Neos Dionysos

And what about Washington, Jackson, and Teddy Roosevelt?

Same goes for McCain, both candidates are too far from the main area that thier respective parties are. Clark is not liberal enough... and McCain not conservative enough.

Can you give us a source on this Moonlapse ? Agreed... I don't even see that city/town on any map either...

So wait, Pertinax, is this a book? Or a program run on a PC, because it seems more like a PC program but the author (the "by" part), throws me off and has me thinking this is a book.

Is there any reference to other Romans or high officials who know of thier extensive use of honey, and with the longevity that they too attempted to acquire the same by devouring as much as they could in imitation? I know you said it was bitter, but to point it becomes decent and acceptable once you train yourself to eat it, so is there any reference to anyone outside the island who tried this as a way to live longer?

I'd say more of "Pithy Phrase" is his type... (in good humor of course...) Personally... hmmm... A little of 'Philospher', a little of 'Eagle Scout'... but I think I also fit in with 'Big Cat'. At least how I feel anyway...

btw. did you know that the casual greeting form in austria is "servus (latin.slave, probably the original meaning to be your servant or something along those lines") and it is not like we use it just sometimes, no we use it all the time... it is the austrian way of saying hello! cheers viggen Just goes to show you how much we took from them in our development into our current societies. An example off the top of my head: Impede is a Latine word we use... but then the exact opposite, expede, fell out of disuse...

I will, I'd like to think my knowledge of Classical, (but especially Hellenistic), history is quite sound, though not 100% thorough. Should I just start off, or do you wish to suggest a starting point?

The other night, I had the prvilige to hear a speech by General Wesley Clark, and then meet and speak with him. His speech, focusing on the Balkans and part of the overral series of speechs at my school concerning the issue of "Do we really care about human rights?" was an amazing thing. He spoke of the past relevancy, his personal experiences in and out of the military and washington and then went on to answer questions very detailed and thoroughly ranging from his speech, to Iraq, Iran, China and other major matters in US policy today. Hearing him speak, knowing his ideals and aspirations and then hearing his impressive record, I can't help but just remember during 03, how I had hoped he had won the Democratic Candidacy, and perhaps, part of me wishes he would have run independant...

p. 134 Although Williamson does exhibit both sides of the coin (ie. the non-lietralist interpretation as well as Gibbon's 100 million assertion), he is obviously not in a posiiton to provide his own view as he is the translator, and is not providing an exegesis of the text. Would anyone here have more information on this issue? Is Gibbon's assertion pretty close to the mark? Far-fetched? I have the 3 volume series on Byzantium by Norwich (buried somewhere in the midst of my other books... long story) but I don't remember reading anything about it. Again, apologies if this post should not have been included within this thread. Indeed, I too have not seen that in any of Norwich's books nor any thus far in Treadgolds. I do remember hearing of Justiinians' persecutions of (again I cannot remember exactly which), certain sects of Christianity. What I do know, is that his reconquest of Italy did more damange to the land, administration and infrastructure than anything the Goths had done and he can be blamed for destroying the old Roman system there by his reconquest. Also known is that Justinian had no trouble recruiting for the army, this is shown in other texts by Pat Southern suggesting that the overral treatment of the people, the taxations, thier daily life must have been pretty decent if not good to facilitate them voluntarrily joining the ranks of the army to go off on campaign, something that eariler emperors had to force people to do an/or hire barbarians to do.

Pure invention. There was a Primagenia legion - raised by Gaius (Caligula). There's a lot of invention in Iggulden's books. Strange when there's so much more interesting, factual information on the period he chose to write about. Yes, the 15th, but it did not mean 'First Bornes", it was named that after the goddess Fortuna since that was one of her names...

Neopolis?

God... that's one nice tree there... It just goes to show you how our modern view of the world is changing the way we have lived for thousands of years before... who knows, maybe this very view is what will destroy us in the end.

I thought Harran was the closest city to the site? Indeed, read my reply again. Haran is closest followed probably by Edessa (Urfa). Wow... shows how blind I am... sorry. When you spoke of seeing on a coin the eagle that was returned as the 10th's... did this not conflict with the other 10th legion that we know of as being the infamous one with Caesar, (I know they were not the same), or also coming into conflict with the idea of the consular legion numbers I - VII? Another one too... was the eagle the one that was recovered, or was it being held by those who recovered it? I would think they would not want to publicize which were lost, but honor and show whom returned them.

There's a much simpler solution--simply require job applicants to take the GRE. Nice idea in theory. I know numerous individuals in my civilian profession and Phds in related fields who I worked with who'd score extremely high on a GRE--and a lot of them are friggin' worthless. I've found that academic intelligence has little to do with drive, common sense, managerial skills, etc. I'd use it as a baseline only but never without a serious interview with the individual, there are a lot of educated idiots out there. Yep, there sure are a lot of educated idiots out there. Even more uneducated idiots though. So, if you're playing the odds--go with education. Also, personal interviews aren't better predictors of job performance than test scores (not that you said that)--in fact, they're often worse than no interviews at all because they're weighted so highly by the interviewer (who mystically *knows* how good a candidate is) that the interviewer ignores/discounts the test scores. Personal interviews are also notoriously racist, sexist, classist, and all the other bad -ists, which is one reason universities dropped the damned things years ago. So in other words there seems to be no sure way to address what a 'good' applicant is? Since Test Scores have problems, interviews do as well... and degrees don't mean a damn half the time. Hey, here's a solution, make people write a thesis paper 10 pages long... (I'm being half-serious) I ain't touching that...

I thought Harran was the closest city to the site? We have around 3 topics I think on this subject...

