The Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Latin: “Deeds of the divine Augustus”) is a funerary inscription detailing the life and achievements of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. The original inscription, which has not survived, was engraved upon a pair of bronze pillars which were placed in front of Augustus' mausoleum. Various copies of the text were found throughout the Roman Empire, the most notable being a nearly full copy, written in both Greek and Latin, found preserved on a temple dedicated to Augustus in Ankara, Turkey. Most historians have concluded that Augustus wrote several versions during his life and kept updating them until the final version which is usually dated to the same year as Augustus' death in 14 AD.
As a source, the "Res Gestae" is not fully accurate. Whilst not lying, he doesn't mention some things that he did like the proscriptions of his enemies. He refers to his rival Marc Antony as 'a faction'. The inscription says much about the money he spent on the people, Rome and the empire. It also says frequently that he has "restored the republic" and only gains his titles because of the universal support from the people and, most importantly, the Senate.
The "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" is grouped into four sections:
Potassium fluoride
Potassium fluoride is a chemical compound. Its chemical formula is KF. It contains potassium and fluoride ions.
Potassium fluoride is a colorless crystalline solid. It rarely occurs in the ground. It dissolves easily in water. It can react with glass. Hydrofluoric acid is more effective at reacting with glass, though. It has to be stored in plastic or platinum containers.
Potassium fluoride is made by reacting potassium carbonate with hydrofluoric acid. This reaction can make potassium bifluoride. Potassium bifluoride is a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and potassium fluoride.
It is used because of its fluoride ion. It can be used to add fluoride ions to some chemical compounds.
Potassium fluoride is somewhat toxic. It is corrosive to glass. It can burn when spilled on skin.
Goy
Goy is a word used in the Jewish Bible for “Nation”. In the Roman times, it also began to mean “non-Jew”.
It is used for referring to non-Jewish groups of people. If it is used for multiple groups or nations, the plural word Goyim is used instead.
Sodium permanganate
Sodium permanganate is a chemical compound. Its chemical formula is NaMnO. It contains sodium and permanganate ions.
It is a purple-black crystalline solid. It can dissolve in water to make a bright pink solution. It dissolves in water more than potassium permanganate. It is more expensive than potassium permanganate. It also absorbs water from the air. It is a strong oxidizing agent.
It cannot be made in the way that potassium permanganate is made because sodium manganate is not made. It can be made by reacting pure manganese(IV) oxide with sodium hypochlorite. It can also be made by reacting potassium permanganate with certain sodium compounds.
It can be used to make circuit boards.
Permanganates are toxic. They are also strong oxidizing agents and should be kept away from things that can burn.
Manganate
Manganate normally means the MnO ion. It is a bright green ion. It is made during the making of permanganates. It is a weak reducing agent and moderate oxidizing agent. They are similar to the sulfate (SO) and chromate (CrO) ions. Potassium manganate is an example.
Battle of the Catalaunian Plains
The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (also called the "Battle of Châlons-sur-Marne" or "Battle of Châlons") was a battle in 451 AD. It took place in Châlons-sur-Marne, in northeast Gaul (nowadays France). Roman legions commanded by Flavius Aetius allied with Visigoth soldiers led by Theodoric I, to defeat the armies of Attila the Hun.
Attila's armies consisted mainly of horsemen. The battle ended as a stalemate - and thus a victory for the West, the Huns having suffered too many losses to continue their attack. The battle of the Catalaunian Plains crushed Attila's dreams of invading the Roman empire, and ultimately was the end of his empire in Europe. But the battle also weakened the already fragile Western Roman Empire, which collapsed 25 years later, in 476.
Greek fire
Invented by Byzantines, Greek fire was a fearsome weapon. It had the ability to keep burning while on water. As such, it was often used in naval battles. The creation of it was a closely guarded secret and has now been lost.
The term "Greek fire" is normally used in English. However, most other languages use other terms such as "sea fire" (Greek: πῦρ θαλάσσιον), "Roman fire" (πῦρ ῥωμαϊκόν), "war fire" (πολεμικὸν πῦρ), "liquid fire" (ὑγρὸν πῦρ), or "processed fire" (πῦρ σκευαστόν).
Siphonophore
The Siphonophores are an order of cnidarian invertebrates in the class Hydrozoa. The Portuguese man o' war is an example.
A siphonophore is not a single animal. It is a colony of four kinds of zooids. Zooids are very small, highly modified individuals. All the zooids in a colony are genetically identical. These zooids are specialized polyps and medusoids.
Though structurally similar to other cnidarians, the zooids do not live by themselves: they are attached to each other. Each type of zooid is not self-sufficient. It depends for survival on the others doing what it cannot do by itself.
So close do the zooids fit together that the colony looks like a single individual. It was a triumph of 19th century biology to discover the real nature of the siphonophores.
Potassium manganate
Potassium manganate is a chemical compound. Its chemical formula is KMnO. It contains potassium and manganate ions.
Potassium manganate is a green solid. It can disproportionate into potassium permanganate and manganese(IV) oxide. This happens in acidic pH. This reaction, because of its color change, is known as a "chemical chameleon".
It is made by reacting manganese(IV) oxide with very hot potassium hydroxide. Sometimes oxygen or potassium nitrate is used as the oxidizing agent. This makes potassium manganate. Normally the potassium manganate is converted to potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate is more common. Potassium iodide can reduce potassium permanganate to potassium manganate. It can also be made by reacting hot potassium permanganate with potassium hydroxide. This makes oxygen and potassium manganate.
Potassium manganate does not have many uses. It is mainly made when potassium permanganate is made.
Potassium manganate is a moderate oxidizing agent. When it is reduced, it can made black or brown stains on glass, clothing, or skin.
Sodium manganate
Sodium manganate is a chemical compound. Its chemical formula is NaMnO. It contains sodium and manganate ions. It is a bright green solid. It cannot be made by reacting manganese dioxide with sodium hydroxide, like potassium manganate is made. It is made by reacting hot sodium hydroxide with sodium permanganate. This releases oxygen and makes sodium manganate. It is more expensive than potassium manganate because it is harder to make.
Hypomanganate
Hypomanganate is an ion. Its chemical formula is MnO. It is bright blue. It disproportionates into manganates and manganese(IV) oxide easily. This can be stopped by adding a lot of a base. They are both reducing agents and oxidizing agents. They are made by reducing manganates with sulfites and hydrogen peroxide.
Potassium hypomanganate
Potassium hypomanganate is a chemical compound. It contains potassium and hypomanganate ions. It is a bright blue solid. It is unstable and rare. It can be made several ways: reduction of potassium permanganate with potassium sulfite; reduction of potassium manganate with hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide; and disproportionation when manganese dioxide is dissolved in potassium hydroxide. It disproportionates into potassium manganate and manganese dioxide easily. Only a strong base can stop it from disproportionation.
Potassium sulfite