🔶 REGRETS OF THE KING “Up to this time Tigranes had not deigned to see Mithridates, nor speak to him, though the man was allied to him by marriage, and had been expelled from such a great kingdom. Instead, he had kept him at the farthest remove possible, in disgrace and contumely, and had suffered him to be held a sort of prisoner in marshy and sickly regions. Now, however, he summoned him to his palace with marks of esteem and friendship. There, in secret conference, they strove to allay their mutual suspicions at the expense of their friends, by laying the blame upon them. One of these was Metrodorus of Scepsis, a man of agreeable speech and wide learning, who enjoyed the friendship of Mithridates in such a high degree that he was called the king's father. This man, as it seems, had once been sent as an ambassador from Mithridates to Tigranes, with a request for aid against the Romans. On this occasion Tigranes asked him: "But what is your own advice to me, Metrodorus, in this matter?" Whereupon Metrodorus, either with an eye to the interests of Tigranes, or because he did not wish Mithridates to be saved, said that as an ambassador he urged consent, but as an adviser he forbade it. Tigranes disclosed this to Mithridates, not supposing, when he told him, that he would punish Metrodorus past all healing.  But Metrodorus was at once put out of the way. Then Tigranes repented of what he had done, although he was not entirely to blame for the death of Metrodorus. He merely gave an impulse, as it were, to the hatred which Mithridates already had for the man. For had long been secretly hostile to him, as was seen from his private papers when they were captured, in which there were directions that Metrodorus, as well as others, be put to death. Accordingly, Tigranes gave the body of Metrodorus a splendid burial, sparing no expense upon the man when dead, although he had betrayed him when alive.” Plutarch

🔵 FRANKISH PIRATES “Ptolemais in Thebais having revolted from the emperor, and commenced a war. Probus, by the good conduct of his officers, compelled both that place and its allies to surrender. He likewise left in Thrace the Bastarnae, a Scythian people, who submitted to him, giving them land to inhabit there; on which account they observed the Roman laws and customs.    But the Franks having applied to the emperor, and having a country given to them, a part of them afterwards revolted, and having collected a great number of ships, disturbed all Greece; from whence they proceeded into Sicily, to Syracuse, which they attacked, and killed many people there. At length they arrived in Africa, whence though they were repulsed by a body of men from Carthage, yet they returned home without any great loss.” Zosimus, New history

🟣 THEY MIGRATE WITH EASE “Now as for the tribe of the Suevi, it is the largest, for it extends from the Rhenus (Rhine) to the Albis (Elbe); and a part of them even dwell on the far side of the Albis, as, for instance, the Hermondori and the Langobardi; and at the present time these latter, at least, have, to the last man, been driven in flight out of their country into the land on the far side of the river. It is a common characteristic of all the peoples in this part of the world that they migrate with ease, because of the meagerness of their livelihood and because they do not till the soil or even store up food, but live in small huts that are merely temporary structures; and they live for the most part off their flocks, as the Nomads do, so that, in imitation of the Nomads, they load their household belongings on their wagons and with their beasts turn whithersoever they think best.” Strabo

⚪️ THE SKILLS OF THE SENATE “Prudently and always alert to the needs of the moment, the senate took in hand a revision of its benevolences. For when Perseus, proving unexpectedly defiant, prolonged the war to a stalemate, many Greeks had high hopes. The senate, however, by constantly renewed acts of generosity towards the Greeks exerted a contrary influence, and on each occasion made a bid for the support of the masses. What man of affairs who aspires to leader­ship could fail to admire this? What intelligent historian would pass over without comment the sagacity of the senate? Indeed, one might reasonably conclude that Rome's mastery over most of mankind was achieved by means of just such refinements of policy. This justifies the observation that harmonious adaptation to all occasions — connivance at some things, the turning of a deaf ear to some reports, the timely restraint of some impulse of blind rage, or, laying aside considerations of national dignity and power to pay court to inferiors while paving the way for some success later — that such adaptation indicates consummate excellence in the individual, superb realism in the deliberating body, and virtue and intelligence in the state. All this the Roman senate of those days did, and thereby left, as it were, models and patterns for all who strive for empire and have the imagination to see how necessary it is to deal with problems in the light of circumstances.” Diodorus Siculus

🟢 THE COLD DOESN’T HURT THE WOLF “Now it is reported that Cherea bore this calamity couragiously: and this, not only by the firmness of his own behaviour under it, but by the reproaches he laid upon Lupus: who fell into tears. For when Lupus laid his garment aside, and complained of the cold, he said, that cold was never hurtful to Lupus [i.e. to a wolf.] And as a great many men went along with them to see the sight, when Cherea came to the place, he asked the soldier, who was to be their executioner, whether this office was what he was used to? or whether this was the first time of his using his sword in that manner? and desired him to bring him that very sword, with which he himself slew Caius (Caligula). So he was happily killed at one stroke. But Lupus did not meet with such good fortune in going out of the world: since he was timorous, and had many blows levell’d at his neck, because he did not stretch it out boldly, [as he ought to have done.]” Flavius Josephus

