Stern rams in Antiquity

Representations of ram‐like structures at the stern of warships mainly dating from the 5th century BC through to Late Antiquity suggest that ramming by the stern was an Illyrian tactic. When the Illyrian type of light warship, the liburnian, was introduced into Macedonian (?), Etruscan, and Roman navies, so apparently were rams. Coin images suggest a floruit in Late Roman fleets.     

官亭怀古

一直想写"官亭怀古"这个题目,好像有一肚子的话要说,因为这个坐落在有"青海东大门"之称的民和回族土族自治县南部黄河北岸的小镇有其独特的值得说说的个性和不同凡响的魅力。但提起笔又不知从何写起。到底写什么呢?写什么     

On Becoming Pope in Late Antiquity

To an extent unusual among holders of papal office in late antiquity, we know something of the family of Gregory the Great (590–604). His father, Gordianus, was a wealthy Roman who had married a lady named Silvia, who herself had a sister named Pateria, while he had another three aunts, Aemiliana, Gordiana, and Tarsilla, the sisters of his father.¹ He also seems to have had one, and possibly a second brother.² We know from his writings that his three aunts on his father's side adopted a religious life in common, but they attained very different levels, for Gregory reports that, whereas Gordiana disgraced herself by marrying a farmer on her estates, Tarsilla reached the highest level of holiness. He describes his great‐great‐grandfather Felix, a bishop of the Roman church, appearing to her in a vision in which he showed her a mansion of great brightness and told her to come, for he would receive her there; soon afterwards, she died of fever.³ While such details may appear sparse, they provide a basis on which we can make some general statements on the kinds of people who became pope in the period from the late fifth to the early seventh centuries; a table of these popes is appended to this paper. We shall suggest that there was a set of criteria which were met by new popes time and time again, and that these remained surprisingly constant across the period.