Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Torino sotterranea
Quando si pensa alla Torino Romana si pensa ad Augusto ovviamente.
Ma possiamo essere sicuri che il tracciato urbano sia proprio dell'epoca Augustea?
Il tracciato romano che si vede nei rilievi archeologici (mura e strade pavimentate) sono dell'epoca della dinastia Flavia (Vespasiano). Siamo DOPO il 69 d.C., dopo l'incendio provocato dalla XIV Legione, di cui parla Tacito, che dice che la colonia è stata in parte distrutta. All'epoca di Vespasiano risale anche la rete fognaria sotto i cardi ed i decumani. Ho il dubbio che la ristrutturazione urbanistica, per fare fogne, mura e strade lastricate, abbia cambiato gli assi viari. Sicuramente di poco, ma basta anche solo un grado a far sballare tutte le verifiche astronomiche.
Ma possiamo essere sicuri che il tracciato urbano sia proprio dell'epoca Augustea?
Il tracciato romano che si vede nei rilievi archeologici (mura e strade pavimentate) sono dell'epoca della dinastia Flavia (Vespasiano). Siamo DOPO il 69 d.C., dopo l'incendio provocato dalla XIV Legione, di cui parla Tacito, che dice che la colonia è stata in parte distrutta. All'epoca di Vespasiano risale anche la rete fognaria sotto i cardi ed i decumani. Ho il dubbio che la ristrutturazione urbanistica, per fare fogne, mura e strade lastricate, abbia cambiato gli assi viari. Sicuramente di poco, ma basta anche solo un grado a far sballare tutte le verifiche astronomiche.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Le Confessioni di Augusto
Federico Beghin, “Uno storico sospettoso verso dichiarazioni teoretiche e confessioni autobiografiche”. Analisi delle Res Gestae e della figura di Augusto secondo Ronald Syme
Anno Accademico 2016 / 2017. Tesi di Laurea, Relatore Prof. Luca Fezzi
http://tesi.cab.unipd.it/54515/1/FEDERICO_BEGHIN_2017.pdf
Diciamolo: Augusto non era un santo come Agostino ...
Anno Accademico 2016 / 2017. Tesi di Laurea, Relatore Prof. Luca Fezzi
http://tesi.cab.unipd.it/54515/1/FEDERICO_BEGHIN_2017.pdf
Diciamolo: Augusto non era un santo come Agostino ...
Monday, August 26, 2019
Pliny the Elder - THE ELEVENTH REGION OF ITALY; ITALIA TRANSPAIDANA.
From the Natural History
From the river Padus the eleventh region receives its name of Transpadana; to which, situate as it is wholly in the interior, the river, by its bounteous channel, conveys the gifts of all the seas. The towns are Vibî Forum1 and Segusio; and, at the foot of the Alps, the colony of Augusta Taurinorum2, at which place the Padus becomes navigable, (infatti Torino aveva il suo porto fluviale) and which was founded by the ancient race of the Ligurians, (Plinio dice che Torino c'era già prima che diventasse colonia di Augusto; è forse come Como, fondata da precedenti popolazioni e poi rifondata con una nuova città da Cesare) and of Augusta Prætoria3 of the Salassi, near the two passes of the Alps, the Grecian4 and the Penine (by the latter it is said that the Carthaginians passed into Italy, by the Grecian, Hercules)—the town of Eporedia5, the foundation of which by the Roman people was enjoined by the Sibylline books; the Gauls call tamers of horses by the name of "Eporediæ"—Vercellæ6, the town of the Libici, derived its origin from the Salluvii, and Novaria7, founded by the Vertacoma- cori, is at the present day a district of the Vocontii, and not, as Cato supposes, of the Ligurians; of whom two nations, called the Lævi and the Marici, founded Ticinum8, not far from the Padus, as the Boii, descended from the Transalpine nations, have founded Laus Pompeia9 and the Insubres Mediolanum10.
From Cato we also learn that Comum, Bergomum11, and Licinîforum12, and some other peoples in the vicinity, originated with the Orobii, but he admits that he is ignorant as to the origin of that nation. Cornelius Alexander however informs us that they came from Greece, interpreting their name as meaning "those who live upon the mountains13." In this district, Parra has disappeared, a town of the Orobii, from whom, according to Cato, the people of Bergomum are descended; its site even yet shows that it was situate in a position more elevated than fruitful14. The Caturiges have also perished, an exiled race of the Insubres, as also Spina previously mentioned; Melpum too, a place distinguished for its opulence, which, as we are informed by Cornelius Nepos, was destroyed by the Insubres, the Boii, and the Senones, on the very day on which Camillus took Veii.
