Calliope articles from December 2006

Calliope archives from December 2006

Personal facts about Caesar: according to the biographer Plutarch (died C. A.D. 120).(Julius Caesar)(Biography)
December 1, 2006... I From boyhood, Caesar trained himself to ride a horse at full soeed while holding his hands together--behind his back. II When Caesar led the campaign to conquer Gaul, he dictated letters while riding his horse at the same time. He had two...

Time line all dates are B.C.(Julius Caesar)(Chronology)
December 1, 2006... 100 Julius Caesar is born into the Julian family, which traced its roots to lulus, son of Aeneas, Rome's legendary ancestor and grandson of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. 87 Caesar is appointed as a special priest of Jupiter, the...

Caesar's world.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... THE ADJECTIVE "ETERNAL" IS OFTEN PAIRED WITH the name of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen--Rome. And, indeed, ancient Rome, ruler of the Mediterranean world for centuries, merits the honor. Some scholars would argue...

An encounter with pirates.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... "Faster!" cried the ship's captain, his voice breaking in terror. Throw the cargo overboard! We must reach the harbor of Rhodes before..." But in the howling wind, his orders could not be heard. As the little ship struggled through the...

A reason to conquer.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... Since few rulers are content with restrictions on their power, conflicts are inevitable. Yet no leader, no people, and no country has ever governed forever. Each begins, rises, flourishes, and then falls--some slowly, some gracefully, some...

Foray into Britain.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... Despite Caesar's leadership skills and the discipline and experience of his troops, he did not have an easy time in Gaul. The territory was simply too large to control. Why, then, did he organize and lead not one but two expeditions across the...

The Druids and The Fall of Gaul.(Play)
December 1, 2006... CHARACTERS GAULS Celtillus most powerful chief in Gaul Vercingetorix son and popular heir of Celtillus Boduagnotus chief of a tribe of Gaul Bridiga daughter of Boduagnotus Carvillax noble of Gaul Divitiacus noble...

Bello Gallico.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... De Bello Gallico, Latin for "About the War in Gaul," is one of the most celebrated works of military history ever written. Julius Caesar spent almost eight years (58-51 B.C.) fighting rebellious tribes in Gaul (modern France). He kept a careful...

Heroic centurion.(Marcus Petronius)
December 1, 2006... During the siege of the Gallic town of Gergovia, Marcus Petronius, a Roman centurion (military officer), was attempting to break through one of the enemy's gates when enemy soldiers attacked him. Ever mindful of the troops under his command, he...

Asterix le Gaulois (Asterix the Gaul).(Rene Goscinny, Albert Uderzo's fictional work)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... On October 29, 1959, Asterix, a short, stout, mustached cartoon figure dressed in garb worn by the ancient Gauls, first appeared as a comic strip in the French comic weekly Pilote. The source of Asterix's power lies in a magic potion given...

Colonel Stoffel and Alesia.(Napoleon III)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Napoleon III, nephew of the famed Napoleon I and emperor of France from 1852 to 1870, greatly admired Julius Caesar. He carefully studied the Roman general's strategies and incorporated some of them into his own plans. Napoleon III was...

Can you match ...?(historical lexicology)
December 1, 2006... Match the correct word with the appropriate description. 1. Bridiga A. Roman conqueror of Gaul 2. Celtillus B. ancient priests in Gaul 3. Alesia C. became king...

True or false?(history education)
December 1, 2006... On the blank line write "TRUE" or "FALSE" about the corresponding statement. 1. Vercingetorix inherited the kingdom of Gaul from his father--. 2. Vercinegtorix planned to oppose his father's death sentence.-- 3. The Gauls were a...

The die is cast.(Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great)
December 1, 2006... Caesar's success in Gaul and his increasing power worried the Senate and the Optimates (see pages 24-26). Crassus' death in 53 B.C. had ended the First Triumvirate, and the following year, Pompey was elected as the sole consul. The Senate,...

Triumviri.(Julius Caesar, )
December 1, 2006... Caesar's alliance with Pompey and Crassus came to be known as a triumviri (Latin for "rule of three men"). This triumvirate (the English form of the word) is often called the First Triumvirate, to distinguish it from another that was...

Word origins.(dictator)
December 1, 2006... Dictator Say this word to an ancient Roman and he would think you spoke Latin. Actually, it is a Latin word adopted into English without a change. The Romans used it to refer to a public official elected in times of emergency to a term of...

Word stories.(duodenum)
December 1, 2006... Duodenum While we all have one of these, few of us have ever seen it. Know what it is? The medical name for the first section, and the shortest section, of the small intestine. It connects the stomach with the jejunum. Duodenum is actually a...

Expressions.(latin words)
December 1, 2006... Did you know that you often speak and read Latin? Don't believe it? Then, think about the last time you used the abbreviation a.m. or p.m. How about Rx? Well, all three are shortened forms of Latin words. And there are more: ABBREVIATION...

