Clio at the crossroads

Abstract

The Romans had a saying: “Nomen est omen.” This axiom, which has come down to us, it seems, from Plautus, is for some inexplicable reason given credence by historical chronologies. Historical chronologies, however, are relative. The boundaries of centuries and decades and of one’s understanding of “the beginning of a century” or “the end of a century” are defined by the accepted point of evaluation, as if it were entirely external to the historical events themselves.