Tag Archives: Rome

A Fresco Painting from Pompeii Paired with Emily Dickinson’s Bedroom Window (and One of Her Poems)

A bedroom fresco? Whose bedroom? Source: Spiegel And here’s Emily Dickinson’s bedroom window: Dickinson’s bedroom was at her family’s Amherst homestead. Emily’s room was on the second story of their home. Here’s one of her poems: I felt a Cleaving in my … Continue reading

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Gore Vidal on the Romans: “They don’t care if you live or die. They’re like cats.”

Gore Vidal makes a cameo appearance in Federico Fellini’s Roma  (1972):

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The Ancient Romans Were Big Water Consumers

So says Spiegel today: [In ancient Rome] there were thousands of fountains, drinking troughs and thermal baths. Rich senators refreshed themselves in private pools and decorated their gardens with cooling grottos. The result was a record daily consumption of over … Continue reading

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Christopher Hitchens on What Pope Benedict’s Reversal of Excommunication on Antisemite and Holocaust Denier, Bishop Richard Williamson, Means

At Newsweek, Christopher Hitchens puts in his two cents on Pope Benedict, and his recent reversal of excommunication on the Antisemitic and Holocaust denying Bishop, Richard Williamson. Hitchens reminds us that the Catholic Church, prior to Vatican II, had a long … Continue reading

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By Lifting Bishop Richard Williamson’s Excommunication, Has Pope Benedict Just Signalled to the World that Catholicism, Holocaust Denialism, and Fascism Can Go Together?

Bishop Richard Williamson. The Pope just recently lifted the excommunication on this vile anti-Semite and Holocaust denying crank. What is the Pope signalling by lifting the excommunication on this psychologically and emotionally perverse man? Is the Pope saying that he wants people … Continue reading

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2nd Century Roman Marble Bust of Menander, the Greek Playwright (Circa 3rd Century BCE)

Marble bust of the Greek playwright, Menander, circe 100-150 CE (“common era”). The bust is part of the permanent collection at the Getty Museum in Malibu, Ca. The photo above was taken in January, 2009. The 2nd century Getty version of … Continue reading

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Barack Obama: American Cicero?

Charlotte Higgins, in the Guardian, has an interesting essay comparing Barack Obama to the Roman orator Cicero here. In addition to being an interesting reflection on Obama, the essay is a pretty good primer on the basic arts of rhetoric. … Continue reading

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How Many People Could the Ancient Colosseum in Rome Hold?

Answer: According to BBC’s website, about 50,000 adult men. Constructed in the 70s CE, the ancient elliptical amphitheatre was originally called the Amphitheatrum Flavium, and was the largest stadium in the Roman Empire. The Book of Revelation, in its imagery and … Continue reading

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Colorful Powerbust: Caesar at the Huntington Library, CA

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