THIS DAY IN ANCIENT HISTORY

pridie kalendas novembres

• ludi Victoriae Sullanae (day 6)
• 287 -- martyrdom of Quintinius (Quentin)

::Friday, October 31, 2003 5:55:12 AM::
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NUNTII: Olympics at Olympia

Last night we posted a piece from Kathimerini about a proposal to hold at least one event of the Athens Olympics at the ancient site of Olympia. This morning, it's making its way into the American press ... an LA Times reporter's efforts include this:

A senior official with track and field's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, expressed cautious optimism. So too did Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports, which is paying roughly $5.5 billion for the exclusive right to televise the Games in the United States from 2000 through 2012.

''It would be a wonderful way to tie the ancient and modern Olympics together, it would be wonderful for television and wonderful for track and field -- but only if the interests of the athletes can be protected,'' he said.

Sure ... let's have 20,000 or so spectators descend on a site plus, say ten or twenty news organizations and all their equipment, plus, say, a zillion folks selling souvenirs, donairs, and what have you. Of course we should be worrying about the ATHLETES (I'm being sarcastic). In a post the other day we mentioned the ancient boogeywoman Mormo as something terrifying for ancient kiddies. I doubt I'm alone in thinking the MORONS who even suggest using an ancient venue in such away are far, far, far, far, far, more terrifying. IDIOTS. TWITS. And these are the same folks who claim they can take better care of Parthenon sculptures?????

::Friday, October 31, 2003 5:50:12 AM::
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NUNTII: Peter Jones in the Spectator

Peter Jones' latest is about Cicero's opinions on divination ... it opens thus:

Mars closed in, and astrology freaks wet themselves with excitement — the poor dears. In the ancient world, astrology came under the category of divination, which Cicero hit on the head in his two-book De Divinatione (published 44 bc, just after the assassination of Julius Caesar). Cicero puts the defence of divinatio into the mouth of his brother Quintus, who defines it as ‘the foreknowledge and foretelling of events that happen by chance’.

::Friday, October 31, 2003 5:37:15 AM::
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NUNTII: Students Take Virtual Tour of Roman Bath

From the Herald-Palladium:

About 50 St. Joseph High School students last week toured the site of ancient Roman baths in Spain without ever leaving the classroom.

The students, who are taking Latin and Spanish, took part in the school's first try at an International Distance Learning Connection, which allowed the students to take a live video tour through the baths. The students on Friday were able to ask questions of their tour guide, Jose Sabater, in Valencia, Spain.
Latin teacher Steve Prince said the students "wanted to know who used the baths, and what kind of activities took place there. ... They wanted to know whether any Latin inscriptions had been found. There was a temple there, and they wanted to know what god or goddess it was for. It turned out they don't know. The only thing left was a dedication to the Roman governor who had built the temple."

More ...

::Friday, October 31, 2003 5:29:14 AM::
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::Friday, October 31, 2003 5:12:52 AM::
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