Roman Resources

[Eulalia]

Not really "funny", but definitely fun and interesting;

A14 upgrade: 'Rare' Roman penis carving found in Cambridgeshire

The carving is one of only four known millstones decorated in this way in the UK, experts say.

www.bbc.co.uk

on a millstone, perhaps indicating 'this is where you put the seed'?

 

[Loxuru]

on a millstone, perhaps indicating 'this is where you put the seed'?

Signpost indicating the legionnaires the direction where the brothel was?

 

[Praefectus Praetorio]

An explicitly Christian viewpoint, but a good listing of Roman sources commenting on crucifixion:

 

[malins]

Roman surgical & medical instruments.
Of course they start right off the bat with the vaginal speculum, what else did you expect!?!

Surgical Instruments from Ancient Rome - Ancient Roman Surgical Instruments

A Display of Surgical Instruments from Antiquity NOTICE: All images in the exhibit are the property of Historical Collections & Services of the Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia. Please contact a member of Historical Collections for permission to reproduce … Continue reading →

exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu

Also, a twitter thread that compares the roman version to the modern counterpart

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1363104078918737921

 

[dfg42]

Not really "funny", but definitely fun and interesting;

A14 upgrade: 'Rare' Roman penis carving found in Cambridgeshire

The carving is one of only four known millstones decorated in this way in the UK, experts say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Is this "a rock and a hard place" or are it just means "we are hard as stones?" I guess this sign is for a music festival (the Rolling Stones I do not have to link... You know it)

 

[Hugin&Munin]

Roman surgical & medical instruments.
Of course they start right off the bat with the vaginal speculum, what else did you expect!?!

Surgical Instruments from Ancient Rome - Ancient Roman Surgical Instruments

A Display of Surgical Instruments from Antiquity NOTICE: All images in the exhibit are the property of Historical Collections & Services of the Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia. Please contact a member of Historical Collections for permission to reproduce … Continue reading →

exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu

Also, a twitter thread that compares the roman version to the modern counterpart

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1363104078918737921

If you disregard the fact that stainless steel could not be made in ancient Rome, a surprising resemblance to modern surgical scalpels.

 

[Loxuru]

If you disregard the fact that stainless steel could not be made in ancient Rome, a surprising resemblance to modern surgical scalpels.

Just watching them gives me the creeps already!

And the Romans had no real anesthesia techniques like today's!

 

[dfg42]

Just watching them gives me the creeps already!

And the Romans had no real anesthesia techniques like today's!

They used poppy.

 

[Hugin&Munin]

Just watching them gives me the creeps already!

And the Romans had no real anesthesia techniques like today's!

But I think the Roman doctors were definitely familiar with natural medicines. And poplar bark, willow bark (today in aspirin) or opium poppy (opium) already existed back then and I think they were already used.

 

[Eulalia]

This is a good short, scientific account of Roman surgeons' use of anaesthetics;

Perioperative Anesthesia in Ancient Rome: 27 B.C.-A.D. 476

OA Text is an independent open-access scientific publisher showcases innovative research and ideas aimed at improving health by linking research and practice to the benefit of society.

www.oatext.com

Extract:

Roman anesthetists employed the Dissociative (sedation) (twilight) method of anesthesia. Sedatives were given with strong analgesics and local anesthetics. The patient would experience catalepsy, amnesia and marked analgesia [16]. The analgesic of choice was powdered opium (Papaver somniferum) in a draft of wine [17]. However, opium had to be imported from the East via the Silk Road and might not be available in sufficient quantities during mass casulaties. In that case the anesthetist would administer powdered mandrake (Mandragora officinarium) in a draft of wine [18]. Mandragora officinarium was grown in Italy. The sedative powdered Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was added to the wine [19]. The local anesthetic used in surgery was a mixture of Memphitic stone and henbane seeds (Hyoscyamus niger) ground up and smeared on areas about to undergo surgery [20]. Once the patient was administer these agents and was in a state of twilight sleep the surgeon began to operate. Operations were conducted as quickly as possible.

 

[Praefectus Praetorio]

A bit hoaky, but interesting attempt at bringing to life the actual appearance of famous Romans, including @messaline 's namesake.

 

[Loxuru]

A bit hoaky, but interesting attempt at bringing to life the actual appearance of famous Romans,

Some faces look 'convincing', others more like an actor in a historical Netflix series.
The question is, of course, to what extent these ancient sculptures were flattering.

