Viggen

also an interesting comparison is Military Expenditures per capita 1. Israel $1466.51 per person 2. Singapore $969.92 per person 3. United States $953.01 per person 4. Brunei $920.69 per person 5. New Caledonia $912.24 per person 6. Kuwait $901.12 per person 7. Qatar $884.88 per person 8. Oman $863.51 per person 9. Bahrain $788.62 per person 10. France $772.67 per person Military Expenditures per $ GDP 1. Korea, North $234.38 per $1.00E+03 2. Oman $108.21 per $1.00E+03 3. Israel $76.40 per $1.00E+03 4. Saudi Arabia $68.05 per $1.00E+03 5. New Caledonia $64.1 per $1.00E+03 6. Kuwait $53.38 per $1.00E+03 7. Bahrain $53.09 per $1.00E+03 8. Brunei $50.72 per $1.00E+03 9. Qatar $45.44 per $1.00E+03 10. Mali $42.93 per $1.00E+03 Military: Expenditures Total spend 1. United States $276.7 billion (FY99 est.) 2. China $55.91 billion (FY02) 3. France $46.5 billion (2000) 4. Japan $39.52 billion (FY02) 5. Germany $38.8 billion (2002) 6. United Kingdom $31.7 billion (2002) 7. Italy $20.2 billion (2002) 8. Saudi Arabia $18.3 billion (FY00) 9. Brazil $13.408 billion (FY99) 10. Korea, South $13,094.3 million (FY02) bit outdated but nevertheless a guestimate via http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/mil_ex...exp_dol_fig_cap

It has been described as the world

Archaeologists are investigating a 2200-year-old mystery surrounding one of Scotland's rare Iron Age clifftop forts. Excavations have revealed that the unusual fortification, 100ft up a cliff on the Galloway coast, was suddenly and inexplicably abandoned by the Novantae, an early Scottish people. full article at The Herald

If you'd like to stay up to date on what is happening in the world of Roman Archaeology, the on going development of UNRV Roman History, Specials or interesting discussions at our Forum, sign up today! This is especially convenient for people that can't check in regulary, but would like to stay in touch what is happening or when we run a special or a give away... It is of course completely opt in opt out, meaning you can unsubscribe at any time, your details won't be given to third parties and only used for the purpose of this newsletter. regards viggen

In the shadow of a crumbling mansion, a team of archaeologists have made one of the most exciting discoveries of a 10-year dig. It may only be a small fragment of marbled pottery from northern Italy, dated around 1600 to 1650, but it is the only piece of its kind found in Scotland and is one of only three ever to be found in Britain. full article at The Herald

Thanks Ursus for sharing, seems like an enjoyable book!

Here are all the books we listed in the fourth week of July; Hadrian : The Restless Emperor by Anthony R. Birley Roman Painting by Roger Ling Ancient Mosaics by Roger Ling Septimius Severus by Anthony Birley The Year of the Four Emperors by Kenneth Wellesley, Barbara Levick Theodosius - The Empire at Bay by Stephen Williams, Gerard Friell Roman Builders : A Study in Architectural Process by Rabun Taylor feel free to comment or discuss any of those books listed above, has anyone read one of those already? cheers viggen

Interesting article about the ancient olympic games. The first recorded incident of actual cheating occurred in 388 B.C., when the boxer Eupolus of Thessaly bribed three opponents to take a dive. Olympic corruption peaked under Roman influence; in A.D. 67, emperor Nero bribed the judges to include poetry reading as an event. They also declared him the chariot champion, overlooking that he fell out and never finished the race. Others were induced to swap allegiance, often at the risk of exile from their homelands. The city-state of Syracuse was as notorious as New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in its quest for free agents that would bring religious favor and glory. When Syracuse induced sprint champion Astylos to quit Kroton in southern Italy, fans in his hometown tore down his statue and turned his house into a prison. It seems we haven't changed all that much since then! full article at Starbanner.com

An archaeological dig in Allendale County might cast new light on when humans arrived on this continent. Many archeologists say humans first arrived as few as 13,000 years ago when migrants crossed the Bering Strait during the Ice Age into modern-day Alaska but were unable to move further south because of ice sheets covering what is now Canada. A strip of charcoal-like soil found below a patch of land on the Savannah River could mean North Americans were here as long as 25,000 years ago, researchers say. full article at Myrtle Beach Online

