I have posted before about reading Michelle Moran's books,
Nefertiti,
The Heretic Queen and
Cleopatra's Daughter. I LOVED these books. I am so excited to have a guest post from the author herself!!
Life and Libraries in the Ancient World
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by readers is what life was like two thousand years ago when Julius Caesar walked the corridors of the Senate house and Cleopatra visited Rome. Surprisingly, life for the ancient Romans was not unbelievably different from today. The Romans had many of the little luxuries that we often associate exclusively with the modern world. For example, baths were to be found in every city, and public toilets were viewed as a necessity. The toilets depicted in HBO’s Rome Series are copies of those discovered in Pompeii, where those caught short could find a long stretch of latrines (much like a long bench with different sized holes) and relieve themselves next to their neighbor. Shops sold a variety of wigs, and women could buy irons to put curls their hair. For the rain, there were umbrellas, and for the sun, parasols. Houses for the wealthy were equipped with running water and were often decorated quite lavishly, with
elaborate mosaics, painted ceilings, and plush carpets.
In the markets, the eager shopper could find a rich array of silks, along with linen and wool. You could also
find slaves, and in this, Roman times certainly differ from our own. While some men spoke out against it, one in three people were enslaved. Most of these slaves came from Greece, or Gaul (an area roughly comprising modern France). Abuse was rampant, and the misery caused by this led desperate men like Spartacus to risk death for freedom.
For those few who were free and wealthy, however, life in Rome provided
nearly endless entertainments. As a child, there were dolls and board games to be played with, and as an adult, there was every kind of amusement to be had, from the theatre to the chariot races. Even the poor could afford “bread and circuses,” which, according to Juvenal, was all the Romans were really interested in.
For those more academic minded, however, there were libraries. Although I don’t portray this in
Cleopatra’s Daughter, libraries were incredibly noisy places. The male scholars and patrons read aloud to themselves and each other, for nothing was ever read silently (the Romans believed it was impossible!). Other cities were renowned for their learning, too: Pergamum (or Pergamon) was the largest and grandest library in the world. Built by the Greeks, Pergamum became Roman property when Greece was captured and many of its people enslaved. The library was said to be home to more than 200,000 volumes, and it is was in Pergamum that the history of writing was forever changed.
Built by Eumenes II, Pergamum inspired great jealousy in the Egyptian Ptolemies, who believed that their Library of Alexandria was superior. In order to cripple this Greek rival (and also because of crop shortages), Egypt ceased exporting papyrus, on which all manuscripts were written. Looking for an alternative solution, the Library of Pergamum began using parchment, or charta pergamena. For the first time, manuscripts were now being written on thin sheets of calf, sheep or goat’s skin. The result of this change from papyrus to parchment was significant. Now, knowledge could be saved by anyone with access to animal hide. Manuscripts (although still quite rare) were now available to more people. Alas, so impressive was this vast Pergamese library of parchment that Cleopatra asked Marc Antony to ship its entire contents to her as a wedding gift. This transfer marked the end of Pergamum’s scholarly dominance, and is the reason why, today, we remember Alexandria as possessing the ancient world’s greatest library.
I am so excited to be able to giveaway 2 of
Cleopatra's Daughter! Michelle Moran is providing 2 paperback copies!!! You are going to love this book!
To Enter the contest:
Head over to
Michelle's blog and come back and tell me which book you think you would like best.
Extra Entries - you MUST do the above entry to be eligible to win:
1) Become a follower of my blog - if you already are, just leave me a comment
2) Become a fan of my
Feeling Fit With Dana facebook page
3) Tweet or facebook this message: @Danamoritz I hope I win a copy of Michelle Moran's book Cleopatra's Daughter from Feeling Fit With Dana #giveaway
The winner will be chosen on 9/30/10 by random.org. Leave me a comment for each of the entries. Remember you MUST do the original entry to get the extra entries. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email or a second chance drawing will be held! Good luck to you!!
Yesterday's Meals:
I did pretty good yesterday. I ate more fresh fruit and veggies and less concentrated foods.
Breakfast was Shakeology with coconut oil (1 tsp) and peanut butter (1 tbsp) - no photo
Mid-morning snack was cantaloupe
Lunch was Chili Plus. Handful of fritos on the bottom, top with lettuce ( I used spinach leaves), brown rice, veggie chili (homemade) and 1 tsp of vegannaise and some Daiya Cheddar. So good!! One of the best things about fall/winter is being able to have chili plus!!
Afternoon snack was frozen blackberries with a little agave nectar and coconut milk yogurt and cinnamon YUM!
Dinner was roasted veggies. I kept it light because I had to go workout at Fit Club. I don't like to have anything heavy before a workout. I ate this about 1 1/2 hours before workout!
At Fit Club, we tasted Shakeology, so I had a small cup of that - Chocolate shakeology with banana. Maybe 2 oz. There was 6 new people at Fit Club last night. I was so excited. I love it when we have a good group of fun people! Thank you to all that showed up!
I need to get more water in. I think I had about 48 oz yesterday. I didn't drink anything else either. So, I'm a little dry today!
Workout was 1 mile walk/jog/run and Burn it off and part of Slim and Limber.
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