⚫️ FARMING AND THE GODS “Oxen may be yoked on feast days for these purposes: to haul firewood, bean stalks, and grain for storing. There is no holiday for mules, horses, or donkeys, except the family festivals.” “The following is the Roman formula to be observed in thinning a grove: A pig is to be sacrificed, and the following prayer uttered: "Whether thou be god or goddess to whom this grove is dedicated, as it is thy right to receive a sacrifice of a pig for the thinning of this sacred grove, and to this intent, whether I or one at my bidding do it, may it be rightly done. To this end, in offering this pig to thee I humbly beg that thou wilt be gracious and merci­ful to me, to my house and household, and to my children. Wilt thou deign to receive this pig which I offer thee to this end." “If you wish to till the ground, offer a second sacrifice in the same way, with the addition of the words: "for the sake of doing this work." So long as the work continues, the ritual must be performed in some part of the land every day; and if you miss a day, or if public or domestic feast days intervene, a new offering must be made.” Marcus Cato, Agriculture

🟡 SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH “Varro in his account of cases of remarkable strength records that one Tritanus, famous in the gladiatorial exercise with the Samnite equipment, was slightly built but of exceptional strength, and that his son, a soldier of Pompey the Great, had a chequered crisscross of sinews all over his body, even in his arms and hands; and moreover that once he challenged one of the enemy to single combat, defeated him without a weapon in his hand, and finally took hold of him with a single finger and carried him off to the camp. Vinnius Valens served as captain in the Imperial Guard of the late lamented Augustus; he was in the habit of holding carts laden with wine-sacks up in the air until they were emptied, and of catching hold of wagons with one hand and stopping them by throwing his weight against the efforts of the teams drawing them, and doing other marvellous exploits which can be seen carved on his monument. Marcus Varro likewise states: 'Rusticelius, who was nicknamed Hercules, used to lift his mule; Fufius Salvius used to walk up a ladder with two hundred pound weights fastened to his feet, the same weights in his hands and two two-hundred-pound weights on his shoulders.' We also saw a man named Athanatus, who was capable of a miraculous display: he walked across the stage wearing a leaden breast-plate weighing 500 pounds and shod in boots of 500 pounds' weight. When the athlete Milo took a firm stand, no one could make him shift his footing, and when he was holding an apple no one could make him straighten out a finger.” Pliny the Elder

⚪️ HARSH TERMS FOR ANTIOCHUS “Antiochus, abandoning the conflict in despair, dispatched an embassy to the consul, requesting pardon for his errors and the granting of peace on whatever terms possible. The consul, adhering to the traditional Roman policy of fair dealing, and moved by the appeals of his brother Publius, granted peace on the following terms: the king must withdraw, in favour of the Romans, from Europe and from the territory on this side Taurus and the cities and nations included therein; he must surrender his elephants and warships, and pay in full the expenses incurred in the war, which were assessed at 5,000 Euboean talents; and he must deliver up Hannibal the Carthaginian, Thoas the Aetolian, and certain others, together with twenty hostages to be designated by the Romans. In his desire for peace Antiochus accepted all the conditions and brought the fighting to a close.” Diodorus Siculus

🟡 PRISONER OF THE SASSANIDS The Battle of Edessa, a pivotal clash between the Roman Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire, unfolded in 260 CE near the city of Edessa (modern-day Urfa, Turkey). Emperor Valerian, at the helm of the Roman forces, confronted the Sassanid king, Shapur I. The battle proved to be a resounding victory for the Persians. The Roman army, despite its numerical superiority, was routed. The consequences were catastrophic: the entire Roman army was either slain or captured, and for the first time in history, a reigning Roman emperor, Valerian himself, fell into enemy hands. Shapur I, in a display of his triumph, paraded Valerian through the streets of Ctesiphon, the Sassanid capital, as a humiliating spectacle.

🟤 THE BATTLE OF PHILLIPI The Battle of Philippi pitted Brutus and Cassius, who had assassinated Julius Caesar and represented the Republican cause, against Mark Antony and Octavian, who sought revenge for Caesar's death. In the initial fighting, Brutus was successful against Octavian's forces. Cassius was defeated by Antony and, mistakenly believing Brutus had also lost, took his own life. Although saddened by Cassius's death, Brutus continued the fight. After weeks of stalemate, Antony and Octavian managed to draw Brutus into a final, decisive battle. Despite fierce resistance from Brutus's forces, the Triumvirs' army was ultimately victorious. Faced with capture, Brutus also chose to die by his own hand. The victory at Philippi marked the end of the Republican resistance and paved the way for Octavian's eventual rise to become the first Roman Emperor.