Over the past while, we’ve posted assorted things to mark the day, so here’s a sort of compendium (perhaps this will become a tradition):

• Caesar’s Last Day (our collection of ancient accounts of Caesar’s perforation)

• ‘Assassination Medal’ (a display at the BM last year)

• Caesar’s Assassination @ Youtube (Assorted videos at YouTube of interest)

… but we do have to highlight a couple, e.g.: SCTV’s production of Julius Caesar (interrupted by CCCP1 broadcast … the Julius Caesar resumes at roughly the four minute mark):

… and, of course, no Ides of March would be complete without Wayne And Schuster’s Classic Rinse the Blood Off My Toga:

• How to Celebrate the Ides of March (WikiHow gives suggestions how to ‘celebrate’ the day)

• The Ides of March (N.S. Gill always has a nice compendium as well)

idus martias

• festival of Mars continues (day 15)
• festival of Jupiter
• festival/rites in honour of Anna Perenna (Happy New Year!)
• 44 B.C. — murder of Gaius Julius Caesar
• ca. 1st century A.D. — martyrdom of Longinus (the soldier who is said to have pierced Jesus’ side with a spear) in Cappadocia

Seen on Rome-arch:

Just a short note that we are accepting applications for our Archaeological Field School at the site of the "Vicus ad Artis Tudertium" until the end of this month.

The field school runs two three-week sessions in June and July. We also accept non-credit-earning students.

More details at:

http://users.drew.edu/jmuccigr/vicusadmartis/

In addition, there’s a FastiOnLine article at:

http://www.fastionline.org/docs/FOLDER-it-2010-185.pdf

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

John D. Muccigrosso Associate Dean, CLA
jmuccigr AT drew.edu Drew University

Adrian Murdoch twittered this one last night:

Raw power is shifting, but to whom exactly? It is as if Merkel has somehow been crowned Magna Mater Europae by the Consilium, behind closed doors.

• via Total German triumph as EU minnows subjugated | Telegraph.

I suspect the Consilium didn’t know what is required to be an adherent of the Magna Mater … even the Romans knew to keep her ‘out’ of town …

From Zenit:

Benedict XVI is encouraging the study of Latin, noting that the ancient language has much to offer in the study of ancient and modern history.

The Pope said this today, in Latin, after praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

His words were directed to the students and teachers of the Christelijk Lyceum of Veenendaal, Netherlands. The Pontiff stated that he was pleased that the students had come “to Rome to be strengthened in your endeavor to learn the Latin language.”

“In fact,” he added, “this language has much to contribute, both in the deeper study of antiquity and in the study of more recent history.”

• via ZENIT – Benedict XVI Encourages Study of Latin.