1 This place is supposed to have been situate in the vicinity of the modern Saluzzo, on the north bank of the Po. Segusio occupied the site of the modern Susa.
2 Augusta of the Taurini. The present city of Turin stands on its site. It was made a Roman colony by Augustus. With the exception of some inscriptions, Turin retains no vestiges of antiquity.
3 The present city of Aosta occupies its site. This was also a Roman colony founded by Augustus, after he had subdued the Salassi. It was, as Pliny says in C. 5, the extreme point of Italy to the north. The remains of the ancient city are of extreme magnificence.
4 The Grecian pass of the Alps was that now known as the Little St. Bernard; while the Penine pass was the present Great St. Bernard. Livy in his History, B. xxi. c. 38, points out the error of taking these mountains to have derived their name from the Pœni or Carthaginians. There is no doubt that they took their name from the Celtic word signi fying a mountain, which now forms the "Pen" of the Welsh and the "Ben" of the Scotch.
5 Now called Ivrea or Lamporeggio, at the entrance of the valley of the Salassi, the present Val d'Aosta. There are some remains of the ancient town to be seen.
6 The present town of Vercelli stands on its site.
7 Now called Novara, in the Duchy of Milan.
8 It became a Roman municipal town, but owes its greatness to the Lombard kings who made it their capital, and altered the name to Papia, now Pavia.
9 Pompey's Praises." The present Lodi Vecchio marks its site.
10 It was the capital of the Insubres, a Gallic nation, and was taken by the Romans in B.C. 222, on which it became a municipium and Roman colony. On the division of the empire by Diocletian, it became the residence of his colleague Maximianus, and continued to be the abode of the Emperors of the West till it was plundered by Attila, who transferred the seat of government to Ravenna. It afterwards became the capital of the kingdom of the Ostro-Goths, and was again sacked by the Goths in A.D. 539, and its inhabitants put to the sword. The present city, known to us as Milan, contains no remains of antiquity.
11 The modern Como and Bergamo stand on their sites.
12 From its name, signifying the "market of Licinius," it would appear to be of Roman origin. Its site is supposed to have been at a place called Incino, near the town of Erba, between Como and Lecco, where inscriptions and other antiquities have been found.
13 Deriving it from the Greek ὄρος, "a mountain," and βίος, "life."
14 Etiamnum prodente se altius quam fortunatius situm." Hardouin seems to think that "se" refers to Cato, and that he informs us to that effect; but to all appearance, it relates rather to the town, which even yet, by its ruins, showed that it was perched too high among the mountains to be a fertile spot.
The Natural History. Pliny the Elder. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855.
From the river Padus the eleventh region receives its name of Transpadana; to which, situate as it is wholly in the interior, the river, by its bounteous channel, conveys the gifts of all the seas. The towns are Vibî Forum1 and Segusio; and, at the foot of the Alps, the colony of Augusta Taurinorum2, at which place the Padus becomes navigable, (infatti Torino aveva il suo porto fluviale) and which was founded by the ancient race of the Ligurians, (Plinio dice che Torino c'era già prima che diventasse colonia di Augusto; è forse come Como, fondata da precedenti popolazioni e poi rifondata con una nuova città da Cesare) and of Augusta Prætoria3 of the Salassi, near the two passes of the Alps, the Grecian4 and the Penine (by the latter it is said that the Carthaginians passed into Italy, by the Grecian, Hercules)—the town of Eporedia5, the foundation of which by the Roman people was enjoined by the Sibylline books; the Gauls call tamers of horses by the name of "Eporediæ"—Vercellæ6, the town of the Libici, derived its origin from the Salluvii, and Novaria7, founded by the Vertacoma- cori, is at the present day a district of the Vocontii, and not, as Cato supposes, of the Ligurians; of whom two nations, called the Lævi and the Marici, founded Ticinum8, not far from the Padus, as the Boii, descended from the Transalpine nations, have founded Laus Pompeia9 and the Insubres Mediolanum10.
From Cato we also learn that Comum, Bergomum11, and Licinîforum12, and some other peoples in the vicinity, originated with the Orobii, but he admits that he is ignorant as to the origin of that nation. Cornelius Alexander however informs us that they came from Greece, interpreting their name as meaning "those who live upon the mountains13." In this district, Parra has disappeared, a town of the Orobii, from whom, according to Cato, the people of Bergomum are descended; its site even yet shows that it was situate in a position more elevated than fruitful14. The Caturiges have also perished, an exiled race of the Insubres, as also Spina previously mentioned; Melpum too, a place distinguished for its opulence, which, as we are informed by Cornelius Nepos, was destroyed by the Insubres, the Boii, and the Senones, on the very day on which Camillus took Veii.
