Date line: A.D. 114 - "War in the Gulf Blazes"
by Terry Nix, written originally in 1992 after the first Gulf War

Tension in this mother of all wars rises as a friend of the Western powers has been toppled by a deceiving and unscrupulous menace to world peace. A combined force, representing many provinces of the Mediterranean world and their allies have moved towards the Persian Gulf area to settle the military question there. These united armies traveling east to meet this threat are accompanied by the latest in technical siege warfare. The enemy which calls Mesopotamia its home can find no place of rest as the Euphrates and Tigris rivers do little to impede the armed might of this unified power we call Rome and it's client Kings. The Basra areas is said to be in flames, as the allied commander, Emperor Trajan becomes the only Roman Emperor to ever sail in the Persian Gulf. The sands have made no hiding place for King Chosroes and his Parthian army either. Our friend King Axidores, who had been invested by Trajan with the principality of Armenia, was disposed by King Chosroes of Parthia. This King Chosroes is even suspected through his predecessor, to have had terrorist connections with the treasonable King Decebalus of Dacia. Informants say that Trajan has plans to place a Roman governor over the Parthians, if all goes well after King Chosroes has been toppled.

A witness reported that when Emperor Trajan was leaving the new province he had passed through a small villiage on the Tigris river near the city of Seleubeia. The witness said he was seen there to be shaking the sand from his sandals in a violent manner. He gave no reason for this action. Maybe we shall know something of it in the future.

Conclusion:
On the night of January 29, 1991, four separate Iraqi battalions thrusts across the Saudi Arabian border in an intended hit and ran maneuver against Desert Storm forces. Saddam Hussein declares on the following day," My armies shall fight in our ancient way of hit and run." This was the dreaded Parthian shot tactic, when 2,000 years ago, mounted archers could shoot arrows at their enemies, while running to and from them at full gallop. This threat would have carried real weight with the legions, as they had experienced it before to their own misfortune.

 

"Aurelian the Great"
by Terry Nix, written in the mid-1990's - my first poem ever

Introduction:
Many people throughout history have been given the title of "The Great." Some deserving more than others. Aurelian never acquired this title as far as I have read. He was hailed "Restorer of the Empire." Aurelian was born in poverty, but rose to be Emperor when it seemed Rome was on her last leg. The Empire was divided and ruled in three totally separate states. He seemed to see the future, and restored the walls of Rome and built many public works. He tried to restore the coinage from the miserable condition from which it had been in since Gallienus. His reign was short, four years and nine months but he restored it all once again. Even so, most Emperors never came close to his accomplishments. I here by declare it for him.

Aurelian the Great, the Empire he restored.
Triumphed in Purple, in quadriga, as Rome roared.
He brought Chiefs, a Queen and an Emperor too.
Which graced his parade through arches a new.
East and West now rejoined with its center
Aurelian had patched that which had been splintered.
But as the sun goes down and glory fades away
the legions had forgotten the joy of this day.
With bitter hearts, and minds of menace.
Officers plotted, and set forth a penance.
As daggers plunged, Aurelian stood defiant.
Those whom he had loved, now slay this mighty giant
No sooner had they slew him, they deplored what they had done
No usurper stepped forward, no, not even one.
For six months, the legions would have none of their own.
They begged the Senate thrice to fill the empty thrown
Only once before had the curele chair lay empty
It was the death of Romulas, when a year it stood continually
Somehow it does seem fitting even a tribute, one might say
That no Roman thought himself worthy, no, not even one of that day.

 

Last of the Romans
By Terry Nix

In the early 1990's I acquired to my great fortune a very dear friend. Although it started off as a business relationship between Nix Imperial Creations and a customer, it soon took on a life of it's own. We called and spoke to each other often. We spent hundreds of hours long distance on the telephone over the years. We planned a trip to Rome together in March of 1996. A couple of months before the date, he had a heart attach and died. He was in his mid 50's. I made a corona aurea or gold crown and sent it to his wife and asked her to place it on his head stone along with a poem I wrote for him. This would have been my second poem ever written. I had never actually met him in person and had never even seen a picture of him but his death affected me profoundly. He was as Roman as any Roman could be. He loved Rome probably more then most Romans did. I wrote and titled this Poem for such and man. His name was David Warfeld. I still went on with the trip to Rome for 14 days by myself. It was pretty tough.

Last of the Romans By Terry Nix for my friend David Warfeld

Crumbling Columns
Triumphal Friezes a Miss
Ancient Pax Romana
Sighs Her Long Lost Bliss
The Eternal City of Marble
Of Which Many have Sought and Plundered
Still Fills Mens Dreams A New
With Empire Glory and Wonder
A Quarried Remnant To Many It May Now Seem
But To Us Who Are The Fateful
It Remains Mens Most Glorious Dream
But Now I Raise A Toast With Bacchus
The Mythological God Of Wine
A Salute To The Last Of The Romans
To David Warfeld, A Good Friend Of Mine
But Now On Golden Eagle's Wings
He Soars To The Heavens On High
And the Legions Who Went Before Him
Now Welcome David With This Cry
Behold, The Last Of The Romans
Now Makes His Triumphal Entry
Line His Way With Garlands and Flowers
And Call Out The Praetorian Century
Wrap Him In The Robes Of Purple
And Adorn His Head With Laureate Gold
For He Has Brought Out That Which Is Best In Men
And Has Become an Example For The World To Behold.

