Did You Know That the Emperor Nero Engaged in Two Public Same Sex Marriages?

[Slyfox]

If it turns she is a guy it really wouldn't change things. I happen to have no opinion on the matter.

But you gotta admit it is fun speculatin'.

[Slyfox]

Moochie's nubbin demonstration.

[two134711]

Tacitus, the great Roman historian who records the event, even alludes to the fact that Nero engaged in coitus with the man in front of all the guests, stating that "everything was public which even in a natural union is veiled by night....."

FYI, no matter the particulars, Nero and his "bride groom" engaged in sodomy, not coitus. Coitus is a very special kind of sex that can only take place with a man and woman. You know, normal sex.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Ain't "she" cute?

[ifinnegan]

Good one.

[Sherman Logan]

Funny, my very libertarian economics instructor taught me that the Roman empire declined, in part, because of currency debasement.

No doubt. However, what is never discussed is the reason for the currency debasement.

Just as today, the Empire had financial obligations that were greater than its income.

Unlike today, this was largely due to the cost of maintaining the army, though corrupt officials and extravagant emperors certainly played a part.

One factor that doesn't get enough credit is that they never set up an effective method of determining successsion. This resulted in devastating civil wars every decade or two.

With all the idiocies of primogeniture succession to the crown in France or England, no successful general had an incentive to kill the King, and when the King died all knew who the new king was.

[LambSlave]

He wed Pythagoras in a formal same-sex wedding

So all those kids who said trignometry is gay were right??

[buffyt]

Nero = black, the color black, in Italian Pronounced NAY - ROE White = Bianco Bee ahn koe

[buffyt]

Read in the Bible about King Herod. He owned the food and fuel and so he controlled the people. He was a ruthless king, but when you depend on the dear leader for every day sustinence, you put up with him..... sounds like Obama to me....

[lacrew]

I don’t remember much about history class...but isn’t it possible that homosexuality persisted until the time the empire fell?

[Sherman Logan]

Well, of course it did, as it has in all societies.

In fact, Hadrian, one of the Good Emperors, was a flaming fruit who deified his boyfriend when he died.

Homosexual acts were criminalized by 250 and the punishment was burning alive before 400.

Don’t see how much more drastically it would be possible to punish such an offense.

[Verginius Rufus]

Finally, Tacitus is a very respected historian, even among modern historians.

True, but for another view, compare Stephen Leacock's "Homer and Humbug":

"When I reflect that I have openly expressed regret, as a personal matter, even in the presence of women, for the missing books of Tacitus, and the entire loss of the Abacadabra of Polyphemus of Syracuse, I can find no words in which to beg for pardon. In reality, I was just as much worried over the loss of the ichthyosaurus. More, indeed: I'd like to have seen it: but if the books Tacitus lost were like those he didn't, I wouldn't."

(For those not familiar with the name, Stephen Leacock [1869-1944] was a Canadian humorist and academic. There is a building named for him at McGill University in Montreal.)

[CARDINALRULES]

Implants both in front and in back. ;`-)

[USAF80]

I could have sworn they were talking about OB. I thought it said the Emperor Negro. Watching MNF and blogging at the same time.

[USAF80]

My very liberal world history teacher once taught me that the Roman empire declined, in part, because of rampant homosexuality.

They also overextended their empire, started using mercenaries and got away from the professional soldier.

[Pietro]

"Homer and Humbug"

Well, not having spent much time in academia I don't view the classic authors as a chore.

But, truth to tell, I prefer Livy's style to Tacitus.

[Verginius Rufus]

Well, Leacock was being tongue-in-cheek about it all. He was trained as a classicist and probably loved the classical authors.

I have mixed feelings about Tacitus, having had a Latin course where we were expected to read all of the Annals and all of the Histories in Latin in one semester (for the final exam we had to translate several passages, without a dictionary). But he is the master of one-liners.

Livy is great, but it's too bad we don't have the later books.

[SunkenCiv]

He also murdered his wife and had his mother executed. But other than those three things, he kind of sucked as an emperor. There’s been a recent campaign to rehabilitate his sorry ass, originating in Europe.

Then we come (ahem) to Hadrian, who’s often praised on FR’s very pages.

Antinous the Gay God
https://www.facebook.com/antinousgayreligion
All those who Love Antinous and take faith in his divinity are encouraged to join in the veneration of Antinous the God.
http://www.antinopolis.org/

Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous
by Royston Lambert
http://www.amazon.com/Beloved-God-Story-Hadrian-Antinous/dp/0821620037

[SunkenCiv]

Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance

...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.

[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]