who desires a deeper understanding of linguistics and proper study of them versus what's sold to many a college student of the modern world, he is a breath of fresh air. For the layman, he may be too technical but fall back to learning something new every day, a term perhaps?, and you'll be able to understand him and rationally look at proto constructions of language with a critical and more informed eye and ear.

Never Underestimate

The power of a child. George Boon, one of the fathers of Romano-British archaeology and a force to be reckoned with in the archaeological community, wrote many letters supporting the protection of Roman remains in Britain following WWII. A series of them have been found in the archives of Bristol, and they're very well written for an 11 year-old boy, but you can read the drive and determination quite clearly.

An Auspicious Day

I didn't even pay a haruspex either!

Today is the accepted founding of Rome in 753 BCE. Today is the greatest win of the Texican Revolution - San Jacinto! Two of my greatest loves connected in their greatness on one day!

I hope your day is wonderful, and don't go reading entrails ...

Back from

The Phlegraean Fields. While I didn't meet Dis Pater, or get to see the Sybil in action in Cumae, I had a good trip.

As of now my card reader is misbehaving so I can't upload any of the 3 gig of photos I took of the region, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabae or the other regions but I have lots of photos.

I took a friend on a "private tour" of Pompeii. We happened to both go to Naples (her first time) with the families and she wanted to see the dead people in Pompeii. So, I took them to the Suburban Baths, the Casa Ara Massima, Casa del Principe de Napoli, Casa Amorini Dorati, & Casa del Menandro in 7 hours. I also got to visit the ancient herbalist in Pompeii for some Lavender perfume, and some honeysuckle oil and even some cooking goods. I also made a point of paying homage to the Lares in all the shrines I found. A pox on those that would take the offering to the gods!

Hopefully they enjoyed the trip, even if I did keep them awhile. Oh, and for the record they've closed the cafes in Pompeii's & Herculaneum's Scavii. That sucks butt as they both had bathrooms, though they did open up a few new goodies in Herculaneum (but the Villa of the Papyri is still closed for excavations).

I got to see Roman Hell (technically the entrance to the Roman Underworld). Saw what's claimed to by the Sybil's cave at Cumae (I highly doubt it), the Temple of Zeus, and the Temple of Apollo (I would think the caves in the region of the Apollo would be where the Sybil was). Cuma wasn't a bad trip, but not much of it survives sadly. I also paid homage to Apollo and Zeus, though not to the 'Sybil's cave'. Again, a pox upon those that would disrespect the offering!

I'll upload pics as soon as I can access them via my finicky card reader.

Terminalia

Today is Terminalia, the festival to the god Terminus, though he has never had a form beyond the boundary rock, and he has no personification or myth associated with him. He is one of the more pure forms of Roman deity in that he was never made to change into the Greek forms with a myth, history, and rules attached.

Today, owners of adjacent property would crown his statue, a stone or post in the ground to mark the boundary line, with garlands and erect a temporary alter on which they would offer honey, wine, sacrificial lamb, or other deserving items to his pleasure. They would sing his praises as well. There was also a public celebration which took place around the sixth milestone marker on the road to Laurentum. It is assumed this is because the sixth milestone marker was the original boundary of Roman territory.

So today is a day of celebration of markers, boundaries and neighbors. It is when you rejoice in having good clear ends to things. This was also the end of the year in the Republican calendar.