Letter to Congress
by Terry Nix

The letter below was actually wrote by me November 23, 1999, to certain members of Congress. Italy was trying to claim anything connected to ancient Rome as theirs. They wanted the United States to stop its citizens from participating in auctions in Europe as well as buying form dealers in Europe. Although I was concerned about ancients, this would also stop any antique or art leaving Europe bound to the US over 100 years old. Countries like England and Germany plus several others got it together and would have none of it when it comes to this kind of stuff and Italy was trying to make them stop as well. Imagine everything ever made anywhere under the Roman Empire belonging to Italy. As far as I felt, we Americans had just as much cultural right to claim this ourselves. Most of us were decedents of Europeans immigrants whose ancestors themselves would have had to have some Roman blood in them through the ages. My grandmother's maiden name was Antony, so what does that make me? The law was not passed over here but they still try every year. The letter below that I wrote members of Congress is not me begging them to not pass this law but points out what many people over the ages have said.


Dear, (Congressman's name here)

Please do not let this letter fall on deaf ears. I am a forty-two year old man and have spent my entire life reading and studying the Greek and Roman world. In elementary, at the age of 7, I drew a colored wall mural across the entire side of a class room of the Trojan War. Reading books and watching Hollywood movies was the closest way I knew of to see Rome. Traveling to Rome would be my life's dream. About twelve years ago, I met an American coin collector at work who had bought out someone's coin collection. He told me it included some ancient Roman coins. I had never even heard that ancient Roman coins were even available to anyone but Museums. I spent the next few years doing research to find dealers in the US and Europe with fixed price list and auctions. Since then, the study and collecting of ancient coins and artifacts has opened up a whole new world of ancient history. The Romans have left us a legacy of not just who they were but of who we are that is so finely woven in our every day life, habits, customs and culture that it can't even be seen by our vast population. It is my opinion that we have inherited Rome itself in many ways. "We (Americans) are heirs of Caesar" says one American historian, Another speaks of our Republic and Senate being the first since the fall of Rome. A noted writer on Roman History, Guglielmo Ferrero, himself an Italian, in praising our form of Government says," This superiority-never forget it-you owe to Rome; for it's possession be grateful to the city that has encircled you with such glory, by infusing so tenacious a life into the Republic." The title "Parents Patriae"-Father of His Country, a most respectful term analogues to that unofficially conferred on our George Washington, which in itself was first held by Cicero and some Roman Emperors after that. Another American author, Earle Kezartee Stanton say," Whatever may have been Caesar's weakness, and they were many, his greatness after some 2000 yrs. remains unquestioned, and if, as has been said, these United States of America constitute the legitimate and logical successor of the great Roman Republic, we can then honor him as one of our own civic progenitors." I myself could almost write a book on everything I have found that we inherited from Rome in one form or another. Our countries even named after an Italian. Unfortunately, however, modern Italy has seen more governments then years since World War Two. They are already nowhere near being able to handle the amount of ancient coins and artifacts they already posses as it is well known that their museums have massive amounts of documented created goods that have not seen the light of day for a hundred years. Others artifatcs are deteriorating and falling apart in their museum storage rooms. This I know as a fact from Roman archeologist I have met that have seem them degenerate over the years. Magnificent painted pottery used to catch rain water in a storage room as the paint falls off. Country's like Italy already have their own laws to deal with the ancient coin and antiquity market. If the US allows Italy these import restrictions, the precedent will be set and every other former Greek or Roman modern country will eventually follow suit. The next evolution of things will eventually cover medieval, renaissance, and just about anything else of any historical value. I have taken my collection of ancient coins showing the portraits of the Romans to schools that were studying ancine history. The students get to hold these coins actually made by Julius Caesar, Mark Antony etc. This will be the only time in most of these kids life that they will be able to actually hold these. Even if they ever did make it to a Museum that had a small part of their collection displayed, they would not be able to hold them or study the reverse for it's propaganda meeting. Houston, with it's population of four million does not even have a Museum with ancient coins like this. The individual collector like myself will be the only one paying the price it antiquity protection laws start. If I buy an Etruscan oil lamp from Germany, will it be seized by US customs as these were early Italians? the Italian-US import restrictions will end up a bottomless pit making criminals of some of the most law abiding citizens who are to a great degree, academicians, intellectuals and bibliomaniacs from those I have had the pleasure to meet. It's ironic that those of us who really know the meanings of our classical heritage (Government, Law, Architecture, Religion, Calendar, Language, Alphabet, many customs still followed today) in our every day life and know that we have inherited it directly from the Romans should be barred from sharing in it's legacy and owning a small piece of it. Please, please vote NO to the US Government imposing import restrictions. Also try and picture for a moment, what our own Museums would look like if this law would have been imposed on us 200 years ago. Everything in them would be subject to this law for the last two hundred years. The cream is already gone. I just hope for the crumbs.

Sincerely,
Terry Nix.

 

 

 

For comments are remarks concerning any of the above, you can email me at legate@legionten.org.