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Amica

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Amica 23


It sailed at dawn from Misenum, the ship that’s now tying up at the quay in Oplontis. Lucius is in turmoil as are we all, for soon will come Pliny, the Commander of the Roman fleet - but he’s also a great scholar, man of letters and natural scientist.

There are many of his books in Lucius’s library, the most recent, the 'Naturalis Historia' is open on the desk. Lucius has made notes in order to ask many questions, and you too, Eulalia, have many things to ask the great man who is honouring his friend and comrade in arms with his visit.


Since yesterday lots of friends and important people have arrived at the villa. Our great task is to bring everyone cool drinks, delicious food, and after the walks in the nearby countryside, or after exercise in the gym, follow them into the bath-house, massage their bodies with scented oils, clean and clothe them with clean, lightwieght tunics.

There is plenty of room for the guests, in all the apartments situated along the side overlooking the square where the great sundial has been erected, as well as places to pass the day, the great oecus (living room), the various triclinia (relaxing and dining rooms), and exedra (rooms outside) around the peristyle. It looks more like a villa made for parties with friends than a place of rest to avoid the summer heat of the city.

The number of male and female slaves is sufficient to cope with this small army of guests. As well as those of us who live in the villa, there are many women from the farms, they’re the wives and daughters of Lucius’s slaves, but it is simpler to just call them slaves. They till the land, raise animals, collect and process the rural produce, make cheese from the milk of the cows, goats and sheep. They are trustworthy people, who also enjoy a certain amount of freedom.

Those most loyal to their master have the task of directing the work of others, and Lucius rewards them by allowing them to marry, to have children, to live in dignity. They deserve, you tell me, after years of loyal service and subordination, to be freed from the bonds of slavery and allowed to become farmers, to whom the master will also grant payments in cash or kind.


'Only that i... (diot) ... Spartacus wanted to rebel, and he came and took refuge with his comrades here in the villages and forests near Vesuvius. But Rome does not tolerate insubordination, and exterminated all of them.'

‘How come you’re a slave, Eulalia?'

'My father owned a fleet of more than fifty ships, carrying goods from all over Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Sicily and Egypt to Rome. He was very rich, but when forty of his ships disappeared - no one knows how, there wasn’t any storm at sea - he was accused of stealing the valuables they were carrying to Rome, bronze statues of incomparable beauty, marble figures, and vases of finely coloured blue glass and other very precious transparent of glass materials in which was sprinkled what seemed to be gold dust.
There wasn’t enough wealth in reserve to pay off the creditors, who cheated by exaggerating the value of their lost property. He was imprisoned, and my mother, my brothers and I were taken as hostages, so he could pay off the debts in exchange for his freedom. We were held in prisons in Corinth, but my father, having again saved up large enough amounts of money to pay our ransom, was assassinated, and we were all sold as slaves.'

'Pliny's coming! His 'biga' (chariot) is setting him down at the top of the slope leading to the villa! '

Everyone rushes out to welcome the guest of honour.

'Ave Gaius Plinius.'

'Ave Lucius Silius.'

Lucius greets him, squeezing his arm with the gesture of the Roman soldiers, while the other guests are greeting him.

'Lucius, as I approached, I saw the obelisk of this sundial of yours, I want to see it now!'

Lucius accompanies him, at a sign from Lucius you follow them. Pliny observes, admires the work, reads all the inscriptions. He’s amazed to read that it has been calculated by a woman, a Greek slave! He knows you because he’s been a guest of Lucius previously, and on those other occasions you've got to talk to him, and he’s appreciated your erudition.

From a wooden box, which the 'auriga' (charioteer) who’s accompanied him has been ordered to fetch, he takes out a portable sundial, places it on the ground, oriented on the meridian line.

Now your work is under examination, and what an exam!

'Wonderful, it's absolutely precise, it shows the same time as mine! It must be because mine too was made by a Greek slave, a certain Kairos of Samos. One must admit that those Greeks have much to teach us when it comes to mathematics and astronomy!'

