The Shepherd had lived at the base of Mount Olympus for most of his life.  He had hunted in the lush forests, and fished the great rivers.  However, he was a young and foolish shepherd who did not believe in the gods.

The children burst into his study and demand his attention.   He plays ball with them before sending for the house slave to keep them entertained.

One day the shepherd discovered a pool, that shined brighter than a fire.  He stood dumbfounded behind a bush…tree and watched the Goddess Ceres…Athena walk out from its depths.

There is a knock on the door.  Bellico the slave says the mistress is shouting his name.  Julia, the younger, is on the other side of the villa, but she thinks he can hear her every word…even that far away…even if it is whispered.    Her voice grows angry…and writer drops his stylus and heads for the door.

“Hurry, master.  She is angry,” Bellico says with his voice shaking in fear.

“BLAST THE GODS…NOT A MOMENT’S PEACE!  NEPTUNE’S BALLS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE LEFT ALONE!”  the writer shouts as he stomps down the hall towards her voice.

Julia is writing a book herself, and wants his opinion on chapter four.

Sam Shantz on tour in Venice.

By Sam Shantz

As I was working on my BA, the Etruscans grabbed my attention and became one of the main focuses of my studies. To paraphrase what you have said in your podcast, one cannot look at the Romans without first looking at the Greeks; I believe that the same thing is true of the Etruscans.

Both the Louvre and Vatican museums have great Etruscan exhibits, but within Rome itself is the Museo Nazionale Etrusco, which houses some of my favourite artefacts. The  museum is located in the Villa Gullia, built by Pope Julius II as a place of relaxation. It is not overly large, and is a short distance away from the main tourist attractions near the capitol. As a result, it is somewhat removed from large crowds and is comparatively peaceful; a nice change of pace when compared to the Vatican or the Colosseum.

The gardens, once used for the enjoyment of Pope’s now house a reconstructed Temple. With columns, friezes, and pediments that are so reminiscent of larger Greek and Roman temples, it is not hard to see similarities between all three cultures. Exhibits displaying armaments show an Etruscan army who’s backbone was the Greek hoplite; the rounded shield, bronze greaves, and distinct helmets would not have been out of place at Marathon or Plataea, while an amateur such as myself would be hard pressed to find any differences between the Etruscan pottery on display and the Greek pottery housed in the Vatican.

The Etruscan God Apulu associated with Apollo

However, not all the artefacts point to similarities between Etruria and Greece. One of the cornerstones of the museum’s collection is the Apollo of Veii, a terracotta statue of the Etruscan  deity Apulu taken from the Etruscan city of Veii, which was only a couple kilometres up the Tiber from Rome. As the name of the statue suggests, Apulu was closely identified with the Greek Apollo in much the same way Jupiter would be identified with Zeus. However, when this statue is compared to the Vatican’s Belvedere Apollo (a Hellenistic copy of a Greek statue from roughly the same period as the Apollo of Veii) the differences are astounding. The Etruscan deity is depicted with eye makeup and dark, braided hair, and reminds one more of a
Nebuchadnezzar than a Pericles. In fact, it is somewhat reminiscent of archaic Greek sculpture, a style that appears to have been influenced by the art of the ancient near-east.

One the most incredible displays is that of the the Pyrgi Plates; three sheets of gold upon which the details of a religious ceremony, where a temple to thechief Etruscan goddess, Uni, was also dedicated to Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of sexuality, fertility, and war. Two of the sheets are written in Etruscan, while the third is a Phoenician translation. Not only are the plates incredibly beautiful, they also point to close ties between Etruria and

Etruscan history is still relatively mysterious, as much of their written history has been lost, and their language has not been fully translated. As a result the influence this culture may have had over Rome is still mostly unknown. However, exhibits such as those at the Museo Nazionale Etrusco paint the picture of a unique culture with ties to Greece and the near-east; a civilisation that dominated northern Italy and gave Rome some of its kings. Although the degree of influence remains unknown, a greater understanding of Etruscan society can only  deepen one’s understanding of the emergent Roman Republic, a period of history that is shrouded in a degree of mystery itself.

Editor’s Note* Anyone wishing to write Sam Shantz can email him at: samuelshantz@gmail.com. 