1 This place is supposed to have been situate in the vicinity of the modern Saluzzo, on the north bank of the Po. Segusio occupied the site of the modern Susa.
2 Augusta of the Taurini. The present city of Turin stands on its site. It was made a Roman colony by Augustus. With the exception of some inscriptions, Turin retains no vestiges of antiquity.
3 The present city of Aosta occupies its site. This was also a Roman colony founded by Augustus, after he had subdued the Salassi. It was, as Pliny says in C. 5, the extreme point of Italy to the north. The remains of the ancient city are of extreme magnificence.
4 The Grecian pass of the Alps was that now known as the Little St. Bernard; while the Penine pass was the present Great St. Bernard. Livy in his History, B. xxi. c. 38, points out the error of taking these mountains to have derived their name from the Pœni or Carthaginians. There is no doubt that they took their name from the Celtic word signi fying a mountain, which now forms the "Pen" of the Welsh and the "Ben" of the Scotch.
5 Now called Ivrea or Lamporeggio, at the entrance of the valley of the Salassi, the present Val d'Aosta. There are some remains of the ancient town to be seen.
6 The present town of Vercelli stands on its site.
7 Now called Novara, in the Duchy of Milan.
8 It became a Roman municipal town, but owes its greatness to the Lombard kings who made it their capital, and altered the name to Papia, now Pavia.
9 Pompey's Praises." The present Lodi Vecchio marks its site.
10 It was the capital of the Insubres, a Gallic nation, and was taken by the Romans in B.C. 222, on which it became a municipium and Roman colony. On the division of the empire by Diocletian, it became the residence of his colleague Maximianus, and continued to be the abode of the Emperors of the West till it was plundered by Attila, who transferred the seat of government to Ravenna. It afterwards became the capital of the kingdom of the Ostro-Goths, and was again sacked by the Goths in A.D. 539, and its inhabitants put to the sword. The present city, known to us as Milan, contains no remains of antiquity.
11 The modern Como and Bergamo stand on their sites.
12 From its name, signifying the "market of Licinius," it would appear to be of Roman origin. Its site is supposed to have been at a place called Incino, near the town of Erba, between Como and Lecco, where inscriptions and other antiquities have been found.
13 Deriving it from the Greek ὄρος, "a mountain," and βίος, "life."
14 Etiamnum prodente se altius quam fortunatius situm." Hardouin seems to think that "se" refers to Cato, and that he informs us to that effect; but to all appearance, it relates rather to the town, which even yet, by its ruins, showed that it was perched too high among the mountains to be a fertile spot.
The Natural History. Pliny the Elder. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855.
Via Garibaldi
Una bellissima storia di via Garibaldi a Torino. http://www.cordola.it/2015/03/23/via-garibaldi-a-torino/ Le montagne che si vedono in fondo alla via, guardando da Piazza Castello verso Piazza Statuto sono le cime Croce Rossa e Punta d'Arnas, che sormontano la cresta del Civrari.
Andate alla pagina http://www.mepiemont.net/torino_pan2.html per vedere delle bellissime foto!
Sul Civrari https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_CivrariMa la via ha anche una storia "nascosta".
http://archeocarta.org/torino-augusta-taurinorum-il-sistema-idrico-della-citta-romana/
"la scoperta, nel 1902, dell’incrocio dei canali di scarico fra cardo e decumanus maximi ha contribuito in modo sostanziale alla comprensione dell’impostazione del sistema fognario. Le condutture, “alte in media m. 1,60 e larghe 0,60, coperte con botti in concreto” (Grazzi), correvano sotto le strade cittadine e ne seguivano il percorso, sfruttando al meglio la morfologia del territorio: infatti convogliavano le acque prevalentemente in direzione del Po, verso il quale si ha una più marcata inclinazione, con conseguente orientamento ovest-est, coincidente con l’asse dei decumani; la maggior parte dei collettori fognari dei cardines si gettava in quelli dei decumani."
