Roman Emperor Septimius Severus

Roman Emperor Septimius Severus Severus came to power by disposing of rivals with a better claim to power than his own. His immediate predecessor was Didius Julianus. Septimius Severus died peacefully, leaving, as joint successors, his sons Caracalla and  Geta. Dates April 11, A.D. 145-February 4, 211 Reign 193-211 Places of Birth and Death Leptis Magna; Eboracum Name Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus (Severus) Occupation Ruler (Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born in Africa, at the Phoenician city of Leptis Magna (in Libya), to a presumed equestrian (wealthy) family with consuls in it, on April 11, 145, and died in Britain, on February 4, 211, after reigning for 18 years as Emperor of Rome. Family Parents:  P. Septimius Geta, (equestrian) and Fulvia Pia Wife:  Julia Domna Sons:  Bassianus (Caracalla) (b. 188); Geta (b. 189) Following the murder of Pertinax, Rome supported Didius Julianus as emperor, but as Severus entered Rome having been declared emperor by his troops in Pannonia on April 9, 193 [DIR], the supporters of Julianus defected, he was executed, and soon the soldiers in Italy and the senators supported Severus, instead; meanwhile, troops in the East proclaimed Syrias governor, Pescennius Niger, emperor, and the British legions, their governor, Clodius Albinus. Severus had to deal with his rival claimants. He defeated Pescennius Niger at the A.D. 194 Battle of Issus not to be confused with the battle in 333 B.C., in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Great King Darius. Severus then marched into Mesopotamia, where he set up a new legion and declared war on Roman emperor Clodius Albinus. Even with the legions of Britain, Gaul, Germany, and Spain, behind him, Albinus still lost to Severus in 197 near Lyon [see Lyon Museum], and committed suicide. The reputation of Septimius Severus changes with the times. Some consider him responsible for the Fall of Rome. According to [virtual-pc.com/orontes/severi/MoranSev193.html, 6/29/99] Jonathan C. Moran, Gibbon blamed Severus for the changes that led to turmoil and ultimate decay in Rome. The De Imperatoribus Romanis entry on Severus explains the charge: by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Romes government. His reign was also considered bloody and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, he may have been involved in the murder of his predecessor, Pertinax. The Catholic Encyclopedia also says he persecuted the Christians and forbade conversion to Judaism and to Christianity. On the other side, Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman Empire. He improved performance and increased morale by making (expensive) changes in the military and praetorian guard. He restored Hadrians Wall and was involved in other construction projects. He also played the part of the traditional emperor: He reformed the grain supply for the city of Rome.... He put on games... for the people to keep them diverted and on his side. He freed his friends from debt and gave donatives to the soldiers and people. He also heard lawsuits.... Severus also began appointing his own men to the senate, one the emperors traditional prerogatives.- [www.virtual-pc.com/orontes/severi/MoranSev193.html#1, 6/29/99] Severus and Traditional Auctoritas Print SourceSeptimius Severus: The African Emperor, by Anthony Richard Birley Also, see Historia Augusta - The Life of Septimius Severus Septimius Severus and the Severan Emperors Septimius Severus and his successors were known as Severan Emperors Septimius SeverusCaracallaGetaEmperors Pertinax and Didius JulianusRoman Emperors Timeline 2nd CenturyRoman Emperors Timeline 3rd Century Ancient Sources on Septimius Severus HerodianHistoria AugustaDio Cassius

Phrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns

Phrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns Phrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns Phrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns By Mark Nichol A phrasal verb is a verb consisting of two or more words- a verb and (usually) a preposition or a particle- that, when combined, describe an action. When formed into a closed or hyphenated compound, however, a phrasal verb is transformed into a phrasal noun, which can, alternatively, be employed as an adjective. This post explains the distinction, with examples. Forming Phrasal Verbs Take just about any basic verb, and it can likely be paired with one or more words to form a phrasal verb. (A phrasal verb is also called a compound verb, or a prepositional verb or a particle verb, depending on the function of the word following the verb, along with other names.) Consider walk, for example. One can walk in a line, out a door, through a tunnel, up a flight of stairs, down a street, on a rug, near a park, by a shop, off a cliff, or away from a fight. In many cases, however, a writer can name the action by combining the verb and the preposition or particle into a compound. Walk-in, for example, describes someone who arrives at a location without an appointment, or it serves as a truncation of â€Å"walk-in refrigerator† or functions as an adjective in â€Å"walk-in closet† or â€Å"walk-in apartment.† A walkout, by contrast, is a labor strike or an action in which a number of people leave a meeting or a location to express disapproval. (Notice the inconsistency of treatment; the former word is hyphenated, while the latter is closed.) A walk-through is an inspection or a rehearsal, and a walk-up is a building with no elevator to the upper floors. (As an adjective, the word might refer to a window where a customer can be served without entering a business location.) â€Å"Walk down† can also refer to an act of walking to help oneself recover from illness or poisoning or to wear someone down to exhaustion (â€Å"wear down† is also a phrasal verb), but- so far, at least- English-language speakers and writers have not felt a need for a corresponding phrasal noun. (That is the case with a couple of other phrasal verbs in this list.) But a walk-on is a small theatrical role (from the fact that such parts often involve an actor simply walking onstage, perhaps to deliver a message to a main character, for example) or a person who attempts to join an athletic team without an invitation or a scholarship offer. Walk-off, meanwhile, describes a final winning play in a baseball game. Note that with any of the phrasal verbs listed, at best, a sentence’s meaning will differ if the preposition or particle is omitted; at worst, it won’t make sense. One can, for example, walk a line, but that means something different than a reference to walking in a line, while â€Å"walk a door† is meaningless. However, some phrasal verbs are redundant, though they are often used colloquially. Such phrases, which often unnecessarily pair a verb with up or down, include â€Å"climb up,† â€Å"meet up,† â€Å"rest up,† â€Å"sit down,† â€Å"stand up,† and â€Å"write down.† (One may climb down, but descend is a better alternative for that phrase.) Note, though, that some of these redundant phrases can be legitimately repurposed as phrasal nouns or adjectives when hyphenated. For example, meet-up is an informal synonym for gathering, and a sit-down is a work stoppage or protest or a meeting convened to resolve a conflict or problem. (As an adjective, the term also pertains to a meal or a restaurant at which one is seated.) Meanwhile, a stand-up comic is one who performs while standing, though the term may also informally denote the quality of integrity (â€Å"He’s a real stand-up guy†) or simply refer to something literally upright. The term alone can also refer to the entertainment form or a television broadcast with a similar setup- there’s another phrasal verb transformed into a compound verb- or to the performer. â€Å"Write down† does not have a corresponding noun. However, the words write and up, though they do not form a phrasal verb (â€Å"write it up† comes close), are used, linked with a hyphen, to describe a report, review, or summary, as in â€Å"Did you see the write-up about the game in today’s paper?† Numerous other examples exist. Note, however, that as in the case of walk-in and walkout, treatment of two words with a common verb may differ: One performs a turnaround but comes up with a work-around. A blow-up is not the same as a blowout, and the compounds are not styled the same. And though hand-down is not (yet) a word- it might someday be coined to describe an edict or pronouncement- a hand-me-down is something passed on (such as an article of clothing given to a child when an older sibling outgrows it). When contemplating using a phrasal noun (or a phrasal adjective), first, use a dictionary to determine 1) whether the term exists and 2) whether the phrasal noun is hyphenated or closed. (And double-check that the adjectival form is the same as the phrasal noun. Exceptions exist, including the noun/adjective pairs castoff/cast-off and takeout/take-out.) For example, when one calls out, it is a callout, but when one logs in, it is (usually) a log-in. (Login is also employed; the correct form is the one that appears in the dictionary or style guide you consult.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? 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