Now everything you explains to him as it is set out in the design of the square. At the hour of sunrise at the summer solstice, the shadow of the corner of the house covers half of the obelisk, and likewise at sunset, the opposite corner casts a shadow on half of the gnomon. As to the external lines on the diagram, they indicate the directions of the chief cities, including Rome and Athens not visible from here.

He pauses to look at the track of the equinoctial line.

'It bears directly onto my villa at Misenum!' he says, surprised. 'It’s true, I’ve noticed from my villa on the day of the equinox the sun rises in the direction of your villa, Lucius! It's amazingly accurate! But what are these red stones with engravings, before the arc of solstice? '

'They indicate the path of the sun on the calends of May, the birthday of my Master, and hours of equal duration – different from those you Romans use.'

Eulalia, Eulalia, you always risk getting into a disagreement with someone, you’ve dared start this argument with Pliny! Now Lucius’ll have us whipped, he will - both of us, ‘cause I was your accomplice in this crime!

Pliny looks surprised, with a quizzical air he shakes his head, as if in disbelief. But he’s smiling:

'Horam non possum certam tibi dicere; facilius inter philosophos quam inter horologia convenit.'

- Maybe we won’t be whipped!
 

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Velut Luna said:
Amica 23


It sailed at dawn from Misenum, the ship that’s now tying up at the quay in Oplontis. Lucius is in turmoil as are we all, for soon will come Pliny, the Commander of the Roman fleet - but he’s also a great scholar, man of letters and natural scientist.

There are many of his books in Lucius’s library, the most recent, the 'Naturalis Historia' is open on the desk. Lucius has made notes in order to ask many questions, and you too, Eulalia, have many things to ask the great man who is honouring his friend and comrade in arms with his visit.


Since yesterday lots of friends and important people have arrived at the villa. Our great task is to bring everyone cool drinks, delicious food, and after the walks in the nearby countryside, or after exercise in the gym, follow them into the bath-house, massage their bodies with scented oils, clean and clothe them with clean, lightwieght tunics.

There is plenty of room for the guests, in all the apartments situated along the side overlooking the square where the great sundial has been erected, as well as places to pass the day, the great oecus (living room), the various triclinia (relaxing and dining rooms), and exedra (rooms outside) around the peristyle. It looks more like a villa made for parties with friends than a place of rest to avoid the summer heat of the city.

The number of male and female slaves is sufficient to cope with this small army of guests. As well as those of us who live in the villa, there are many women from the farms, they’re the wives and daughters of Lucius’s slaves, but it is simpler to just call them slaves. They till the land, raise animals, collect and process the rural produce, make cheese from the milk of the cows, goats and sheep. They are trustworthy people, who also enjoy a certain amount of freedom.

Those most loyal to their master have the task of directing the work of others, and Lucius rewards them by allowing them to marry, to have children, to live in dignity. They deserve, you tell me, after years of loyal service and subordination, to be freed from the bonds of slavery and allowed to become farmers, to whom the master will also grant payments in cash or kind.


'Only that i... (diot) ... Spartacus wanted to rebel, and he came and took refuge with his comrades here in the villages and forests near Vesuvius. But Rome does not tolerate insubordination, and exterminated all of them.'

‘How come you’re a slave, Eulalia?'

'My father owned a fleet of more than fifty ships, carrying goods from all over Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Sicily and Egypt to Rome. He was very rich, but when forty of his ships disappeared - no one knows how, there wasn’t any storm at sea - he was accused of stealing the valuables they were carrying to Rome, bronze statues of incomparable beauty, marble figures, and vases of finely coloured blue glass and other very precious transparent of glass materials in which was sprinkled what seemed to be gold dust.
There wasn’t enough wealth in reserve to pay off the creditors, who cheated by exaggerating the value of their lost property. He was imprisoned, and my mother, my brothers and I were taken as hostages, so he could pay off the debts in exchange for his freedom. We were held in prisons in Corinth, but my father, having again saved up large enough amounts of money to pay our ransom, was assassinated, and we were all sold as slaves.'

'Pliny's coming! His 'biga' (chariot) is setting him down at the top of the slope leading to the villa! '

Everyone rushes out to welcome the guest of honour.