"Destiny" is a load of mystical BS; so, yes, you might as well argue that fishing was Gaius' "destiny" and Augustus stupidly stood in the way of Gaius fulfilling his birth-right--catching a really big bass. Destiny, (if you believe all that), is one's pre-determined fate. So Gaius NOT becoming someone great, or Drusus dying at a young age or Germanicus the same fate was thier DESTINY as ordained for them, so you cannot argue that it was somone's destiny to become great, if they did not then what they ended up becoming was thier destiny, you can argue they had a good chance to fulfill an expected place in the world... being who they were and of what blood... but to say he would have become something great due to destiny does not fly by using the definition alone.

Either that, or if they really want to enshrine the quasi-socialist ideals they encourage in others, they can agree to live on a much lower standing of living (i.e., no unecessary comforts). Then tuition could be reduced and more students could afford university. And maybe I could get a refund on the money I already shelled in. Hahahaha! Keep dreaming there Ursus, they suck you for all the money that you are worth so you end up paying off loans until you are in your 40's-50's. Besides... I think the countries only monopoly left is 'Follets' books. You buy a book, ANY book from them for like about $55, and then they buy it back for only $8, but will turn around and sell it back for $55 and will not even buy back $100 textbooks because a new, 13th edition will be out, the only change from the last being some grammer corrections... I think the point Ursus was making was simply that the basic college degree has replaced the diploma as proof of generic literacy and basic skills, not that getting a degree is a waste of time. As you suggest, the degree (once reserved for societal elite) is now nearly a necessity to gain employment for the common masses. Just makes me wonder what is next. I suppose my sons may find it a necessity to gain a graduate degree for even a semblence of security in the most basic of fields. Personally PP, I think we have almost hit that point as it is. I know that getting my BA is a must, but just looking at the estimated salary range is almost nothing, so a Masters is almost a necessity. I just REALLY hope we don't come to a point when Ph.D's are the norm... that would show how bad our educational system has gotten overral...

Techincally, Niceane Chrisitianity, and the later split of Catholicism and Orthodox can say that were saved by Valens because of his perseuctions of them and his timely death shortly after a few years of intense attacks to the point where they almost ceased to exist. Following Adrianople, they could claim divine justice and intervention and this sect of Christianity was able to gather great support and followers and eventually triumph over the other 3 dominant ones during the late 4th century.

I like the competition--keeps everyone sharp, learning, and is a helluva a lot better than the old Old Boys' Club that academia used to be. I hate that crap. Not when someone is so deticated to an idea or theory that when evidence comes to light that completely negates thier work they deny it exisits or destroys it. A perfect example is the British Archeologist who discovered Minoain Linaer A and B... He changed the order in which he found them in order to reinforce his own theory and life's belief rather than admit something is different and he is wrong. For years he was thought to be right... only when after his death they looked through his dig jounrals did they find his horror as he wrote that he found evidence that destroyed his thoery. Though perhaps this is the 'Old Boy's Club' you speak of?

I became intrerested in ancient history and on the Romans mainly because when I was young I thought the army was cool and looked awesome and was so badass. As I got older, I realized the Romans are our forerunners... and to study them is almost a self-examination of ourselves.. More recently, I have found myself drawn to learn as much as I can about certain aspects of the Roman world, particualarly that of the Late Empire, because to me the period has this dark, forboding atmosphere about it, yet at the same time has a romantic feeling to it. Besides, I feel that the best way to honor those who came before us is to learn about them and be able to carry on thier legacy of what they did and said and how they lived. If we just write it down but do not really learn it, we are truely destroying Rome and making her fall forever... be all of us here constantly reading, questioning them, learning about them... we keep the Eternal City truely eternal in our hearts and minds... I think that it should be the personal mission/goal of every person alive to remember and honor those who came before us. As those who did the same for those who came before the Romans or Greeks, so shall we be remembered and honored by those who follow us.

I would also like to add the fact that many Roman Emperors during the late empire prefered to seek out German troops for thier elite units and personal guards, over Roman citizens or provincials. And this was not just in the West, but also the East, an example being that when Julian was called upon by Constantius II to send some of his best German units of Auxilia to the East, he instead offered to send recruits for his gaurd units from Germans settled within the empire, "laeti", and from "dediticii" or German prisoners of war. Julian assumed the East would never be self-sufficent in soldiers of first-rate quality and so he offered to send these units for the rest of his life. The Scholae Palatina, the elite palace horse guards of the late empire were 10 out of 12 officers of German origin and so was the case in other crack units of the late empire and despite the population decline in the west, it was far easier to raise units in the west than the east, because many of the people were considered unsuitable for service or not avaiable for conscription and so more and more units rasied in the west were sent east to fill gaps in the Imperial ranks. It is significant that until Theodosius the East did not have many germanic auxilia and his reorginization rectified this as we would see that some very famous germanic leaders came out from serving under Theodosius, among them Alaric and Stilicho. It is also important to note that just like the west, the eastern army also used the German war cry in battle, something that many felt only exisited in the west and not the east.

Damn... um... I wanna say Aelia Capitolina.

You know, for some reason now, I can't really say Justinian is like Nero without Theodora. There just isn't a Byzantine Nero with out the immense power of Justinian which can be manipulated by the madness of Theodora. I wouldn't say she was mad... she was just one hell of an aggressive b****, who got her way and was able to mainpulate here husband on many occasions... even getting him to turn on his long time friend and confidant Belisarius... later on he kinda broke free of this and relations b/w quickly went to very good and when she passed away the two were agruably as close as brothers because Theodora was not around to drive a wedge into them.