APRIL 9 th :
Munera Gladiatoria (finals) Certamen Historicum 6 Certamen Latinum 6 Face on Roman Body
___________________________________
MUNERA GLADIATORIA ( finals ) :
Presented by : Quintus Iulius Probus
It is a sunny afternoon with a clear
sky People are flowing to see the final of Munera Gladiatoria because this fight
is unique not by being the final batle of the Ludi but
because is being fought between Retiarus the Viking, a Retiarus loverboy owned
by the sweet Diana Octavia and Baro a Homoplachus clown actor owned by the
charming Aurelia Falco Silvana.
In the sound of trumpets the two fighters enter the Arena of Circus Maximus.
Before the beginning of the battle let's take a review of this two
gladiators:
Retiarus the Viking defeated Brutus in quarters and Spartacus in semifinals,
every time showing class and style in his kind of fighting.
Baro defeated Orpheus in quarters and Onomaeus in semifinals, by playing clumsy.
Let's see the two different styles at work because is going to be a big show.
The fight begins:
Retiarus heard about Baro's style and Baro is prepared for one of his toghest
fight.
Both of them are very intelligent and know how to observe the adversary's
mistakes.
Retiarus the Viking is rolling the net over his head trying to catch Baro but
this one jumps around strafing every small attempt from theViking. The Viking
attacks with his trident but baro lays down and crowl between the legs of
Retiarus standing up in his back but the Viking turns over quicly faceing his
opponent.
Baro simulates an attack with his lance but his helmet falls again on his face
so he retires quick to arrange his head protection.
Retiarus let him play his part knowin that attacking him now is a big mistake
`cause that is what Baro wants.
Baro jumps around Retiarus, and from time to time he gives short attacks with
his lance but Retiarus strafes with ellegance.
The Viking throws the net, Baro takes a wrong step and falls to his knees, the
net is passing over him and Baro tries an attack with his
dagger but Retiarus jumps over Baro, catches the net in flight and land on his
feet.
This is one move he saw Far East in his travels with his drakkar fellows.
Baro looks at the Viking and realize that the only way to defeat Retiarus is by
showing a new moove that the Viking never seen.
Baro turns his little round shield polished from the inside and reflets the
light of the sun in Retiarus' eyes, Retiarus throws the
net over the shield this time and in the same time, he attacks blindly with his
trident aiming to the chest of Baro, but this one
sticks his lance in the ground in a way that the the lance comes between two of
the three sharp extensions blocking the trindend,
after that he takes a wrong step left lating Retiarus think that he will fall,
Retiarus attacks in that direction with his dagger but
instead of falling Baro jumps over Retiarus and place the dagger at the Viking
neck.
Holding down the Viking, Baro is looking at the crowd and is waitin the
decision. Even he is down, Retiarus shakes the hand of Baro
admitting that he was the best today, showing something that the crowd never
seen before: fairplay in the Arena.
The people spare the life of Retiarus the Viking for his courage, and fairplay,
Baro wins but the real winner here is the audience who
beared witness the greatest gladiator fight that Circus Maximus has ever seen.
Unique styles, different characters and a fight that people has never seen
before.
With that fight the Munera Gladiatoria is over, but the people will remind and
comment this fight long time from now on.
___________________________________
CERTAMEN HISTORICUM 6 :
Presented by : Tita Artoria Marcella.
1. Questions :
Question #11
Through Aeneas, the Great Mother came to Rome long before the baetyl of Cybele
did in 204 BCE. Vergil telss us in his Aeneid that when Aeneas was away
trying
to gain the support of the Etruscans, Turnus set fire to Aeneas' ships.
The ships were saved, in a fashion, by Cybele.
Why did she intervene and what became of the ships? (1 pt.)
Question #12:
If you pay a visit Vatican City, you could visit an altar dedicated to both
Cybele and Attis. Where is the altar located and when was it (the precise
date)
dedicated to the gods?
2. Answers :
Questions#11 :
Aeneas' ships were built built of wood (pine) from Cybele's sacred grove and, after being torched, were turned into sea nymphs.
Question #12:
The altar can be found in the Gregorian Etruscan Museum and was dedicated on
July 19th, 374 CE.
________________________
CERTAMEN LATINUM 4 :
Presented by : Cnaeus Cornelius Lentulus.
1. Questions :
Level I :
QUAESTIO N°4 - This question is also
concerning the greetings. What do the following abbreviations mean?
Please give the Latin words or sentence and its English translation.