'Ave Gaius Plinius.'

'Ave Lucius Silius.'

Lucius greets him, squeezing his arm with the gesture of the Roman soldiers, while the other guests are greeting him.

'Lucius, as I approached, I saw the obelisk of this sundial of yours, I want to see it now!'

Lucius accompanies him, at a sign from Lucius you follow them. Pliny observes, admires the work, reads all the inscriptions. He’s amazed to read that it has been calculated by a woman, a Greek slave! He knows you because he’s been a guest of Lucius previously, and on those other occasions you've got to talk to him, and he’s appreciated your erudition.

From a wooden box, which the 'auriga' (charioteer) who’s accompanied him has been ordered to fetch, he takes out a portable sundial, places it on the ground, oriented on the meridian line.

Now your work is under examination, and what an exam!

'Wonderful, it's absolutely precise, it shows the same time as mine! It must be because mine too was made by a Greek slave, a certain Kairos of Samos. One must admit that those Greeks have much to teach us when it comes to mathematics and astronomy!'

Now everything you explains to him as it is set out in the design of the square. At the hour of sunrise at the summer solstice, the shadow of the corner of the house covers half of the obelisk, and likewise at sunset, the opposite corner casts a shadow on half of the gnomon. As to the external lines on the diagram, they indicate the directions of the chief cities, including Rome and Athens not visible from here.

He pauses to look at the track of the equinoctial line.

'It bears directly onto my villa at Misenum!' he says, surprised. 'It’s true, I’ve noticed from my villa on the day of the equinox the sun rises in the direction of your villa, Lucius! It's amazingly accurate! But what are these red stones with engravings, before the arc of solstice? '

'They indicate the path of the sun on the calends of May, the birthday of my Master, and hours of equal duration – different from those you Romans use.'

Eulalia, Eulalia, you always risk getting into a disagreement with someone, you’ve dared start this argument with Pliny! Now Lucius’ll have us whipped, he will - both of us, ‘cause I was your accomplice in this crime!

Pliny looks surprised, with a quizzical air he shakes his head, as if in disbelief. But he’s smiling:

'Horam non possum certam tibi dicere; facilius inter philosophos quam inter horologia convenit.'

- Maybe we won’t be whipped!
Click to expand...
You write with incredible presence and at the same time a cool distance : it is a very special voice and i adore it
 
It was actually Seneca who said that -
'I can't tell you the right time, it's easier to get philosophers to agree than clocks'
:D

While on Literae Humaniores stuff:

A note on the Greek slave’s name, Kairos.
this is a word meaning ‘point in time, moment’,
especially ‘opportune moment’, ‘auspicious time’,
so very appropriate for the clockmaker-slave.

Kairos (Latinised Caerus) was the God of Opportunities -
god-caerus-Salviati.jpg kairos-bassorilievo.jpg

English muddles two concepts under the word ‘time’ –
specific points in time (as in ‘what’s the time?’),
and time as a dimension of our experience
(as in ‘what is time?’).
A problem for learners, as most other languages distinguish these:
chronos is the Greek word for time as a dimension or sequence.

But kairos has a qualitative connotation,
it's a moment when a lot, or something very important, happens.
It had specific senses in Classical rhetoric (timely, appropriate utterance),
Stoic philosophy (seize the moment, carpe diem),
and NT and other early Christian writings
(God’s appointed times, such as the Incarnation).​
 
messaline said:
Gaius Plinius is a wise person if I've well understood what he says ...:rolleyes:

...but his attendance in Pompeii makes me thinking .........:oops:
Click to expand...
But he was the Commander of the Roman fleet in Misenum near the Ischia island and have storically a good friend in Stabia, Pomponiano. Plinio il Vecchio dead during the Vesuvio eruption for help the family of his friend! They are not of strange if he was in Pompeii...:p
 
messaline said:
What I didn't want to say ......:confused:
Click to expand...
???

