Biography of Numa Pompilius, Roman King

Biography of Numa Pompilius, Roman King Numa Pompilius (c. 753–673 BCE) was the second king of Rome. He is credited with establishing a number of notable institutions, including the temple of Janus. Numas predecessor was Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome. Fast Facts: Numa Pompilius Known For: According to legend, Numa was the second king of Rome.Born: c. 753 BCEDied: c. 673 BCE Early Life According to ancient scholars, Numa Pompilius was born on the very day that Rome was founded- April 21, 753 BCE. Little else is known about his early life. Some 37 years after the founding of Rome, Romulus- the kingdoms first ruler- disappeared in a thunderstorm. The patricians, the Roman nobility, were suspected of having murdered him until Julius Proculus informed the people that he had had a vision of Romulus, who said that he had been taken up to join the gods and was to be worshiped under the name Quirinus. Rise to Power There was considerable unrest between the original Romans and the Sabines- who had joined them after the city was founded- over who would be the next king. For the time being, it was arranged that the senators should each rule with the kings powers for a period of 12 hours until some more permanent solution could be found. Eventually, they decided that the Romans and Sabines should each elect a king from the other group, i.e., the Romans would elect a Sabine and the Sabines a Roman. The Romans were to choose first, and their choice was the Sabine Numa Pompilius. The Sabines agreed to accept Numa as the king without bothering to elect anyone else, and a deputation from both Romans and Sabines went off to tell Numa of his election. Numa did not even live in Rome; he resided in a nearby town called Cures. He was the son-in-law of Tatius, a Sabine who had ruled Rome as joint king with Romulus for a period of five years. After Numas wife died, he had become something of a recluse and was believed to have been taken by a nymph or nature spirit as a lover. When the delegation from Rome came, Numa refused the position of king at first but was later talked into accepting it by his father and Marcius, a relative, and some of the local people from Cures. They argued that left to themselves the Romans would continue to be just as warlike as they had been under Romulus and it would be better if the Romans had a more peace-loving king who could moderate their bellicosity or, if that proved to be impossible, at least direct it away from Cures and the other Sabine communities. Kingship Having agreed to accept the position, Numa left for Rome, where his election as king was confirmed by the people. Before he finally accepted, however, he insisted on watching the sky for a sign in the flight of birds that his kingship would be acceptable to the gods. Numas first act as king was to dismiss the guards Romulus had always kept around. To achieve his aim of making the Romans less bellicose, he diverted the peoples attention by leading religious spetacles- processions and sacrifices- and by terrifying them with accounts of strange sights and sounds, which were supposedly signs from the gods. Numa instituted priests (flamines) of Mars, of Jupiter, and of Romulus under his heavenly name of Quirinus. He also added other orders of priests: the pontifices, the salii, and the fetiales, and the vestals. The pontifices were responsible for public sacrifices and funerals. The salii were responsible for the safety of a shield which had allegedly fallen from the sky and was paraded around the city each year accompanied by the salii dancing in armor. The fetiales were peacemakers. Until they agreed that it was a just war, no war could be declared. Originally Numa instituted two vestals, but he later increased the number to four. The main duty of the vestals, or vestal virgins, was to keep the sacred flame alight and to prepare the mixture of grain and salt used in public sacrifices. Reforms Numa distributed the land conquered by Romulus to poor citizens, hoping that an agricultural way of life would make the Romans more peaceful. He would inspect the farms himself, promoting those whose farms looked well cared for and admonishing those whose farms showed signs of laziness. People still thought of themselves first as original Romans or Sabines, rather than citizens of Rome. To overcome this division, Numa organized the people into guilds based on the occupations of their members. In Romulus time, the calendar had been fixed at 360 days to the year, but the number of days in a month greatly varied. Numa estimated the solar year at 365 days and the lunar year at 354 days. He doubled the difference of eleven days and instituted a leap month of 22 days to come between February and March (which was originally the first month of the year). Numa made January the first month, and he may have added the months of January and February to the calendar as well. The month of January is associated with the god Janus, the doors of whose temple were left open in times of war and closed in times of peace. In Numas reign of 43 years, the doors remained closed, a record for Rome. Death When Numa died at over the age of 80 he left a daughter, Pompilia, who was married to Marcius, the son of the Marcius who had persuaded Numa to accept the throne. Their son, Ancus Marcius, was 5 years old when Numa died, and he later became the fourth king of Rome. Numa was buried under the Janiculum together with his religious books. In 181 BCE, his grave was uncovered in a flood but his coffin was found to be empty. Only the books, which had been buried in a second coffin, remained. They were burnt on the recommendation of the praetor. Legacy Much of the story of Numas life is pure legend. Still, it seems likely that there was a monarchical period in early Rome, with the kings coming from different groups: Romans, Sabines, and Etruscans. It is rather less likely that there were seven kings who reigned in a monarchical period of approximately 250 years. One of the kings may have been a Sabine called Numa Pompilius, though we may doubt that he instituted so many features of the Roman religion and calendar or that his reign was a golden age free from strife and warfare. But that the Romans believed that it was so is a historical fact. The story of Numa was part of the founding myth of Rome. Sources Grandazzi, Alexandre.  The Foundation of Rome: Myth and History. Cornell University Press, 1997.Macgregor, Mary.  The Story of Rome, from the Earliest Times to the Death of Augustus. T. Nelson, 1967.