SPD -
sal. -
SVBEEQV -
Level II :
QUAESTIO N°4 - Read the following
citation:
"Numquam enim in praestantibus in re publica gubernanda viris laudata est in una
sententia perpetua permansio, sed, ut in navigando tempestati obsequi
artis est, etiamsi portum tenere non queas, cum vero id possis mutata
velificatione assequi, stultum est eum tenere cum periculo cursum, quem ceperis,
potius
quam eo commutato quo velis tamen pervenire, sic, cum omnibus nobis in
administranda re publica propositum
esse debeat id, quod a me saepissime dictum est, cum dignitate otium, non idem
semper dicere, sed idem semper spectare debemus."
a) The style, the mentality of the text can betray who is the writer. Can you
give the name of the writer?
b) According to your opinion, what phrase is the essence of this period?
2. Answers :
Level I :
RESPONSUM N°4 :
SPD - salutem plurimam dicit (says many greetings)
sal. - salutem (greetings) - shortened form of the previous
SVBEEQV - Si vales, bene est, ego quidem valeo. (If you are well, it's fine, I
am well too.)
Level II :
RESPONSUM N°4 :
a) The style, the mentality of the
text can betray who is the writer. Can you give the name of the writer?
- The writer is M. Tullius Cicero, this is a letter to P. Cornelius Lentulus
Spinther, his friend.
b) According to your opinion, what phrase is the essence of this period?
- "non idem semper dicere, sed idem semper spectare debemus"
In this sentence Cicero summarizes his confession, his way of thinking about
politics, philosophy etc.
It's also like a proverb, the essence of all the sentences.
_________________________
LUDI MEGALENSES " Face on roman body " - A tribute to Sir Lawrence Alma - Tadema artworks -
Presented by : Titus Iulius Sabinus.
Face on Roman Body it was a simple
ideea about to put a face on a roman body. A face of somebody who want to
participate to contest on a
roman body from a movie sequence or from a painting.
What initially it was a simple ideea, become something very complex. Not from
the job perspective. With some adequates softs, inspiration
and attention to details, all is easy.
The complex part is another one. Because I don't talk about some faces. I talk
about my friends !. And here I want to point two aspects.
First they had trust in my ideea and they send me their photos. Is not this a
nice gesture ? Is not a great expression of a friendship
developed here, in our community, even if is a virtual one ? I belive, yes. For
that I want to thanks them. It's a honour for me.
Second they have their own personality, their own spirituality and it was very
important for me to find a good image representation of all
of these. That it wasn't easy. The processed image is necessary to be a real
representation of the person in cause. With something
specific...
( I want to point again the wonderful job done by our Magistra, Tullia
Scholastica, to the Ludi Circenses where she described all, with a lot
of details about the participants. This is a real interest and that it meens to
be concerned to do up to the end good things ).
I received four photos. From :
Aula Tullia Scholastica.
Marca Hortensia Maior.
Diana Octavia Aventina.
Marca Sempronia Justina.
Tullia Scholastica with flowers is the first image. Why with flowers ?
Because the flowers are a nice expression of her unique sensibility and
dedication. She is a great volunteer, a wise one, with a wonderful
perception about all is happen around. We are looking to her with admiration.
The flowers represent her wonderful abilities and skills.
Of course, Tullia Scholastica is a brave Domina. She had a great personality.
You can see that in her second image.
Hortensia Maior working to pottery painting represent in fact the Maior
involvement in a lot of things in Nova Roma. It's her creative
expression. It's her love to do things. It's her representation as a person who
want to see the results of her work. Just analyse how she
look to her amphora.
Hortensia Maior is noble. A fine person and modest.The second and third image
said that.Only preocupated about her work. She is a
perfectionist.
I want to replace from dictionaries the words optimism, high spirits,
sanguineness with only one : Diana.
Because Diana Octavia is all of these.
When you are looking to her first image, you must recognize that I have right.
She has her own way. Very specific in all. Works, art, politics, polemics and so
on.
As a patrician Domina, in the second image, Diana is looking to us from her
villa terrace ( somewhere in Gallia ). It seems that all is
at superlative and she has a rose in her hand. It's a wellcome gesture. It's the
expresion of her friendship.
How many thousands of miles are between us, Sempronia Justina ? A friendship
bridge between Dacia and America Boreoccidentalis. I'm
thinking now to the ancient dacians for which, the all known world it was their
area and something more after the Danube.
His image is a expresion of the wisedom. She is able to listen what the youngers
ones said and, of course, she is a adviser.
These are my opinions. Check my words in the following images.
I salute you, and I wish you a happy Megalesia.
