Ludovicus

There are probably more reliable and better detailed references to Roman emperors' same sex preferences and activities than Wiki.

"Elagabalus' sexual orientation and gender identity are the source of much controversy and debate. Elagabalus married and divorced five women,[30] three of whom are known. His first wife was Julia Cornelia Paula;[29] the second was the Vestal Virgin Julia Aquilia Severa,[29] but within a year, he abandoned her and married Annia Faustina,[29] a descendant of Marcus Aurelius and the widow of a man recently executed by Elagabalus. He had returned to Severa by the end of the year,[30] but according to Cassius Dio, his most stable relationship seems to have been with his chariot driver, a blond slave from Caria named Hierocles, whom he referred to as his husband.[23] The Augustan History claims that he also married a man named Zoticus, an athlete from Smyrna, in a public ceremony at Rome.[26]" From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus The Wiki footnotes cites the Historia Augusta http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roma...balus/1*.html#4

When it comes time to elect the next US president in 2008, will the citizens of my country be fully confident that their vote will count? Many of us wonder here. In 2000, gross irregularities in the state of Florida resulted in widespread voter distrust, especially in the African American community where many thousands of voters were purged from the rolls. There were many instances of voting machine problems: errors, confusing layouts of ballots, and inconclusive tallies. Co-chairperson of the Florida Bush Campaign, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, certified the very controversial elections results. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...752C1A9669C8B63 In 2004, in Ohio: _Perhaps the most visible of Ohio's problems were its long lines. Christopher McQuoid reached his polling place in Columbus at 4:30 p.m., congratulating himself for beating the after-work rush. By 7:30, he was getting impatient. And when he finally voted at 9:30, there were 150 people in line behind him._ "I was lucky," said Mr. McQuoid, a radio announcer. "I had the day off." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/24/national/24vote.html

My apologies. I see that "Gay Roman Emperor" is a title that Bloomberg concocted, and not you, Viggen.

Why the title "Gay Roman Emperor" in this post? The Romans didn't divide their sexual world into gay and heterosexual. Hadrian wasn't the first emperor to bed men. The term "gay" would have made no sense to a Roman.

There is a book on the near best seller list in the US "World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. From the Amazon.com site: "Teasing out the consequences of a simple thought experiment—what would happen if the human species were suddenly extinguished—Weisman has written a sort of pop-science ghost story, in which the whole earth is the haunted house. Among the highlights: with pumps not working, the New York City subways would fill with water within days, while weeds and then trees would retake the buckled streets and wild predators would ravage the domesticated dogs. Texas’s unattended petrochemical complexes might ignite, scattering hydrogen cyanide to the winds—a "mini chemical nuclear winter." After thousands of years, the Chunnel, rubber tires, and more than a billion tons of plastic might remain, but eventually a polymer-eating microbe could evolve, and, with the spectacular return of fish and bird populations, the earth might revert to Eden." If you're interested in what happens to built structures that are suddenly abandoned, you may find the book (with no religious or environmentallist ax to grind) an interesting read.

Thomas Cahill has authored some very interesting books on Western Civilization in his "Hinges of History" series. If you can hear podcasts on your computer, try this link to the Moyers interview with Cahill that G. Octavius cites: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12282007/profile.html

Fortuna dies natalis, Docoflove!

Yes, what I also like about the site is the number of pre 1200 AD buildings they feature. One recent addition was a reconstruction of the column of Justinian, a monument I had never heard of before. Why don't you email the authors of the site to see if they have a CD version of Byzantium 1200 for sale. Otherwise, with a good internet browser you could download the entire site for viewing offline and for storing on your computer.

Wasn't it during the Gothic War (535-554 AD) that the ancient City was dealt another deadly blow? Up to that time many civic buildings were still in use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rome#_note-0 "The continual war around Rome in the 530s and 540s left it in a state of total disrepair

http://www.byzantium1200.com/introduction.html The above site, with many beautiful reconstructions of Constantinople, has been updated. Click on "What's New."

So, is there any ancient source for how much young male "boy toys" were anything other than "arm candy"? Is there anything to suggest that they WERE just "show"? Interesting question. Certainly a Roman "paterfamilias" or head of household had every legal right to have his way with anyone in the household. I imagine that a Roman father with money would shop for "boy toys" and/or "girl toys" to share or not share with the Mrs. Nothing could have stopped him.

