Ursus

I want to know more about Moonlapse's "aggressive, barfing cat."

Caesar died for your sins, Heathen!

A nice piece of research, Nephele! :-)

Iggulden's books are historical fantasy - I guess you didn't read that part of the discussion. Trying to attack them for not being accurate seems like pure intellectual snobbery. No, historical fantasy is setting a fictional character in a historical setting. Taking one of the most well known characters in history and totally rewriting his life and times, outside an alternate universe, is what I call something else entirely. Edit: I perceive you as taking criticism of this book a little personally. No offense meant, but I think you need to calm down and back off before you say something you may regret later.

The only book I've read from the list is Holland's, and I agree he is generally an excellent writer. I've read Cartledge's book on Alexander the Great, and it was a great read ... so his Spartan treatment might be worth reading.

Nor do I. I have no intention of reading any of these books based on this discussion. Unless it is set in an alternate universe where history differs from ours, any defense of it seems pure sophistry.

I don't follow sports .... When I saw the title, I thought something was happening with the Euro currency.

Way to go!

Excellent. Further proof that ordinary people were just as insipid in ancient times as they are now.

I wish my mother had named me something vaguely Greco-Roman, instead of naming me after some Old Testament prophet. *sigh*

I think most of Augustus' territories were profitable in the long term. It was the exapnsions of his successors that seemed mixed at best. And the political-military system seemed adequate enough until the rise of more powerful enemies on the Germanic and Persian frontiers did necessitate a drastic restructuring.

Well, actually, yes, but I honestly don't care enough about the topic to argue the point further.

This topic was split from the "names" thread. I placed it here so the discussion on Nova Roma wouldn't detract from the educational value of Roman names. I had dealings with NR myself - it was allegedly started to provide resources for Roman pagans. It has a few good people, and some great resources, but overall its value as an educational tool is compromised by its posturing as a "micro nation."

Sure ... at first. But if an army can become used to Hellenistic elephant packs charging at them, they can get used to dogs.

I really don't see the effectiveness of canines against armed and armored opponents. Using dogs to track down runaway slaves or the occasional bandit might be feasible, but not regular military units.

Months ago. Get your nose out of those uni books once in a while.

It all depends on how one defines "Roman." I can appreciate the reorganized East is a legal descendant of the Roman Empire proper, but it also seems to have evolved into its own entity. Anyway, I don't think wikipedia should be taken too seriously as a reference tool.

My abridged review was submitted and should be viewable within 48 hours.

We hope to someday review and interview other aspriing writers within our ranks, Augusta.

This whole thread is full of hot air.

Thanks to Nephele for suggesting the interview, and Caroline for participating.

Egypt: Land and Lives of the Pharaohs Revealed. Ancient Civilizations. This is a brilliant "coffee table book" that surveys all areas of Egyptian history. Highly informative for a mass market book. Great photos and illustrations. Includes an informational CD. To be enjoyed by casual and serious students alike. No public library should be without it. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Ian Shaw. Not for the casual student, but delivers some great essays on all areas of Egyptian history. Quality varies with essay (some of these Oxford professors are extremely long winded), but overall an excellent reference guide. Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt. Rosalie David. If you only read one book on Ancient Egypt, read this. Written for the general reader, it summarizes all areas of life. It has one of the best summaries of AE's long history to be found anywhere. Best of all, it is cheap! Egyptian Mythology. Geraldine Pinch. A very readable introduction to the various deities of Ancient Egypt and their mythologies. Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology. John. L. Foster. A sweeping survey of Egyptian literature as recovered from papyri and epigraphy. Includes religious hymns, folk tales, wisdom literature, and funerary dedications.

Well, I think those scholars have a myopic view of things. Yes, both men were pissing on the corpse of the beloved Republic and aiming to concentrate powers in their own person. But to say there is no difference in personality, style and governing strategies is absurd. History would have been quite different in an empire run from Alexandria. Whether better or worse is I suppose a subjective viewpoint.

But why this one? As opposed to, say, Inquisitions? Because it is a reminder that Christianity was forged under the auspices of a particular time and place. It's a link to two millenias that affirms the cultural and linguistic heritage of Christianity as a product of the Greco-Roman experience. Why would anyone not want to proudly affirm their identity with such a long past? I'm not Christian and I strongly disagree with the Church on many issues, but I respect the weight of history it embodies.

Exactly! Salient point. The real issue was which form of government, based on the contender's personality, did you want replacing the Republic. Did you want a tidy, organized and fairly restrained pseudo-monarchy of Augustus, or the fully blown Hellenistic style god-king monarchy of Antony and Cleopatra? The former was less offensive to Roman sensibilities, although the latter would not have had any problems with dynastic succession and therefore might have spared Rome a few civil wars.