Pliny the Elder died on AD 79, while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that had just destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The prevailing wind would not allow his ship to leave the shore. His companions attributed his collapse and death to toxic fumes, but they were unaffected by the fumes, so he probably died of infarct rather than volcanic action.
(he was a little overweight and have breathing difficulty)
 
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Amica 24


Pliny- 'Is autem obeliscus, quem Divus Augustus in circo magno statuit, excisus est a rege Psemetnepserphreo, quo regnante Pythagoras in Aegypto fuit. Haec observatio XXX iam fere annis non congruit, sive solis ipsius dissono cursu et caeli aliqua ratione mutato sive universa tellure a centro suo aliquid emota, ut deprehendi et aliis in locis accipio.'

(This same obleisk, which the Divine Augustus set up in the Great Circus, was carved under the kingdom of King Psemetnepserphreos [Psammeticus], who was ruling when Pythagoras was in Egypt. Observations based on it have not been consistent for nearly thirty years. Either there has been some divergence in the course of the Sun, some alteration in the regulation of the heavens, or some general movement has shifted the Earth from its centre, as I understand has been observed in other places. [Pliny NH 36.72])

Lucius- 'But no such a prodigy is recorded in the Sibylline Oracles, which contain the whole of history and the prophecies, nor was it possible to perform the 'obsecratio remedia placandis habitum est deis' (the remedial supplication that is customary to please the gods’ [Livy 8.26]). However the 'clavifixio' (nail-fixing, driving a huge nail into the wall to ‘fix’ time and fate) was resumed at the temple of Jupiter, on the side where the statue of Minerva stands, as Minerva was the inventor of number. '

Pliny- 'Sive urbis tremoribus ibi tantum gnomone intorto, sive inundationibus Tiberis sedimento molis facto, quamquam ad altitudinem inpositi oneris in terram quoque dicuntur acta fundamenta.'

(Either the gnomon was shifted that much by [local] earth-tremors there in the city, or flooding of the Tiber had caused the load to subside, though the foundations are said to have been set in the earth to a depth equal to the height of their load. [Pliny NH 36.73])

Pliny- 'But many other types of sundials have been invented, each with its own specific functions: the semi-circle engraved on a quadrant, and inclined as you wish, is said to have been invented by Berosus the Chaldean. The 'skapha', (skiff, small boat) i.e. the hemisphere, by Aristarchus of Samos, and this is the same disc in (two-dimensional) plane. There’s the 'arachne' (spider) of Eudoxus the astrologer, though some attribute that to Apollonius. There’s the plinth, i.e. lacunar (panel), such as the one in the Circus Flaminius, by Scopa of Syracuse.

Parmenion’s is called 'pros ta istorumena' (for all places). Those of Theodosius and Andreas are called 'pros pan clima' (for every zone), that of Patrocles is the pelecinum (pelignum), of Dionysidoros the cone, of Apollonius the quiver, and there are many other types, invented both by some whom I’ve mentioned, as well as by others, such as the the gonarcha, the engonato and the antiboreus (all these are more or less obscure names). Still many more have left written instructions for making them, among others the suspended kind for [use on a] journey, and from the books of these people those who wish may want to apply them to particular locations, as long as they know how to form the analemma. '


Immersed in these discourses on sundials and their construction, Pliny and Lucius enter the domus (main domestic quarters). After a bath and body-massages with scented oils, Pliny - already an old man, of stocky build, slightly overweight, having some difficulty in breathing, but in spite of these limitations always active and mobile, so you tell me - enters the library. He knows how keen Lucius is to buy books, but shows surprise when he sees his new acquisition: the second book in the 'Poetics' of Aristotle.

Pliny- 'Non refert quam moltos (libros) sed quam bonos habeas.'

(It doesn’t matter how many, but how good, are the books you’ve got! [alludes to Seneca, Ep. LXV])


Then the three of them, Pliny, Lucius and Eulalia are immersed in a conversation that I can’t follow. It’s quite a big achievement that after such a short time I’m able to understand, or at least get the sense of, what I’m listening to. Eulalia’s a good teacher, she’s stern, but corrects me lovingly when I make a mistake, and she’s always ready to give me an explanation when he sees me struggling, with eyes full of wonder and my mouth half-open as if I’m wanting to ask something, but not saying a word, like a child who’s afraid of talking nonsense.

