Archive for 'Roman culture'
The Top Ten Scandalous Women of Ancient Rome:Part I Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Aug 7, 2013
Ancient Rome was quite a scandalous time. While, we can not believe everything that is written in ancient sources; one must admit there are certainly some astonishing tales. So this month, this blog will be taking a look at some of the most infamous, malicious, scheming women from Ancient Rome. NUMBER 10 Name: Empress Theodora (500AD-548AD) Vices: Roman…
How the Mosquito Shaped Ancient Rome Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Jul 31, 2013
Salvete Omnes, With July closing, I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer and is making the most of the warm weather. Summer offers many great experiences from trips to the beach, the Fourth of July, fireworks, trips to the park, family reunions and so on. For the Romans, the god of the seasons including summer was…
Brittany Britanniae, I presume? Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Jul 10, 2013
Salvete Omnes! (Hello Everyone!), I am so honored and excited to become part of Transparent Language’s Latin Blog. So, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brittany, but for this blog I have adopted the epithet of “Brittany Britanniae” (which means Brittany “of Britain” and this is the singular genitive form of the feminine noun “Britannia” or…
Garum Posted by leire on Oct 30, 2012
Almost like our mayonnaise, ketchup or tomato sauce accompanying many of our meals and dishes, the Romans had their own typical sauce: garum. Because of its high price and scarcity, it might be better to compare it with the occasional spices or condiments more expensive and bizarre of our time, but hey, it serves as…
Hygiene in Ancient Rome Posted by leire on Oct 26, 2012
When waking up men washed their hands and face with water, and after they requested the assistance of the tonsor. This was responsible for shaving the beard and cutting hair, the aristocratic classes possessed one or more of them, we know that Julius Caesar’s liked keeping all his body perfectly shaved. But those citizens who…
Conversation guide for the Ancient Rome Posted by leire on Oct 24, 2012
A few years ago, before going on a trip abroad, it was habitual buying a travel guide of the destination which also included some useful phrases or basic expressions to comunicate with locals. Today, these guidelines are being relegated for Internet applications or smartphones, but if you ever have the good fortune to travel to…
The rail gauges in the U.S. Posted by leire on Oct 15, 2012
The rail gauge in the United States is 4 feet and 8 ½ inches. But why this measure? The answer is very simple. They have that measure because that’s how they did it in Great Britain and the first American rail gauges were built by British engineers. And why did British built them? Because the…