What are the things on your list?  

Rob Cain’s list

1.  When the TV show HBO’s Rome comes on TV and  you lecture your family on the historical inaccuracies until they tell you to, “SHUT UP!”

2.  When you are sitting in the balconey overlooking the floor of Congress with some students and they ask why there is an image of an ax and rods are on the wall, and you go into a lecture on what the fasces means and its purpose in ancient culture before you realize that it’s not your students that you are talking to.

3.  When you visit the Library of Congress and the guide makes the mistake of saying, “One of the statues overlooking the main hall is Gibbon who wrote the ‘Fall of the Roman Catholic Church.’  You know he has got it wrong, and you announce to the crowd of strangers that it is the ‘Fall of the Roman Empire.’   The next day you send an email to the head libraian asking that they instruct their guides to know the works of each statue that is on display.

4.  When you become excited on finding a book printed in the 1800′s on ancient Rome with illustrations that you have never seen before.  When you buy the book you wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it fresh, because one day the book will be either sitting on your really cool library shelf, or the great maps and illustrations will be preserved and framed on your future man cave.

5.  When your wife buys you a child’s Roman Galley and  you are excited by it, and spend an afternoon building it and its now on display your bookcase.

6.  When meeting a true classicist is equal to meeting a ‘rock star.’

7.  When you walk down into the ‘Forum’ and you start to cry in public. ( I had dreamed about it all my life.  I was overcome…OK?  Give a guy a break.)

8.  When you regret not choosing the study of Ancient Rome as your career choice when in college.

9.   When you begin to recognize plots of ancient plays in TV shows and movies.

10.  When you start a podcast called Ancient Rome Refocused and spend your weekends putting together episodes that speak of your love for the subject, and get excited to meet other amateur classicists that take the time to write you and tell you about their love of history.

During the blitz in London he was translated the Odyssey, which started a Penguin Book series on the classics.   The book was published in 1946 and according to his son, “[h]is vision was to make available to the ordinary reader, in good modern English, the great classics of every language.”^[3]

I can’t help think of him sitting at his desk working on his translation.  The air cool outside.  He has moved it from the window, to prevent glass from blowing inward.  He is making a translation  while buzz bombs rained down on london.   It is said that he made the translation, while reading it out loud to his wife and children.  I can imagine them sitting behind the couch turned towards the wall.

I imagine it like this.  He scribbles a few lines, reads the results to his family.  There is a sound in the sky, omnious and strange as it echoes through the sky.

It had a tearing, rasping sound…describe as a “two-stroke” motorcycle engine.  You could hear it fly over London, and most would listen for the engine to cut off for that is when the bomb will fall.   Imagine it like an early version of a cruise missile, or like a flying motorcycle filled with explosives that finds its way over your town, runs out of gas and plummets to the earth to reek havoc and death.    I imagine that people would count off the seconds before the explosion.

“1…2…3…4…5…6…BOOM!”

He writes a few more lines: “Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy…”

“That is very nice,” whispers his wife.

The sound of the buzz bomb comes in through the window.  She looks up from her sewing and looks to the window, the girls look to the window as well.

“1…2…3…4…5…6…BOOM!”

Sirens and fire engine bells ring in the distance.  Tommorrow you may read of a shopping center going up in flames.

E.V. Rieu speaks again.  He wants his family to look back to him, to leave the war outside the window and listen to his words: “…Now all the rest… were at home, safe from both war and sea, but Odysseus alone, filled with longing for his return and for his wife…”

He feels her hand reach out and touch his.

It has been six months since I have cut my hair.  Its growing long in back and I am developing a irish look, sort of a ‘Colin Brody wandering the shore of Ireland look.’   I get up in the morning and my hair had broken free (strands all running in different directions) and it takes a few minutes with a hair brush to whip it back into submission.   After, five years of a military buzz cut I feel kind of liberated.

I took my scribe (statue left, but mine is obsidian black) to work and set it on my desk.    The scribe is something I picked up during my visit to Egypt.  I feel like a scribe, and this little fellow has become one of my ‘household’ gods.  I am scribbling away at work, I am scribbling away at home.    My projects are the following: Finish up my podcast with James A Bretney (There is a time travel piece by the way.  Any desire to talk to Cattulus and Cicero?  They both knew the actor Roscius, by the way), finishing up my ebook (which will be available on Amazon), and finishing up my novel set during ancient Rome.    I feel like Sysiphus (sp?) the guy that kept up pushing that stone up that hill.

My labors have to come to an end soon.   I am doubling my efforts.

I have to hurry and get these things done.  After all, I got that owl watching me.

“…let me have a swift ship and twenty oarsman…” 

The Odyssey

Dear Mr. Homer,

Thank you for your submission, THE ILLIAD.

It is obvious you have not taken the trouble to study the genre we publish.  Still, I am obligated to adhere to our outreach program to help new writers.  This requires the following pointers:

The loose poetic style you have chosen is ancient and outdated.  To make a sale, try a rhyming verse.  While it’s difficult, some poetry editor out there may be impressed that someone could rhyme “Herakles” and “Agamemnon.”

This bring up the point of your characters’ names.  It appears for each name that you merely assembled a double handful of letters you found in the boriken stone tablet pile – “Deiphobus,” “Glaucus, son of Hippolochus.”  If you fear you’re plagiarizing character names of other authors, don’t.

You also claim the 10-year war you’ve written about ends with a wooden horse in your sequel.THE ODYSSEY.  Do you expect readers to believe that seasoned warriors would fall for such a trick?  That’s as ludicrous as saying the great dynasty of Greece will someday fall into financial ruin. 

Moreover, when you write your next query, don’t dwell on the fact that you’ve written a sequel.  Unless there’s a Thespian goup out there tha wishes to make your works into a tragedian series, you are being presumptuous.  You don’t need an ODYSSEY.  This ILLIAD is odd enough.

Once again, research what a publisher wants.  We require on the most superlative writing.  This dribble isn’t worth the scroll it’s written on.  The symbiosis of mortals, sea nymphs and gods at war would make a job incredibly difficult here at Warfare Memoirs Publishing.

Arch A. Meedees

First Redactor

I need some sleep.  It is 4:00 a.m.

There is a wealth of illustrations that bring the imagination alive.  Look at this drawing.  This does not look like a wild and crazy native coming out at the Roman in a barbarian lather.  He is proud, and quite colorful.

Join me and let’s go exploring through the eyes of someone in the 1880s.

A long time ago I had a job working for a job in Chicago doing basic statistics.  When I left the boss gave me a glass owl.   I know that the creature has a reputation for wisdom, but in reality it is a hunter.

Still working on the next episode for Ancient Rome Refocused.  It will feature James A. Bretney.  The story will talk about acting in Ancient Rome, with comparisons to modern times.  I was fortunate (with the help of Mr. Bretney) to get interviews with modern actors and a film editor.

I know in various episodes I have used the premise of ‘time travel’ to talk about various historical events.  It was nothing more than a device to bring the ‘listener’ closer to the subject.  I bear no ‘delusions’ on this subject, though I admit I find the idea fascinating.   I may continue to use the ‘YOU ARE THERE’ idea to add clarity and I hope people continue to find it fun.

I have two other interviews completed.  These will go on line faster than this current episode (episode 11).  If anyone can think of a person to interview or a subject that you think Ancient Rome Refocused might spotlight…let me know.

I still would like to have people call in.  PLEASE!  People comments are great.  I know that it takes a while to get each episode up, but if you have patience you will make it on the show.  Can someone tell me about a museum visit?  I know New York City has a wonderful ancient art exhibit. I just need one person to go and share with us what they see.  Either call in and leave a message, write me a long email, or let me interview you.  Yes…you can be on the show.   Just be prepared to give me (and the listeners) a few juicy tidbits and some historical background.

This is a shout-out to William Glover who has had some rough patches.  I hope  you are feeling better.

Part of the joy of working on this blog and podcast has been the great people that I have gotten to know.  William Glover certainly has been generous with his time (contributed an article and called in).  Jordan Harbour has been my staunch allie with not only his article but his great advice. (listen to his podcast Twilight Histories by the way).   Roberto Mendes has been leading some great discussons on the facebook page, and thanks to David Long for his article on the study of Roman History.

Time to go back to sleep.  4 a.m.

I wonder if I will dream about the owl again?