It may be hard to believe, but we may have the answer to this question, although the ingredients are exotic enough I can't imagine what it smelled like. A Discovery Channel article, Ancient Etruscan Ointment Discovered in Italy, explains ingredients found in an almost intact Etruscan ointment from the second century B.C. The article says the team that used chemical analysis to ID the original compounds of the ancient ointment reported their findings in the July issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. One of the ingredients is probably moringa oil, which Pliny calls a regal perfume. Other ingredients in the ointment are pine resin and mastic. The ointment was probably imported from Egypt.

Augustus Caesar (Octavian) established July 12 as the date of the official birthday of Julius Caesar, but July 13 is also counted as the date of Caesar's birth. Augustus, who dedicated a temple to the deified Julius (29 B.C.), actually knew the man, so Dorothy King has a point when she writes that if it's good enough for Augustus, it's good enough for her. However, the day of Caesar's birth is not the only part of the Caesar birthday celebration in question. Caesar was born in mid-July in the year 100 B.C. Or was it 101? Or 102? The problem with 100 B.C. is that special dispensations would have had to have been given to allow him to run for various offices if his birth year was 101 or 100. Such permissions had been given before, but evidence about it is missing in Caesar's case. If you're interested in this topic, here's an old article that explains why there is lack of agreement on the topic:

"The Year of Caesar's Birth," by Monroe E. Deutsch. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 45, (1914), pp. 17-28.

For more on how Augustus honored his adoptive father, see

"Julius Caesar in Augustan Rome," by Peter White. Phoenix, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Winter, 1988), pp. 334-356.

When do you think Julius Caesar was born and why?

On July 15, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens in movie theaters. To help all HP fans get in the mood, here's my list of the Latin spells used in it: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Latin Spells and Charms.

You may also wish to see About.com's movie Guide's photos of Harry et al.: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Movie Photo Gallery

Update: 07/11/09: I received the following email about one of the spells. What do you think?

I have read your article on the spells in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

And I have a possible origin for you.

Alohomora - Hawaiian "aloha" meaning "goodbye" and Latin "mora" meaning "obstacle".

Hope that helps.

On this day in ancient Rome, in A.D. 138, the third of the 5 so-called good emperors, Hadrian, died. The name of Hadrian is familiar for the wall he built and places named for him, with or without the initial "H". Hadrian was followed by Antoninus Pius, who had Hadrian deified. Just as his deification was pushed, so his accession may have been. It is claimed Trajan, his adoptive father, had not wanted Hadrian to succeed him, but was thwarted by his wife, Plotina, who covered up her husband's death until she could make sure of Hadrian's acceptance by the senate.

More on Hadrian.

Hadrian photo © Clipart.com