Introduction
From Ancient Ways
On Ancient Things
I wonder what people think is so wrong with calling something "old" or "ancient"? --I don't think the Romans objected to this; quite the reverse. The mos maiorum was ancient. The Religio Romana was ancient before anyone even thought to write about it. The older families had more auctoritas ("street cred") than the recent arrivals; and Senex was an agnomen, not an insult.
The Romans met the phenomenon of old age with gratitude, respect, and a certain amount of awe. Elders were repositories of wisdom and experience; this sounds clichéd to modern ears, but then, most of our own "community memory" is quietly rotting away in nursing-homes. There were reasons the Romans measured the saeculae the way they did: the next "age" was not declared until the last person to have seen the previous one had passed on. If that person lived to be a hundred and twelve, bene, the incoming century could wait.
In fide,
--MariPere' 20:32, 11 January 2007 (EST)
FAQ
Q.: OK, so, umm...what do you guys do around here?
A.: We're just hangin' around the Universe, bein' a buncha Romans...
Q.: Wow, sounds cool. How do you do that?
A.: Well, first you learn Latin. Then you start conquering people. If you don't want to be obvious about it, start with your neighbors, and tell 'em you're just sticking up for your friends. Do such a thorough job of sticking up for your friends that those neighbors will want to be your friends too! Note that this does commit you to sticking up for them when their neighbors start giving them grief. But if you do a very thorough job of it each time, you may find yourself sticking up for neighbors of neighbors of friends all the way from Britain to Palestine, and maybe further with modern transport. (I'm afraid the gladius will have to go as checked luggage.)
Just remember to stop when you hit the Wall...that's why we put it there, as a reminder that there are limites.
Q.: Right; right...so where's the Latin come in?
A.: Oh, that's so you can swear in all the traffic you've created without getting caught...! >({|;-)