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 27

Business law - Essay Example The faculty chair of the department of economics at the University of Iceland, Gylfi Zoega, justifies the practice by recapping that it was a universal problem. â€Å"In New York, you have the same problem, right?† The actors use the utilitarian philosophy to vindicate their actions. The utilitarian philosophy holds that actions are rational if they result to a ‘summum bonum’, the greatest good and a happy end to a greater number. It contravenes the hedonistic approach where an individual acts for their own good and happiness. The revolving door, from a utilitarian perspective could be beneficial to both the private and government sector. For instance, former industry executives bring their rich knowledge and vast proficiency to the private segment and secure the private segment support needed in formulation and implementation of government policies. The former executives further would have sufficient influence over important individuals in government positions thus making it easy for firms to lobby for auspicious state policies and protocols. Moreover, former executives acquired jobs, power and influence and Charles Ferguson presents this as a beneficial approach to the financial crisis that was threatening to engulf America. The predominant notion is that allowing executives to switch positions was at the best interest the public; in reality, this was far from the veracity. However, the utilitarian approach to the revolving door issue was quite imprudent since utilitarianism justifies overlooking or minimization of widely embraced principles and justice in the formulation of ethical decisions. Instead, the actors should have framed their actions to be in line with the deontological philosophy and rights-based philosophy which could have led to the production of a fairly acceptable and justified movie. The deontological philosophy

Group Geospatial Revolution Videos Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Geospatial Revolution Videos - Assignment Example Alternatively, geographical or geospatial information systems describes the different technologies, methods and processes used to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in organizations. From the foregone discussion, it is evident that organizations strive at increasing efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. This same motivation has motivated Portland City to create some technologies, methods and processes that can be used to enhance their service operation. This has been motivated by the fact that GIS systems area cost effectiveness; additionally, they improve different functions in the city, something that increases the city’s potential to attract investors. The city has employed various professionals that have been doing their best in order to ensure that the city improves its practices. The incorporation of GIS in the city’s operations has increased job opportunities for many people that have continued to enjoy the improved services in the city. For this reason, the city needs to create goals and objectives that can be helpful in the achievement of the mission and vision statements in the city. However, the goals and objectives for the city’s GIS can only be derived from its mission and vision statements. It is important to note that a vision statement refers to the future picture or impression that an organizations develops for its for its practices. In this case, the vision statement for Portland City provides the picture of the city in its future as far as GIS systems are concerned and looks as follows; â€Å"To have a city that has effective and efficient services so that city residents and other investors can enjoy the lucrative investment opportunities. The city is thus positioned to become the centre for innovations and inventions that enhance people’s social and economic functions and processes.† The mission statement

Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday Essay Example for Free

Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday Essay Bill Crow’s Jazz Anecdotes is a thought-provoking, often amusing collection of stories from within jazz’s inner circles, told by and about some of the genre’s leading figures. While not a history of jazz, it gives readers some insights to how jazz artists worked, lived, bonded, and coped with an America in which many were still outsiders. The book’s forty-three chapters (expanded from the original 1990 edition) describe the life jazz musicians shared, offering insights into a rather exclusive, unconventional circle of performing artists. The numerous anecdotes are categorized by chapters, gathering related tales and moving from a general overview of jazz life to anecdotes about individuals, like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Benny Goodman. Essentially, Crow creates a context in which jazz musicians lived, and then places individual musicians within it, giving readers a better understanding of how they functioned in this rarified climate. For example, the volume opens with â€Å"Wild Scenes,† which Crow says describes how â€Å"the individuality of jazz musicians combines with the capricious world in which they try to make a living† (Crow 3). The brief chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book, giving glimpses of the unconventional world jazz musicians inhabited (which explains to some degree their relationship to society at large). â€Å"The Word ‘Jazz’† contains attempts to explain the origins of the genre’s name, and â€Å"Inventions† offers accounts of how certain innovations occurred (such as Dizzy Gillespie’s distinctive bent trumpet), giving the reader a sense of history though the work is not an orthodox history per se. Many of the stories contained in Jazz Anecdotes convey the musicians’ camaraderie and warmth toward each other, as well as each other’s idiosyncrasies. Others convey how difficult and often arbitrary the jazz lifestyle often was. â€Å"Hiring and Firing† demonstrates how unstable many musicians’ careers were, rife with disputes over money or dismissals for their personal quirks. (For example, Count Basie fired Lester Young for refusing to participate in recording sessions occurring on the 13th of any month. ) â€Å"Managers, Agents, and Bosses† offers a glimpse into the seamier underside of jazz, where dishonest managers and mobsters often trapped jazz performers in unfair contracts or worse. Though jazz musicians appear to inhabit a special world, Crow does not discuss jazz in a social vacuum, tying it to social phenomena like race relations. In â€Å"Prejudice,† the tales take a more serious tone by showing how black jazz artists faced abundant racism, particularly in the South. However, Crow notes that â€Å"Jazz helped to start the erosion of racial prejudice in America . . . [because] it drew whites and blacks together into a common experience† (Crow 148). Jazz artists dealt with racism in various ways – Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday stood up to it while Zutty Singleton accepted it. Meanwhile, even white musicians like Stan Smith angered both races – whites for performing with blacks, and blacks for â€Å"intruding on their music† (Crow 152). The final chapters focus on individual artists, illustrating the greats’ personalities. Louis Armstrong emerges as earthy and good-hearted; Bessie Smith as strong and willful but ultimately self-destructive; Fats Waller is an impish pleasure-seeker given to excellent music but poor business decisions; and Benny Goodman as gifted but tight-fisted and controlling. Taken as a whole, Jazz Anecdotes offers a look at jazz’s human side, including its foibles, genius, camaraderie, crookedness, and connection to an American society from which it sometimes stood apart. Its legendary figures are depicted as gifted, devoted artists who enjoyed hedonism, companionship, and particularly independence. If any single thing stands out in this book, it is the latter; for the figures in this work, jazz meant creativity and freedom, which they pursued with equal vigor and vitality. Crow, Bill. Jazz Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Essay --

