I’m in the process of updating my site to WordPress.org and getting rid of the ads that have been on it. I’ll be adding old content back to the site and putting new posts on about my latest trip to Belgium, the Netherlands and a day trip to the Archeological Park in Xanten, Germany. In […]
Category: General
Io Saturnalia!
Io Saturnalia! Happy Saturnalia to all. Here is a repost of my Saturnalia story with some added photos of mosaics. “But you, Saturn, cast off your fetters and come near. You, too, December, tipsy from so much wine, and laughing Good Cheer and wanton Joviality, come and be present.”[1] In the cold dark days around the winter solstice, when […]
Ancient Roman Grapes, New World Wine
There were 5 wineries on our tour and every one had a Viognier wine. I hadn’t heard of it before but my ears perked up when the man at the last winery gave us a brief history of the Viognier grape as he was pouring some for us to taste. He said that this grape is very old, […]
Augustus Has Left the Building
Recently, amidst the flashing neon, jostling crowds and all-round sensory overload of the Las Vegas Strip, I found a few Roman footprints. And like most everything else in Vegas, they were unreal. I’m not sure that Augustus is altogether happy overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard as he points to the half-size Eiffel Tower across the street. Caesar’s Palace has […]
Cheers! Ruining is Thirsty Work
Traveling in search of Roman sites sometimes takes me off the beaten track. But in Britain, no matter how far off the beaten track one gets, there is always a pub there. Not only did I happen upon the spot where a bronze head of Emperor Claudius was found in Rendham, Suffolk but I also […]
Ready to Hike Hadrian’s Wall
For our last Hadrian’s Wall training hike this past Sunday, April 29th, we hiked the Gowlland-Tod Park trails high above the Saanich Inlet on Vancouver Island. We’re now all heading off in different directions and will meet again in a couple of weeks for our eight day walk along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. The trail was […]
Cena Romana
Last Saturday night my Hadrian’s Wall hiking group got together for a Roman feast potluck. We dined well on dishes based on ancient Roman recipes adapted in the book, The Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. Our menu included: Honeyed White Wine Garlic Cheese with Bread Olives Parthian Chicken Shoulder of Pork with […]
Let’s party like it’s AD 85!
Two thousand years ago Romans didn’t hold back celebrating. Especially during December. According to a book I’ve just read, Roman Timetable by Simon James Young, here is a list of Roman festivals just for December: 3/12/11 – Bona Dea (the good goddess) for women only; games, music and dancing. 5/12/11 – Faunus (god of the wild […]
No TV? No Internet? Trajan had an app for that.
Trajan erected his famed column in AD 113 and it was an original and memorable way to broadcast his success in defeating one of Rome’s long-time enemies, the Dacians and their ruler Decebalus. The column was covered in carved depictions of events that happened during his campaigns in Dacia (modern Romania) on the Danube frontier in […]
Roman Witches
Hideous women performing strange and perverse nocturnal acts, summoning the power of the demons who dwell between the earth and the underworld, between life and death. Witches haven’t changed much in 2000 years and we have no trouble recognizing the witches of Roman literature. Canidia and Sagana– Horace wrote two poems about these witches, one slightly […]