 

[messaline]

A bit hoaky, but interesting attempt at bringing to life the actual appearance of famous Romans, including @messaline 's namesake.

In fiction, for manips, we can say Yes, there is a little resemblance ...
In reality, I could say the same, viewing that I'm very looking like this avatar'pic ...

 

[Frank Petrexa]

I don't know how accurate this is, but it's interesting. She does give some references. One wonders about inflation.

 

[Eulalia]

That's very interesting, thanks Frank. Emperor Titus also provided a similarly energetic relief programme when Rome was hit by both a fire and an outbreak of plague the following year. He was certainly a big spender. There are obviously limits to the comparison with present-day economies - he wouldn't have accumulated massive debts to be paid off in years to come by issuing bonds, or had an Imperial Reserve Bank to buy them with money it manufactured. There do seem to have been financial crises during that period, but not obviously linked with Titus' projects, and the Empire was arguably at its most prosperous during and after the Flavians.

 

[malins]

That's very interesting, thanks Frank. Emperor Titus also provided a similarly energetic relief programme when Rome was hit by both a fire and an outbreak of plague the following year. He was certainly a big spender. There are obviously limits to the comparison with present-day economies - he wouldn't have accumulated massive debts to be paid off in years to come by issuing bonds, or had an Imperial Reserve Bank to buy them with money it manufactured. There do seem to have been financial crises during that period, but not obviously linked with Titus' projects, and the Empire was arguably at its most prosperous during and after the Flavians.

"In other words: thousands of good jobs, for years. And the resulting infrastructure would be used for centuries."

... that might be key...

 

[Frank Petrexa]

"In other words: thousands of good jobs, for years. And the resulting infrastructure would be used for centuries."

... that might be key...

I guess it depends on what people wanted to buy. I assume a large share of the grain came as taxes from the provinces (so they could export whatever inflation was generated). Farming in fertile areas (if the weather cooperates) usually generates surpluses. (In 19th century America, the opposition to the tariff was rural, since it raised prices on manufactured goods. Farmers were always complaining about low prices for their production--that might have something to do with storage constraints and the fact that everyone needed to sell at harvest time, but it still indicates a surplus in largely pre-industrial agriculture. New England with its hard, rocky soil had lost out to the Midwest and the Great Plains by that time, so dispersal of production also kept prices in check, and weather is largely local--until the Dust Bowl.) Building stone was probably more of bottleneck, but that didn't really affect the workers, including quarrymen, who were probably paid relatively little. What else would there be? Textiles. I assume most of those were "homespun" and probably in good supply--labor was available, and everyone had sheep or hides or plant-based fabrics. So maybe a few fat cats who needed to buy stone felt a supply squeeze.
Conservatives always like to point to the 19th century as a time of price stability, but that might have been due to "Empire"--lots of sources for lots of things and dirt-cheap labor at the points of production.
Where is Adameus Smithicus (maybe Adameus Faber Ferrarius is better) when you need him?

 

[Frank Petrexa]

That's very interesting, thanks Frank. Emperor Titus also provided a similarly energetic relief programme when Rome was hit by both a fire and an outbreak of plague the following year. He was certainly a big spender. There are obviously limits to the comparison with present-day economies - he wouldn't have accumulated massive debts to be paid off in years to come by issuing bonds, or had an Imperial Reserve Bank to buy them with money it manufactured. There do seem to have been financial crises during that period, but not obviously linked with Titus' projects, and the Empire was arguably at its most prosperous during and after the Flavians.

Those guys were pretty good politicians--maybe they learned something from the abominations of Nero.

 

[malins]

Conservatives always like to point to the 19th century as a time of price stability,

Hmm, if I remember correctly, financial panics, bank runs etc. were quite common in the 19th century, and the phenomenon of a financial crisis causing something literally called a "Great Depression" was already familiar ... that very word was first applied to the 1873 crisis and the long follow up effects ...

 

[Frank Petrexa]

Hmm, if I remember correctly, financial panics, bank runs etc. were quite common in the 19th century, and the phenomenon of a financial crisis causing something literally called a "Great Depression" was already familiar ... that very word was first applied to the 1873 crisis and the long follow up effects ...

Yes, sorry, I meant to say inflation was under control--price stability, which was attributed to the gold standard. Certainly there were a lot of panics. I have a friend who is a history professor. He used to talk about the US effort to build the transcontinental railroad after the Civil War. "Any financial manipulation you care to name, they did it."