I bear in the pitchers of drinks and fresh fruit, and put away the scrolls that have already been examined onto a shelf.

It’s time for prandium (dinner), and all the guests are now flocking into the large oecus (reception area) where they start with gustatio (appetizers), then three first courses, two roasts, and secundae mensae (sweet dishes). At such receptions, what matters is not only the abundance and quality of the food that’s offered, but also the artistic presentation necessary to impress the diners.

Some of the elders instead follow a régime of three meals a day, because they have advised to by their doctors, as Pliny, so you tell me, is always very frugal, taking ientaculum [breakfast] at the fourth hour, a light and simple meal of bread and cheese, while his dinner only consists of cold meat, vegetables, fruit, and a glass of wine mixed with water, and after that he only takes a light snack, without requiring a table to be laid, and without having to wash his hands afterwards.

After the meal the guests recline on triclinia [couches] placed in the shade in the peristyle or exedra, to spend the hottest hours of the day at rest.

Towards the evening, a dramatic performance begins. You tell me it’s an example of the Latin farces that are known as Fabulae Atellanae after Atella, the city of the Oscans in Campania where they originated, and where they are still performed as pretty much a local custom. They’re made up of horseplay and jokes, like the satyr-plays of the Greeks.

Actors have come from Pompeii today to stage some of these 'Fabulae Atellanae'. They are called masked comedies because the actors put on masks and costumes to represent the character they are playing, The Atellae have their traditional characters. There’s Maccus, dumb and stupid, he’s the clown, the stupid glutton and drinker always on the lookout for tasty titbits – he’s always loved and always laughed and is at the centre of many adventures with his pointy head and his nose sticking out like a cockerel’s beak.

There’s the old fool, Pappus, who’s tricked by everyone in every way, especially in his amorous pursuits, he’s the old lecher, lustful and avaricious, always displaying his base desires, always on the hunt, and always getting robbed of his money by his woman who swindles him in cahoots with cunning slaves and unscrupulous poor youths.

And then there’s Buccus, talkative and gluttonous, another typical character, whose name is derived from bucca, i.e. the mouth that’s just to talk and eat with, he’s the silly braggart, the charlatan, the bully, the voracious parasite, the master-sponger.

And finally, Dossenus, the hunchback (from dorsum, ‘back’): he’s the wise philosopher of the band, but he’s an anarchic, frivolous philosopher who gives anything but good examples to his students! These are the characters, the sources of popular hilarity, they have to entertain the audience with their antics and buffoonery and provide hearty, harmless fun for the guests.

'Bubulcus', 'Maccus', and 'Hercules Bucculus coactor' the rent-collector - these are the plays most in demand, and above all, 'Pappus Praeteritus' [i.e. defeated in the elections] is the favourite, because electoral defeat is a great humiliation for the Romans.

Other scenarios are based on the classic and always humorous theme of role-swapping or character ambiguity, as in 'Macci gemini' (the Macci twins) by Pomponius, and the 'Two Dosseni' by Novius, not to mention ridiculous disguises, such as 'Maccus virgo' (Maccus disguised as a girl) by Pomponius. Then there’s the race between the clownish Sarmentus and Messius Cicirrus, of Oscan origin - Cicirrus means 'a cockerel'.

There’s 'Maccus miles' (soldier), 'Maccus sequester' (go-between), 'Bucco auctoratus' (mercenary), 'Buccus adoptatus' (adopted), 'Pappus agricola' (farmer), 'Verres aegrotus' (the sick pig), 'Sponsa Pappi' (Pappus's girlfriend), 'Pannuceati' (the ragged ones, beggars), 'Medicus' (the doctor), 'Fullones' (the fullers, cloth-washers), 'Piscatores' (the fishermen), 'Hirnea Pappi' (Pappus’s hernia), 'Citharista' (the harp-girl), 'Leno' (the procurer), Haetera (recte Hetaera = courtesan, high-class prostitute), 'Pistor' (the miller), 'Prostribulum' (the brothel), 'Bucculus' (little Buccus), 'Maccus copo' (the innkeeper), 'Maccus exul' (exile), 'Fullones feriati' (the washermen having a party), 'Agricola Gallinaria' (the poultry-farmer) and suchlike, even 'Virgo Praegnans' (the pregnant virgin)!

