# Luxuria



## shannenms

I don't know if it is a good place to ask this question or not? However, when I was reading Caesaris Commentarii de Bello Gallico, I came across a sentence which said that merchants transport some stuffs which effiminate the mind...I want to know whether this account has been recounted by some other classical writers, and how these things are (perfume, or something aromatic).
Any help would be appreciated.


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## wonderment

It's a common enough literary topos in Latin literature: the 'luxuria' of the East as a threat to the moral fiber of the traditional Roman farmer/soldier. I can't think of any specific passages at the moment, but you should be able to find passages if you do a search for the specific vocabulary that you're interested in. The link for this is: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform. In addition to giving you an extensive definition of the word, the lexicon will also cite relevant passages from extant classical texts. Try also their "Look up" tool; enter a word or phrase and it will locate all the relevant Greek and Roman material. The site can be painfully slow, but it's really helpful when it works. 

The Romans had a rather uneasy attitude toward the Greeks, not always worshipful. They also portrayed the Greek East as luxury loving, debauched, morally corrupting, etc...not unlike Herodotus's representation of the Persians vis-a-vis the Greeks.


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## shannenms

wonderment said:


> It's a common enough literary topos in Latin literature: the 'luxuria' of the East as a threat to the moral fiber of the traditional Roman farmer/soldier. I can't think of any specific passages at the moment, but you should be able to find passages if you do a search for the specific vocabulary that you're interested in. The link for this is: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform. In addition to giving you an extensive definition of the word, the lexicon will also cite relevant passages from extant classical texts. Try also their "Look up" tool; enter a word or phrase and it will locate all the relevant Greek and Roman material. The site can be painfully slow, but it's really helpful when it works.
> 
> The Romans had a rather uneasy attitude toward the Greeks, not always worshipful. They also portrayed the Greek East as luxury loving, debauched, morally corrupting, etc...not unlike Herodotus's representation of the Persians vis-a-vis the Greeks.


 
Thanks for your reply. Perseus is slow for you but so slow for me that I want to bang my head...I wish there had been other sources.


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## Cagey

If you have a copy of the Lewis and Short Dictionary, or any other large Latin dictionary?  If you trace out the sources of the citations under "luxuria" (and related words) you will find passages in which ancient literature on the subject.


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## shannenms

Cagey said:


> If you have a copy of the Lewis and Short Dictionary, or any other large Latin dictionary? If you trace out the sources of the citations under "luxuria" (and related words) you will find passages in which ancient literature on the subject.


 
Yes I do. I have Oxford Latin Dictionary 1968, but it doesn't have what I am looking for.


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## Anne345

shannenms said:


> I don't know if it is a good place to ask this question or not? However, when I was reading Caesaris Commentarii de Bello Gallico, I came across a sentence which said that merchants transport some stuffs which effiminate the mind...I want to know whether this account has been recounted by some other classical writers, and how these things are (perfume, or something aromatic).
> Any help would be appreciated.


 
look for : *amatorium medicamentum *


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## shannenms

Anne345 said:


> look for : *amatorium medicamentum *


How is it related to the stuffs transported to Gallia?


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