Next year will see the stage's version of the 1975 movie 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' when 'Spamalot' comes to Broadway on February 7th. The play, to be directed by Mike Nichols, is being billed as 'the musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture'. The three actors who will play the leads were announced last Wednesday. Tim Curry has been cast as King Arthur, the role played by Graham Chapman in the film. David Hyde Pierce is slated to play the Eric Idle role of Sir Robin Curry; and Hank Azaria is Sir Lancelot, originally portrayed by John Cleese. Eric Idle wrote the book for the new musical and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music and lyrics. Du Prez's musical credits include the score for the movie 'A Fish Called Wanda'. more info at Playbill

Sounds interesting, i hope you will keep us up to date. cheers viggen

Among the rare archaeological finds discovered under the Central Manezh Exhibition Hall in central Moscow is a seal with a serpent-headed Medusa depicted on one side and a unicorn on the other, which experts believe was used to mark traded inventory. The seal is just one of more than 3,000 artifacts found by archaeologists in four months of excavation underneath the Manezh, which was partially destroyed by fire in March. full artricle at The Moscow Times

The small village of Hurrarte lies stranded in the middle of the Syrian desert. It is here that a few years ago a Polish excavation team unearthed a cave from underneath a Byzantine church. Its walls were covered with paintings dating to the Roman period - paintings such as a god cutting the throat of a bull, monsters being defeated by a beam of light and lions protecting the entrance. These paintings appear to validate the theory that the cult of the god Mithrae existed in the Syrian desert. full article at the Daily Star

LOL, Crag i guess thats sums it up! cheers viggen

Wine snobs might shudder at the thought, but the first wine-tasting may have occurred when Paleolithic humans slurped the juice of naturally fermented wild grapes from animal-skin pouches or crude wooden bowls. The idea of winemaking may have occurred to our alert and resourceful ancestors when they observed birds gorging themselves silly on fermented fruit and decided to see what the buzz was all about. full article at National Geographic

A further five silver Iceni coins have been found by a Fincham metal detecting enthusiast a Lynn inquest heard on Thursday. The coins were unearthed in West Norfolk at the end of April by Charles Sproule, of Midway Villa, Fincham, and were declared treasure trove by coroner Bill Knowles last week. They were imprinted with horses on one side and one had a basic face on the reverse. full article at Lynn News

Some say romanian is the closest surviving language to latin, actually strange that surrounded by slavic languages this languages survived all those years... cheers viggen

Here is a photo from a sewage hole in the kitchen of a house (in Noreia, Noricum) cheers viggen

Archaeologists working in the Kursk region, 500 km south off Moscow, have found a relic of prehistoric art carved from mammoth

Roman experts believe a bust of a goddess found at Groundwell Ridge is of national importance. On first examination, archaeologists believed the lead bust might be that of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, or Luna, the goddess of the moon. Now, two experts in Roman iconography, Anthony Beeson and Dr Patricia Witts, say that the deity does not portray Minerva or Luna, but the Egyptian goddess of the Earth, Isis. full article at the Evening Advertiser

Hello Ursus, I found some info at wikipedia about the Bellamy Salute http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute and here is more info on that Celebration of Columbus Day day were it was first used http://historymatters.gmu.edu/search.php?f...n=print&id=5762 hope that helps cheers viggen

Maybe some googling will do the trick http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...of+transylvania

Here is some background info about Lucius Artorius Castus http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/1/halac.htm cheers viggen

The first marathon - a gruelling run by a battlefield messenger from the plains of Marathon to Athens - may have occurred in August heat instead of the comparative cool of September in Greece, astronomers reported on Monday. This finding would offer one explanation for the fabled quick demise of the original marathon runner, Pheidippides, who allegedly managed to gasp out the words, "Rejoice, we conquer," before dropping down dead on his arrival at Athens in 490BC. Many accounts date the battle of Marathon, against invading Persians, at September 12 of that year, based on calculations made by 19th century German scholar August Boeckh. full article at IOL

It emerged last week that a series of unexpected finds had been made at the Faverdale East business park, in Darlington, on land earmarked for an Argos distribution centre. The "high status" Roman and Iron Age pottery suggested there had been a previously unknown military presence in the area. The artefacts stunned archaeologists, who believed there were no major Roman military links to Darlington, despite the rest of the North-East having an abundance of them. full article at The North East