What happenened in yr 27 B.C

C.I. was born. c.i.

Barbara Cartland published her first novel.

Mr Still, You can't fool me! We didn't have printing presses when I was born. c.i.

Pantheon built for the first time under Agrippa, 27 B.C.

Bob Hope does first vaudaville routine at Colliseum:

'You're a great audience folks. How's about those Jews? Round here the bottom lion is eating up their prophets!!!"

Expecting to be entertained by grisly gladitorial combats, the Romans who packed a newly constructed wooden amphitheater had no idea they themselves would become part of a grim spectacle. They had no way of knowing the huge wooden theater in Fidenae, a town located just outside Rome, had been built by an unscrupulous speculator who tried to save money by failing to install a proper foundation.
Some 50,000 people eagerly crowded into the raised structure before the combat was set to begin. As the seats filled, the pressure on the weak foundation increased, until finally the structure collapsed. The sound of screams and cracking timbers filled the air as tens of thousands fell into the crumbling structure. Some spectators were killed as they struck the ground, others were crushed under the weight of timbers, and still others were battered and crushed by the bodies falling on top of them. Estimates of the casualties vary, with the total dead and injured ranging from 20,000 to 50,000.

not the best of years in the empire.

dys, That's interesting information. All the Roman theaters I have seen are all made of stone. The last one I saw is located in Jerash, Jordan, where at one time 25,000 people lived. The accoustics is very good there, also as typical of Roman theaters. c.ii.

satire is a sticky wicket

Re: What happenened in yr 27 B.C


I suppose this is a metaphore? He was never crowned and was never declared the first Emperor of Rome. He was declared 'imperator', but Ceasar was before him (truly the only reason why he is not considered the first Emperor is that the republic truly but shortly worked between him and following rulers while between following rulers it didn't) and so were many republican leaders including Scipio Africanus. It was always just a title, but given to one that had a true power (imperium=authority, power). August inherited Ceasar's offices including dictator, pontifex maximus (supreme pontiff), 'tribunicia potestas' (to become 'sacrosanctus' as tribunes were), imperator and several others plus privileges not tied to any office. 'Imperator' was not that really important amongst them although it's this word that originated the word 'Emperor'. August 'dropped' all those powers giving them to the senate and they vested in him some of them and created a few new ones including princeps senatus, first of the senate, hence principate. This word actually siginified his function, not 'imperator' that became more important later. He retained the religious office of Pontifex Maximus, was given censor's rights (most notably editing the list of senators), was put in charge of border provinces with the right to choose governors at will and separate treasury (he could levy taxes for that), constitute law with his rescripts (letters), was also made the highest judicial instance. The imperator style (because it practically was only a style) remained with him as well as several other honorary titles including Augustus (elevated by gods, chosen by gods) that later constituted a part of his name and that was again more important than 'imperator'.

As for coronation sensu stricto, it was first performed by St Boniface for Pepin the Short in 751 due to the fact that Pepin, the 'maior domus' and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Franks needed some legitimation to ascend to the throne. Childeric III was declared unfit to rule and Pepin was anointed and crowned, hence the tradition initially only applying to the kings of Franks. However, intronisation rituals were known and performed in times ancient. The king of Babylon received his insignia from Marduk represented by his archpriest yearly. The essential role is similar, yet it's still not coronation - that is a Christian ritual.

Rome and Romania from 27 B.C. http://www.friesian.com/romania.htm

c.i.

The sun set in the west and rose on the east.

Satt_f, You are wrong! It rose in the south, and set in the north. c.i.

c.i. ..
A compass was probably not known then.

That's the reason why! c.i.

c.i. ..
If they did not know a compass, the sun rose in the east by definition.

The Chinese knew all along, but when people traveled back home from China, they got confused, and they called east, south, and called west, north. BTW, the Chinese invented the compass 200 BC. c.i.

c.i. ..
To my understanding, the ancient Chinese "pointing-to-south" device was not a magnetic compass. It was merely a mechanical (not electromagnetic) tool to keep pointing to south while in motion.

Close enough for government works. c.i.

the sun neither rises nor sets