- We’re watching the original ‘Alien’ from ‘79 with our teen - gotta see the classics - and suddenly my husband goes, “wait wait, go back!! Did that just say ‘Fly Agaric??’ The Latin Name for the psychedelic mushroom Amanita Muscaria
- Publilius Syrus (Wikipedia)
Publilius Syrus (fl. 85–43 BC), was a Latin writer, best known for his sententiae. He was a Syrian from Antioch who was brought as a slave to Roman Italy. Syrus was brought to Rome on the same ship that brought a certain Manilius, astronomer - not the famous Manilius of the 1st century AD (see Pliny, NH X, 4-5), and Staberius Eros the grammarian. By his wit and talent, Syrus won the favour of his master, who granted him manumission and educated him. He became a member of the Publilia gens. Publilius’ name, due to the palatalization of ’l’ between two ‘i’s in the Early Middle Ages, is often presented by manuscripts (and some printed editions) in corrupt form as ‘Publius’, Publius being a very common Roman praenomen.