"Tutti questi elementi concorrono a definire una tale organizzazione e capillarità della rete di smaltimento delle acque da far presupporre l’esistenza di un sistema distributivo di una certa complessità, imperniato su un vero e proprio acquedotto. A prescindere dalle soluzioni tecniche adottate, le acque, seguendo la norma delle città romane, avrebbero alimentato soprattutto fontane ed edifici pubblici, quali le terme, anche se alcune abitazioni private risultano dotate di collegamenti diretti con il sistema fognario, come riscontrato in via Botero."
http://www.museotorino.it/view/s/0e3df1158564467eaadc879591ea36db
"Le indagini archeologiche condotte in diversi punti della città evidenziano come per quasi un secolo dopo la fondazione della colonia l’approvvigionamento idrico fosse garantito essenzialmente da una serie di pozzi. La costruzione dell’acquedotto, di cui non sappiamo quasi nulla, è probabilmente contestuale al progetto di ristrutturazione urbanistica che ha portato alla realizzazione della rete fognaria e alla sistemazione e almeno parziale lastricatura delle strade. L’acquedotto, di cui rimane traccia in stampe e disegni, prelevava l’acqua dalla Dora ed entrava in città nei pressi della porta occidentale. ... L’acqua corrente era certamente garantita agli edifici pubblici, alle fontane e ai privati più facoltosi e influenti. Il resto della città probabilmente continuava a utilizzare i pozzi e, in molti casi, le cisterne per la raccolta dell’acqua piovana dalle gronde del tetto."
"Se garantire l’approvvigionamento idrico era una necessità primaria, altrettanto importante era l’organizzazione di una rete di smaltimento delle acque reflue e dei liquami. La scoperta, fin dal XIX secolo, di numerosi tratti di condutture evidenzia come ad Augusta Taurinorum la rete di deflusso sia stata progettata e realizzata in maniera unitaria lungo gli assi stradali, probabilmente nella seconda metà del I secolo d.C."
E dire che ho sempre pensato all'ombelico della città, incrocio tra cardo e decumano massimo, come il punto più sacro della città ... Non Giulio Cesare o Augusto, è stato Vespasiano!
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Quando è nato Augusto?
Diciamo bene, quando è nato Gaio Giulio Cesare Ottaviano Augusto?
Con questa sfilza di nomi, non c'è dubbio di chi stiamo parlando. Qualcuno mi può dire: cerca su Wikipedia. OK. Cerco su Wikipedia. 23 settembre 63 a.C.
Però le cose non sono così semplici. Ottaviano è nato il 23 settembre di un calendario romano repubblicano, che era molto ma molto diverso dal calendario giuliano. Tanto diverso ed irregolare che quando l'imperatore Rodolfo II ha fatto la stessa domanda a Keplero, il grande astronomo e scienziato ha probabilmente provato un senso di inquietudine per i grattacapi a cui andava incontro. Calcoli su calcoli per impressionare il sovrano, che però non ne risultò soddisfatto. In sostanza Keplero non aveva potuto rispondere in modo netto e pulito.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century the great astronomer Kepler wrote to his patron, the Habsburg emperor Rudolf II:
Most noble lord, I have now for several weeks on end devoted my utmost efforts to the nativity of Caesar Augustus, about which your kingly majesty wishes to know, but, as I see, it has been almost in vain. For although it is no specially difficult task to calculate the configuration of the heavens for a particular time, nevertheless, what is lacking in the nativity we are now considering is that we no longer today know the correct time of it.
The unfortunate astronomer had spent considerable time combing the evidence of the ancient authors available to him about the date of Augustus' birth. He attempted to sift through the conflicting evidence about which day would have been Augustus' birthday, before performing complex calculations of the planetary movements, in order to assess the role Capricorn might have played in his horoscope. His ingenious solution to the problem failed to impress Rudolf, as we can see from Kepler's second letter on the subject (the emperor's letters are not extant):
Most noble lord, your kingly majesty has suspected me of a lack of diligence, as though I had not sufficiently reported the nativity of Augustus…
Questo è l'inizio dell'articolo Augustus and Capricorn: Astrological Polyvalency and Imperial Rhetoric, Tamsyn Barton
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/301056Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2012
Con questa sfilza di nomi, non c'è dubbio di chi stiamo parlando. Qualcuno mi può dire: cerca su Wikipedia. OK. Cerco su Wikipedia. 23 settembre 63 a.C.
Però le cose non sono così semplici. Ottaviano è nato il 23 settembre di un calendario romano repubblicano, che era molto ma molto diverso dal calendario giuliano. Tanto diverso ed irregolare che quando l'imperatore Rodolfo II ha fatto la stessa domanda a Keplero, il grande astronomo e scienziato ha probabilmente provato un senso di inquietudine per i grattacapi a cui andava incontro. Calcoli su calcoli per impressionare il sovrano, che però non ne risultò soddisfatto. In sostanza Keplero non aveva potuto rispondere in modo netto e pulito.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century the great astronomer Kepler wrote to his patron, the Habsburg emperor Rudolf II:
Most noble lord, I have now for several weeks on end devoted my utmost efforts to the nativity of Caesar Augustus, about which your kingly majesty wishes to know, but, as I see, it has been almost in vain. For although it is no specially difficult task to calculate the configuration of the heavens for a particular time, nevertheless, what is lacking in the nativity we are now considering is that we no longer today know the correct time of it.