'A quo etiam impudentia elata appellantur obscena, quia frequentissimus usus fuit Oscis libidinum spurcarum.'

(Because of which [sc. the ancient form Obscum for Oscum] such shameless and outrageous [words] are called “obscene”, because there was such frequent use of lecherous filth by the Oscans.)

Giving life to farcical stories and tangled mix-ups, they’re called tricae- that’s a familiar and popular word in their language, mostly used in a figurative sense, equivalent to 'entanglement, mess' (cf. Latin extrico 'disentangle, extricate'), so something that causes embarrassment. The term tricae belonged originally to the peasants’ language, and meant something like 'weeds'. You also explain to me that the word comes from the Greek: 'tricae sunt impedimenta et implicationes...' tricae are impediments and complications '...dietae quasi tricae quod pullos gallinaceos involvant et impediant capilli pedibus implicati' like the tricae of horsehair that are tied around the legs of farmyard cockerels to hobble them. So, in a figurative sense, it's a knot of intrigue to be unravelled.

But the favourite character here in Pompeii is an actor covered in a white costume, Mimus Albus 'the white mummer', wearing a black mask with a prominent nose like the beak of a rooster, with a primordial kind of humour, always ready for gross and vulgar knockabout, who’s not ashamed to indulge in an atmosphere that might otherwise appear obscene.
 

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Velut Luna said:
Amica 24


Pliny- 'Is autem obeliscus, quem Divus Augustus in circo magno statuit, excisus est a rege Psemetnepserphreo, quo regnante Pythagoras in Aegypto fuit. Haec observatio XXX iam fere annis non congruit, sive solis ipsius dissono cursu et caeli aliqua ratione mutato sive universa tellure a centro suo aliquid emota, ut deprehendi et aliis in locis accipio.'

(This same obleisk, which the Divine Augustus set up in the Great Circus, was carved under the kingdom of King Psemetnepserphreos [Psammeticus], who was ruling when Pythagoras was in Egypt. Observations based on it have not been consistent for nearly thirty years. Either there has been some divergence in the course of the Sun, some alteration in the regulation of the heavens, or some general movement has shifted the Earth from its centre, as I understand has been observed in other places. [Pliny NH 36.72])

Lucius- 'But no such a prodigy is recorded in the Sibylline Oracles, which contain the whole of history and the prophecies, nor was it possible to perform the 'obsecratio remedia placandis habitum est deis' (the remedial supplication that is customary to please the gods’ [Livy 8.26]). However the 'clavifixio' (nail-fixing, driving a huge nail into the wall to ‘fix’ time and fate) was resumed at the temple of Jupiter, on the side where the statue of Minerva stands, as Minerva was the inventor of number. '

Pliny- 'Sive urbis tremoribus ibi tantum gnomone intorto, sive inundationibus Tiberis sedimento molis facto, quamquam ad altitudinem inpositi oneris in terram quoque dicuntur acta fundamenta.'

(Either the gnomon was shifted that much by [local] earth-tremors there in the city, or flooding of the Tiber had caused the load to subside, though the foundations are said to have been set in the earth to a depth equal to the height of their load. [Pliny NH 36.73])

Pliny- 'But many other types of sundials have been invented, each with its own specific functions: the semi-circle engraved on a quadrant, and inclined as you wish, is said to have been invented by Berosus the Chaldean. The 'skapha', (skiff, small boat) i.e. the hemisphere, by Aristarchus of Samos, and this is the same disc in (two-dimensional) plane. There’s the 'arachne' (spider) of Eudoxus the astrologer, though some attribute that to Apollonius. There’s the plinth, i.e. lacunar (panel), such as the one in the Circus Flaminius, by Scopa of Syracuse.