"The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says. Italian archaeologists last month unveiled an underground grotto that they believe ancient Romans revered as the place where a wolf nursed Rome's legendary founder Romulus and his twin brother Remus. A few feet from the grotto, or "Lupercale," the Emperor Constantine built the Basilica of St. Anastasia, where some believe Christmas was first celebrated on Dec. 25." http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hvFJE-R...RXSKeQD8TMMAJG0

I think historical accuracy is only an issue when it's widely known or understood history. Why change the history for entertainment purposes, when the actual history is equally entertaining as the fiction. Amen! "Gladiator" was a fine picture with many innovative angles on the lives of the provincial non-Romans and on the struggle to reinstate the Republic. Also the acting was very convincing. Nonetheless, I regret that the script writer, on a large scale, rewrote the history of the reign of Marcus Aurelius and successor Commodus. Why couldn't Hollywood have just invented a fictitious cast of Roman characters instead of butchering history? For more on the historical deviations of "Gladiator." : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_(20...ical_deviations

I tend to agree with the idea that there were large communities of immigrants from other parts of the Empire living in Rome. Just look at the list of popes from the beginning to the 9th century. You'll find several non Romans, including Syrians. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes Even after the demise of the West Roman Empire, immigrants flooded into Rome. Many arrived as refugees from once Roman provinces now ruled by Arab and other conquerors.

Yes, "boundries" is a an important word here, and without a doubt, the lack of resolution inflames reaction on the Palestinian side. Unless Israeli illegal settlements are withdraw, any new Palestinian state would look like Swiss cheese, full of holes. The other alternative is to have these settlements in the West Bank be incorporated into Palestine.

"A long-missing Michelangelo sketch for the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, possibly his last design before his death, has been discovered in the basilica's offices, the Vatican newspaper said Thursday." http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8...;show_article=1

I think the use of collective punishment is certainly one of the most alarming features of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Some have noted similarities between apartheid South Africa and Israeli treatment of Palestinians. Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu recently has joined the discussion, from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0...,706911,00.html

There is no "Israeli lobby" in the US Congress. There is, tho, a very powerful pro-Israeli lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It's membership is composed of US citizens of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. http://www.aipac.org/ From the Washington Report on the Middle East: "A forthcoming edition of Fortune magazine ranks the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as the second most powerful interest group in Washington...The pro-Israel lobby, which the magazine called 'calculatedly quiet,' has for years been successful in encouraging members of Congress and the administration to support U.S. foreign aid to Israel and other issues related to the U.S.-Israel relationship."—Daniel Kurtzman, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 1997. http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0198/9801065.htm

http://www.viaeromanae.org/

From Wikipedia, Roman roads outside Italy and UK with names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_roads#Bulgaria Check out the references and dig, dig, dig.

Ordnance Survey is Great Britain's national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and individuals. They publish "Historical Map & Guide to Roman Britain" which indicates all the Roman roads in the UK, tho without names. Why not contact similar services in the countries of the former Roman Empire. Someone on staff may be able to give you a list of the names of Roman roads there or point you to a lover of the subject. How about the Vatican Museums? The Roman road system was an important factor in Christianity's spread. Perhaps you can find the names of the roads which the apostles & disciples used to evangelize. Why not locate major ancient provincial cities & capitals? All of these were served by the Roman road system. Surely these cities preserve the road names in some catalog or book. Finally, there's someone in the world who's made it his or her fancy to know exactly what you're looking for. Have you looked in Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, etc. Good luck and let us know when your novel is for sale.

The US is overwhelming on the side of Israel. So "America" is not exactly a neutral party in the peace talks. One example is Israel's growing illegal settlements in the West Bank. Since the US is Israel's only ally in the world, why hasn't Washington used its leverage to achieve a halt in these expanding settlements? I"m not entirely pessimistic, tho. Washington must bring more pressure to bear on Israel. Just the opposite has been happening this past six years.

Probably you need to define what propaganda is. It has a negative connotation in English. The ancient world, all over the world, was not concerned at all with our notions of objectivity, however elusive they may be. Rulers and entire peoples felt quite comfortable with the notion that one has the right to self promotion, embellishment of facts, and even naked glorification, all at the expense of truth.

I've felt it in Quebec, whenever I've opened my mouth and my Vermont-accented French comes out. They all stare at me, and from that point on they're talking about me and laughing at me behind my back. The first time I ever remember feeling that way, though, was in Detroit, in the Northland shopping mall. My lilly-white butt had me sticking out like a sore thumb, and I could tell they were just waiting to rape my wife and steal my hubcaps. What an incredible comment. Maybe you need to laugh at yourself for putting these racist thoughts in your mind.