The unfortunate astronomer had spent considerable time combing the evidence of the ancient authors available to him about the date of Augustus' birth. He attempted to sift through the conflicting evidence about which day would have been Augustus' birthday, before performing complex calculations of the planetary movements, in order to assess the role Capricorn might have played in his horoscope. His ingenious solution to the problem failed to impress Rudolf, as we can see from Kepler's second letter on the subject (the emperor's letters are not extant):
Most noble lord, your kingly majesty has suspected me of a lack of diligence, as though I had not sufficiently reported the nativity of Augustus…
Questo è l'inizio dell'articolo Augustus and Capricorn: Astrological Polyvalency and Imperial Rhetoric, Tamsyn Barton
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/301056Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2012
Monday, August 12, 2019
12 Agosto 1944
Forse non bastano giorno ed anno.
I nazisti avevano circondato il paese e chiuso lo sbocco della valle. Gli uomini erano fuggiti nei boschi. Si rastrellarono i civili, donne, vecchi, bambini. Li chiusero nelle stalle o nelle cucine delle case, li uccisero con colpi di mitra, bombe a mano, colpi di rivoltella. Anna , aveva solo 20 giorni. La rinvenne agonizzante la sorella maggiore Cesira, miracolosamente superstite, tra le braccia della mamma morta. Anna morì pochi giorni dopo in ospedale.
I nazisti avevano circondato il paese e chiuso lo sbocco della valle. Gli uomini erano fuggiti nei boschi. Si rastrellarono i civili, donne, vecchi, bambini. Li chiusero nelle stalle o nelle cucine delle case, li uccisero con colpi di mitra, bombe a mano, colpi di rivoltella. Anna , aveva solo 20 giorni. La rinvenne agonizzante la sorella maggiore Cesira, miracolosamente superstite, tra le braccia della mamma morta. Anna morì pochi giorni dopo in ospedale.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Festus: De verborum significatione
De verborum significatione quae supersunt cum Pauli epitome;
by Festus, Sextus Pompeius, 2nd cent; Paul, the Deacon, ca. 720-799?; Verrius Flaccus, Marcus; Müller, Karl Otfried, 1797-1840
https://archive.org/details/deverborumsigni00fest
by Festus, Sextus Pompeius, 2nd cent; Paul, the Deacon, ca. 720-799?; Verrius Flaccus, Marcus; Müller, Karl Otfried, 1797-1840
https://archive.org/details/deverborumsigni00fest
Friday, July 19, 2019
SILIUS ITALICUS, Punica | Loeb Classical Library
SILIUS ITALICUS, Punica | Loeb Classical Library: ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?his journey over the earth, and Mars betook himself to the clouds and the sky; and darkness confined the weary armies to their camps.Cynthia with downward course was ending the night, while her broth...
JOURNAL ARTICLE - IL PLENILUNIO DELLA BATTAGLIA DEL TICINO IN SILIO ITALICO
Patrizio Domenicucci - Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica
Nuova serie, Vol. 102, No. 3 (2012), pp. 165-182 (18 pages)
Published by: Fabrizio Serra Editore
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24645102
Abstract
In the description of sunrise in the day after the Battle of Ticinus, Silius Italicus refers to the full moon (4, 480 ff.). For this account Silius probably uses not only literary patterns, but also a lost annalistic source, that should have reported the astronomical datum of the full moon. This datum allows to fix the date of the battle on November, 28th, 218 B.C.
Le Puniche di C. Silio Italico
Gaius Silius Italicus
V. Maisner, 1878 - 560 pages
JOURNAL ARTICLE - IL PLENILUNIO DELLA BATTAGLIA DEL TICINO IN SILIO ITALICO
Patrizio Domenicucci - Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica
Nuova serie, Vol. 102, No. 3 (2012), pp. 165-182 (18 pages)
Published by: Fabrizio Serra Editore
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24645102
Abstract
In the description of sunrise in the day after the Battle of Ticinus, Silius Italicus refers to the full moon (4, 480 ff.). For this account Silius probably uses not only literary patterns, but also a lost annalistic source, that should have reported the astronomical datum of the full moon. This datum allows to fix the date of the battle on November, 28th, 218 B.C.
Le Puniche di C. Silio Italico
Gaius Silius Italicus
V. Maisner, 1878 - 560 pages