Caesar's name today.(Julius Caesar)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Julius Caesar's name has been used in a variety of ways to form new terms. Because of Caesar's great popularity, many cities and areas throughout the Roman Empire were called Caesarea. One such place was an island in the English Channel, the...

A 'popular' Roman.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... An ancient Rome--just as today--politics and stress were synonymous. The beginning of the first century B.C., however, was a particularly anxious period. The division between those who had power and money and those who did not had never been...

World conqueror.(Julius Caesar)(Biography)
December 1, 2006... When Julius Caesar finally entered Rome in 49 B.C., he found the city in political disarray. Pompey had already fled, along with many of his supporters in the Senate. Aware that his crossing of the Rubicon had been illegal, Caesar now sought to...

Surprise in a rug.(Julius Caesar and Cleopatra)(Biography)
December 1, 2006... It was nightfall. Caesar was at his desk in his headquarters at the royal palace in Alexandria, Egypt. In his palm was the signet ring of Pompey the Great, a painful reminder of recent tragic events. His partnership to rule Rome with his friend...

According to the biographers.(Julius Caesar according to Plutarch and Suetonius)(Biography)
December 1, 2006... Many people know Julius Caesar as one of Rome's greatest generals. Many people also know him from statues carved in his likeness. Narrow cheeks, furrowed brow, and stern gaze are the trademark features of this Roman who defeated all his enemies...

What day is it? Februarius 23.
December 1, 2006... By 46 B.C., the Roman calendar was three months behind the seasons. Julius Caesar recognized the problem and summoned a Greek astronomer named Sosigenes from Alexandria in Egypt to correct it. According to tradition, the Roman calendar...

Celebrate terminalia.(Terminus)
December 1, 2006... In the Roman calendar year, February 23 was a special day dedicated to Terminus, the god of boundaries. Legend says that around the sixth century B.C., a Roman ruler ordered a temple built to Jupiter, the king of gods and men. He chose Rome's...

Boundless energy.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... Julius Caesar rose to power during the period called the Late Republic, when military commanders used their troops to take control of the government. There was, however, a major difference between Caesar and the generals who preceded him...

Beware the Ides of March.(Julius Caesar's assassination)
December 1, 2006... Here's a little-known fact: In 45 B.C., a year before Julius Caesar's assassination, an Etruscan priest from Tarquinia called Spurinna warned him of a violent death. Spurinna was the Haruspex Caesaris ("the soothsayer of Caesar") and based his...

Haruspex and Haruspicina.
December 1, 2006... The haruspex (plural: haruspices) was a priest who specialized mainly in haruspicina, the examination and interpretation of the liver and intestines of sacrificed animals (mostly sheep). The shape and configuration of these organs were used as...

'Et tu, Brute?'.(Play)
December 1, 2006... One of William Shakespeare's best-known lines was not written in English but in Latin: "Et tu, Brute?" The line is from his play Julius Caesar (c. 1599). Stabbed with many wounds, Caesar cries out the three words when he discovers that his...

Welcome to Rome!(puzzles)
December 1, 2006... Your plane has just landed, and you have three sites that are top on your list to visit. Starting at your hotel each morning, find your way to the statue of Julius Caesar, the Tiber River, and the Roman Forum. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Ask Calliope.(Charlemagne)
December 1, 2006... [?] Was Charlemagne, who ruled what is now France and Germany around A.D. 800, married? Did he have children? --Bob, 12, Web post [!] Yes. He was married four times and had many children. Shortly after his first marriage to Desiderata,...

Books.("Emperor: The Death of Kings")("Words of the Ancient Romans: Primary Sources")(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2006... Emperor: The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden (Dell, 2004, www.bantamdell.com) is a fast-paced, insightful, historical fiction novel that focuses on the rise and fall of Julius Caesar. Words of the Ancient Romans: Primary Sources by Don...

Cobblestone resources.(OFF THE SHELF)
December 1, 2006... Materials that complement this issue's topic, "The Genius of Caesar," and are available from Cobblestone Publishing include: Cleopatra (CAL0411) The Roman Republic (CAL0210) The Fall of Rome (CAL0101) Hadrian, Emperor of Rome...

On the net.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... For a comprehensive--and excellent as well as accurate--site about Caesar, with many, many links to various aspects of his life and what has been said about him, go to: www.perseus.tufts.edu/JC/ For a site with links to his life,...

A changed world.(Julius Caesar)
December 1, 2006... Julius Caesar was dead, and Marc Antony and Marcus Lepidus, then governor of Spain and parts of Gaul, vied to succeed him. There was also a third candidate, a 19-year-old named Octavian. Without a direct heir, Caesar had adopted his...