Parmenion’s is called 'pros ta istorumena' (for all places). Those of Theodosius and Andreas are called 'pros pan clima' (for every zone), that of Patrocles is the pelecinum (pelignum), of Dionysidoros the cone, of Apollonius the quiver, and there are many other types, invented both by some whom I’ve mentioned, as well as by others, such as the the gonarcha, the engonato and the antiboreus (all these are more or less obscure names). Still many more have left written instructions for making them, among others the suspended kind for [use on a] journey, and from the books of these people those who wish may want to apply them to particular locations, as long as they know how to form the analemma. '


Immersed in these discourses on sundials and their construction, Pliny and Lucius enter the domus (main domestic quarters). After a bath and body-massages with scented oils, Pliny - already an old man, of stocky build, slightly overweight, having some difficulty in breathing, but in spite of these limitations always active and mobile, so you tell me - enters the library. He knows how keen Lucius is to buy books, but shows surprise when he sees his new acquisition: the second book in the 'Poetics' of Aristotle.

Pliny- 'Non refert quam moltos (libros) sed quam bonos habeas.'

(It doesn’t matter how many, but how good, are the books you’ve got! [alludes to Seneca, Ep. LXV])


Then the three of them, Pliny, Lucius and Eulalia are immersed in a conversation that I can’t follow. It’s quite a big achievement that after such a short time I’m able to understand, or at least get the sense of, what I’m listening to. Eulalia’s a good teacher, she’s stern, but corrects me ovingly when I make a mistake, and she’s always ready to give me an explanation when he sees me struggling, with eyes full of wonder and my mouth half-open as if I’m wanting to ask something, but not saying a word, like a child who’s afraid of talking nonsense.

I bear in the pitchers of drinks and fresh fruit, and put away the scrolls that have already been examined onto a shelf.

It’s time for prandium (dinner), and all the guests are now flocking into the large oecus (reception area) where they start with gustatio (appetizers), then three first courses, two roasts, and secundae mensae (sweet dishes). At such receptions, what matters is not only the abundance and quality of the food that’s offered, but also the artistic presentation necessary to impress the diners.

Some of the elders instead follow a régime of three meals a day, because they have advised to by their doctors, as Pliny, so you tell me, is always very frugal, taking ientaculum [breakfast] at the fourth hour, a light and simple meal of bread and cheese, while his dinner only consists of cold meat, vegetables, fruit, and a glass of wine mixed with water, and after that he only takes a light snack, without requiring a table to be laid, and without having to wash his hands afterwards.

After the meal the guests recline on triclinia [couches] placed in the shade in the peristyle or exedra, to spend the hottest hours of the day at rest.

Towards the evening, a dramatic performance begins. You tell me it’s an example of the Latin farces that are known as Fabulae Atellanae after Atella, the city of the Oscans in Campania where they originated, and where they are still performed as pretty much a local custom. They’re made up of horseplay and jokes, like the satyr-plays of the Greeks.

Actors have come from Pompeii today to stage some of these 'Fabulae Atellanae'. They are called masked comedies because the actors put on masks and costumes to represent the character they are playing, The Atellae have their traditional characters. There’s Maccus, dumb and stupid, he’s the clown, the stupid glutton and drinker always on the lookout for tasty titbits – he’s always loved and always laughed and is at the centre of many adventures with his pointy head and his nose sticking out like a cockerel’s beak.

There’s the old fool, Pappus, who’s tricked by everyone in every way, especially in his amorous pursuits, he’s the old lecher, lustful and avaricious, always displaying his base desires, always on the hunt, and always getting robbed of his money by his woman who swindles him in cahoots with cunning slaves and unscrupulous poor youths.

And then there’s Buccus, talkative and gluttonous, another typical character, whose name is derived from bucca, i.e. the mouth that’s just to talk and eat with, he’s the silly braggart, the charlatan, the bully, the voracious parasite, the master-sponger.