Day 2: Start the day off by visiting one of the 7 wonders of the Modern World. The great city, Chichen Itza, located in deep jungle of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, flourished between the 9th and 13th centuries A.D. It was also a sophisticated urban center and center of regional trade. The Mayans emerged around 3,000 years ago in present-day Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico. According to a Mayan source, a man named K’uk’ulkan, which means feathered serpent, come from the west and establish a capital at Chichen Itza. It is unknown if this story refers to the Toltec groups or the Itza groups, or if it just a myth. During 550 to 800 AD, the main purpose of the city was to make human sacrifices and magical ceremonies. Itzamnà ¡, the supreme God, was the most important deity; he was the creator god, the god of fire, and the god of the hearth. Other significant Gods included Chac, a hooked-nose god of rain and lightning, and Kukulcà ¡n, the Feathered Serpent, who resembles the man who established the city, K’uk’ulkan. These Gods appear on many temples and were later adopted by the Toltecs and Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl. The Kukulcan, also known as El Castillo, is considered the most famous monument in the city; a unique feature of the pyramid is that it represents today’s modern calendar. A 16th-century Spanish bishop, Diego de Landa, named this pyramid after the legendary ruler of the city and the ancient snake deity. The accuracy of Mayan astronomy influenced the number of steps the temple has. In addition to space observations, the Maya used their mathematical knowledge to create a monument that has 91 steps on each side and a total of 365 steps, the same number of days in a year. The Mayans wanted to create monuments to observe and ... ...eas. The primary attraction of the town is the Ollantaytambo Fortress, located on the edge of the settlement in a section known as the Temple Hill. A monument close from the fortress is the Wall of the Six Monoliths, a towering section of wall composed of six large sections. Archaeologists believe that the construction of the wall was abandoned before its completion and the reasons are remain unknown. Some might believe that the Spaniards swiped the Incas out of the region. A nature megalithic structure near Lake Titicaca is Aramu Muru. Legends say that Viracocha first created life on Earth at Lake Titicaca, on the borders of Peru and Bolivia. In the center of the lake, the Island of Sun stands; in the island, there’s a sacred temple and unknown burial towers called chulpas in Sillustani; these towers were plated with gold and holds the remains of the Inca royalty.

Understanding the Business Competitive Environment

When designing a new strategy for the company, a firm must fully analyze the respective competitive environment in order to come up with decisions that are beneficial. A company must take into account even the minutest details regarding the competitors to understand the factors driving the success of the competitors. PEST analysis, SWOT analysis and Michael Porter’s 5 forces analysis are some ways that develop an understanding of the success of the competitor firms (Porter, 1998). Some questions are given below which help the companies to understand the importance of their expertise and their operations. . How strong is the team of the members at the competitor firm? A firm must focus on their own team and work towards the exploitation of expertise of these members. The other firm may perform well because of their specialization in that field. However, at your company you should make your team strong to gain a competitive edge. 2. What are the practices (operations) adopted by the competitor firm? This helps the firm to gather knowledge on the procedures and methods adopted by the competitor firms. This knowledge helps the company in making its processes efficient in order to stay ahead in the industry and also so that the firms practices can become a benchmark. (Withrow, 2006). 3. What markets or market segments your competitors serve? This question helps the firm in realizing the markets that are being catered and the markets that can be tapped. If the company focuses on itself, it can capture the market of its competitors and create a loyal customer base for itself (Withrow, 2006). 4. What are the competitor’s products/ services prices and promotion strategy? This helps in gaining an insight about the strategies that the companies adopt in order to capture the market. The firm must focus on improving its strategies of cost cutting and adopting to the technological changes so that it can remain ahead of the competition. (Ward, n. d. ) 5. Why customers buy from your competitors? The answer to this question tells about the added value that customers receive as a result of using the competitor products. The firm must focus on providing best services to the customers so that they remain loyal.

The Controversy Surrounding Multiple Personality Disorder...

The Controversy Surrounding Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder is a condition that many people probably have not heard of. Among those who have heard of it, there are even less who actually know what it is. However, according to Piper (1997) there were about 6,000 cases diagnosed in North America alone in 1986. Some experts estimate that multiple personality disorder, or MPD, affects 5 to 10 percent of the population, or about 100 million people worldwide. For such a widespread disorder, the publics lack of knowledge about it is pretty shocking. One explanation for this lack of knowledge could be the fact that many people, fueled by the beliefs of many noted psychologists, do not believe the†¦show more content†¦For the most part, what psychologists talk about as identity, although a useful construct, is a complete illusion. The example he gives is how people tend to act differently in different situations. For instance, a teenage boy is usually one way around his friends, another way around his parents, an d yet another around his siblings or other family members. Richmond calls these different aspects of personality ego states. Many psychologists dont even attempt to define personality. For example, Carroll (2003) gives the following explanation for an alter personality: The alters are said to occur spontaneously and involuntarily, and function more or less independently of each other. This really gives no insight as to what an alter personality truly is; it only describes what an alter does. Piper attempts to explain alter personalities in stating each personality has its own set of personality traits, such as language abilities, style of speech, value systems, and cognitive styles. This gives a little clearer picture of what a personality consists of, but its not quite complete. 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