Month: January 2012

This Day in Ancient History: ante diem xi kalendas februarias

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ 2 Comments
ante diem xi kalendas februarias

  • Ludi Palatini (day 4)
  • Sementivae or Paganalia (day 1) — Sementivae was a festival of sowing which was actually a moveable feast (although I’m not sure of the moveability criteria; I’m guessing that the first day falls between January 24 and 26). By Ovid’s time it appears to have been coincident with Paganalia, which also obviously has some rural aspect to it. It appears to have been a two-day festival with an interval of seven days between (corrections on this welcome … my sources seem muddled on this one)
  • 41 A.D. — murder of Gaius (Caligula); Claudius proclaimed emperor by the praetorian guard
  • 76 A.D. — birth of the future emperor Hadrian

Watching: Mysterious ‘Winged’ Structure from Ancient Rome Discovered

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

I may blog this more formally later when I get a chance to poke around a bit more, but folks might want to read it (Owen Jarus is always doing really excellent stuff over at Live Science and usually it just gets picked up everywhere else, not always with attribution). In any event, here’s his latest:

… it’s about a really interesting structure from the 2nd/3rd century found at Venta Icenorum; not sure when it was found or if it has actually been completely excavated, though.

Also Seen: What Is This Virgin Birth Business All About?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Marguerite Rigoglioso introduces her recent work — The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece and Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity — in a blog post with some interesting comments attached: