"Fun Facts" Tomorrow, March 15th is the “Ides of March” Many of us were forced in high school to read Shakespeare’s* play “Julius Caesar.” We remember the lines: “Beware the Ides of March!” and “Et Tu, Brute?” The story behind the play, the “Ides of March,” and the end of the Roman Republic, is fascinating. … Continue reading “Beware the Ides of March!” (March 15th) The End of the Great Roman Republic!
"Fun Facts Saturday" Reflecting Cat's Eyes (Pompeii) The ancient Romans were ingenious road engineers and builders. Over 30 military highways radiated out from the capital. The 113 provinces were interconnected by 372 great roads, covering 250,000 miles. Many of the roads are still used today. In some roads, bright white reflecting rocks (known as “cat’s … Continue reading The ancient Romans built “Night Lights” into their roads
"Court Case Friday" I took all the "weird" classes in law school, like: "Nature of Legal Thinking," "Legal Anthropology," "Legal Philosophy," and "Roman Law." Here are some of my favorite laws from Ancient Rome. Women Crying at Funerals was a Crime Roman Funeral Throughout history, people believed that the more popular a person was, the … Continue reading It Was a Crime for Women to Cry at Funerals, and other “Fun” Laws From Ancient Rome
The word “addiction” comes from the Latin “addictus” meaning “slave.” In ancient Rome, an “addictus” was a “debt slave.” He or she was a person who was enslaved by a creditor because of a debt. Once the debt was paid, the slave was freed. (This is the same philosophy underlying “debtor’s prison.”) The Roman Myth … Continue reading Myth of Addictus: Slavery of Sin and Addiction
Things I had to unlearn I am frustrated by how many things I have had to unlearn over the years. There is so much information that I thought was true, but was not. For example, I mislearned in elementary school that honest George Washington confessed to chopping down the family cherry tree. I mislearned in college … Continue reading The Bald Eagle and the Great Seal
The London Edition 