And finally, Dossenus, the hunchback (from dorsum, ‘back’): he’s the wise philosopher of the band, but he’s an anarchic, frivolous philosopher who gives anything but good examples to his students! These are the characters, the sources of popular hilarity, they have to entertain the audience with their antics and buffoonery and provide hearty, harmless fun for the guests.

'Bubulcus', 'Maccus', and 'Hercules Bucculus coactor' the rent-collector - these are the plays most in demand, and above all, 'Pappus Praeteritus' [i.e. defeated in the elections] is the favourite, because electoral defeat is a great humiliation for the Romans.

Other scenarios are based on the classic and always humorous theme of role-swapping or character ambiguity, as in 'Macci gemini' (the Macci twins) by Pomponius, and the 'Two Dosseni' by Novius, not to mention ridiculous disguises, such as 'Maccus virgo' (Maccus disguised as a girl) by Pomponius. Then there’s the race between the clownish Sarmentus and Messius Cicirrus, of Oscan origin - Cicirrus means 'a cockerel'.

There’s 'Maccus miles' (soldier), 'Maccus sequester' (go-between), 'Bucco auctoratus' (mercenary), 'Buccus adoptatus' (adopted), 'Pappus agricola' (farmer), 'Verres aegrotus' (the sick pig), 'Sponsa Pappi' (Pappus's girlfriend), 'Pannuceati' (the ragged ones, beggars), 'Medicus' (the doctor), 'Fullones' (the fullers, cloth-washers), 'Piscatores' (the fishermen), 'Hirnea Pappi' (Pappus’s hernia), 'Citharista' (the harp-girl), 'Leno' (the procurer), Haetera (recte Hetaera = courtesan, high-class prostitute), 'Pistor' (the miller), 'Prostribulum' (the brothel), 'Bucculus' (little Buccus), 'Maccus copo' (the innkeeper), 'Maccus exul' (exile), 'Fullones feriati' (the washermen having a party), 'Agricola Gallinaria' (the poultry-farmer) and suchlike, even 'Virgo Praegnans' (the pregnant virgin)!

'A quo etiam impudentia elata appellantur obscena, quia frequentissimus usus fuit Oscis libidinum spurcarum.'

(Because of which [sc. the ancient form Obscum for Oscum] such shameless and outrageous [words verba in Festus] are called “obscene”, because there was such frequent use of lecherous filth by the Oscans.)


Giving life to farcical stories and tangled mix-ups, they’re called tricae- that’s a familiar and popular word in their language, mostly used in a figurative sense, equivalent to 'entanglement, mess' (cf. Latin extrico 'disentangle, extricate'), so something that causes embarrassment. The term tricae belonged originally to the peasants’ language, and meant something like 'weeds'. You also explain to me that the word comes from the Greek: 'tricae sunt impedimenta et implicationes...' tricae are impediments and complications '...dietae quasi tricae quod pullos gallinaceos involvant et impediant capilli pedibus implicati' like the tricae of horsehair that are tied around the legs of farmyard cockerels to hobble them. So, in a figurative sense, it's a knot of intrigue to be unravelled.

But the favourite character here in Pompeii is an actor covered in a white costume, Mimus Albus 'the white miummer', wearing a black mask with a prominent nose like the beak of a rooster, with a primordial kind of humour, always ready for gross and vulgar knockabout, who’s not ashamed to indulge in an atmosphere that might otherwise appear obscene.
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Just brilliant - I enjoy it a lot and I learn so much - chapeau!
 
when you were speaking about Latins farces, I was thinking that, in France, we've , someway, copied these farces, mostly concerning the Molière'theater and also, later, the Guignol'theater ...

We learn very much of the roman'life due to you, Luna ! Thanks ! et :clapping:!
 
I really enjoy it very much, untangling these knotty puzzles Luna sets me -
the hour or so that I set aside to work on Amica is a time I really look forward to,
it always takes me down such fascinating paths and alleyways in ancient Pompeii,
bringing to life so many aspects of those times - from the humble service of a slavegirl
to advanced scientific thinking and Patrician culture -
and it's certainly helping me brush up my Latin,
get a bit better at reading Italian,
and even learning a bit of Oscan!

:devil:​
 
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