Kosmo

It's a great game and I like it, but I did not liked Tomb Rider, it's a matter of taste afterall. Anybody knows a modification that would allow to play more factions in the same time?

He even considered becoming himself a Caesar subordinate in Gaul.

Cicero wanted to keep a balance of power more then to be a stunch republican. He was quite friendly with both Caesar and Pompey. This is why he waited so much before choosing sides when the civil war broke out and he reconciled easily with Caesar after Pharsalus. Cicero was no Cato.

Yes, Cicero imperator took his legions over the Rubicon and captured Rome! Actually, Vercingetorix did it! If he defeated Caesar he could have saved the Republic! Of course, I still believe that after Marius and Sylla it was dying. All that trouble with Catillina, Sertorius, Clodius and Milo, with Pompey extraordinary rights and the Triumvirate, with votes bribery and corrupt politicians and the proffesional army and the slaves fighting in the Forum for patrons show it. But, I guess this was already debated!

Vlad was no daisy, but he was not defeated by ottomans or killed by them. After spending a lot of time in a hungarian prison he became again ruler of Valahia and was killed after just a month by a boiar conspiracy. And he was made somthing of a national hero by the right. Romania's most influential poet, Eminescu, considered him as a just ruler that ruthesly restored the law (probably because the gold cup at the fountain story and the use of boiars for the building of the mountain castle of Poienari) in his school book poem "the III Letter" and comunist nationalist propaganda glorified his fight for independence and against boiar traitors. So, there is no celebration against Vlad in Romania, but lots of tourist souvenirs with him. Ottomans were violent, but so was everybody. For example at the 1396 crusade crusaders looted and killed orthodox schismatics on the way in Serbia and Bulgaria and killed surendered ottoman prisoners from Vidin. That's why serbians fought for the ottomans and their intervention was decisive in the Nicopole battle and why Baiazid killed most captured prisoners.

hm?

Persia was a weak connected empire. For example local rulers in Cyprus were fighting each other all the time despite persian overlords (like russians under the mongols). Obligations of a subject group were to pay taxes and to send levies to war. They had no common language, law or customs. The money and purple were hoarded and carried by the king as his wifes. Infighting for being king was common. I don't think that the people were happy with the system. Egypt rebelled often. Against Alexander only the greeks and some of the phoenicians fought well.

In today's paper the one who claims that the gold bracelets are forged claimes that the case it's an attempt to convict former PM Adrian Nastase. They also claim that a roman statue of a head of a child from II-III C AD was also made by one of the treasure thiefs. They created this treasures, hide them and then "discover" them when accompanied by clients from Italy and Austria. Police still claims that the objects are dacian and tried to arrest the one who claimed that the bracelets are forged. The bracelets are in the National History Museum and the statue in the local roman museum in Deva. Link to the newspaper article (romanian) with the picture of the statue http://www.adevarulonline.ro/articole/dosa...-nastase/303344

There is a lot of debate about the identity between huns and some neighbours of China, but it's still open. I, personnaly, don't think so because huns are mentioned by a roman source in North Caucas areas at an early date. Probably they spoke an early turkish language. Also it's unclear if we can speak of mongols before Genghis Khan. Probably the identity of mongols was shaped by him and his empire. At the battle of Ankara in 1402 Timur Leng (Tamerlan) the leader of Central Asia Ciaghatay Horde defeated decisevly the ottoman sultan Bayazid Ild

Byzantines had relation both with Ilkhans of Near East and the Golden Horde of russian steppe. As I said in the first moslem thread in this subforum Trapezunt had ample relations with Ilkhan mongols being under their suzeranity and having some cities in Crimeea in areas under the Golden Horde. Byzantines and Golden Horde mongols allied and then fought each other for control of Bulgaria especially after the retake of Constantinople and Nogay attacks on Eastern Bulgaria.

I have Pink Eye from all that drinking in Ibiza night clubs Not to mention that I have no ideea what you mean.

She had a long list of "conquests" so she might had something interesting. At the period there were a large number of informal relations between roman elites and hellenistic rulers (including Cato' son and the wife of the Cappadocian king and Caesar with the king of Bythnia)

Great ideea GO and UNRV! What time will be the end of the Dominate (upper limit of the allowed subject)?

This means that the imperial army still had an elephant cavalry arm. I've seen some images of male elephants fighting and they were not something I want to make angry. The elephants used by Hannibal and Scipio were smaller from a Maghreb species now extinct, so hight was not a problem. Anyway, larger elefants were considered better. If generals like Alexander (had but not used himself), Antigonos, Seleucos, Pyrhhus and Hannibal used them i'm sure that they were not worthless especially against a phalanx. Maybe romans that left gaps in formations and all had pila were better at fighting them then the phalanx, but still they were very cautios about them.

Cosmin Zabalovici please. That rat terrier is cute. But not a love inspiring breed name. It was used for the noble art of rat hunting?

I'm you humble servant, Propreator! :notworthy:

After 5 minutes of staring at the picture I've noticed something on the hood of the car that looks like a multiple rocket launcher. It makes the image perfect: a great looking girl, a nice car and a big gun

A nice article about Alexander's elephants http://www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda-sarson/MilHist.html sparked my interest about roman use of elephants. At Thapsus Scipio used some 120 forest african elephants against Caesar, but Caesar's men defeated them. An elefant's life it's 50 years, so, they were still around for the next rounds of civil war. Any information about their fate (I presume that they survived the routing)? This was the only recorded roman use of them in battle?

This was the policy at the begining, but around 850 christians started a public policy of affirming their beliefs and that led to martyrdom. Gradually all christians were either converted or emigrated to the christian kingdoms and christianity dissapeared in arab Spain.

A nice description of the process of conversion here at subchapter 4 http://libro.uca.edu/ics/emspain.htm Local factors influenced the speed of the process.

The first years of Black Sabbath I liked most, so, I voted for Ozzy (despite his sad today condition). Dio was great, but when I think Black Sabbath I think Paranoid. I'm not interested in what the old boys might do today, no matter the line up.

I hear a lot about this egyptian sympathy with arabs, but there is little evidence. It seems that the orthodox patriarch of Alexandria helped them, or maybe he just tried to ensure the survival of his church. Those claims of conflict between Byzantium and egyptians are not proved. Did the monophisites helped the arabs? With hindsight we know what happened, but for egyptians it was a surprise. Arabs reduced the taxes and destroyed the upper class and this was good for ordinary citizens. Probably most of the arabs were vaguely muslim and christians did not feel threatened. Before muslim conquest of 639 Egypt was conquered by persians and held for 10 years (619-629). This for sure weakened roman rule. Also, as we discussed before, civilian population of the roman empire could do little against an invader. They hed no military equipment, training, organistaion and leadership. After the first arab conquest romans had to attack from the sea and this was a seriuos problem.

The war between romans and Persia was very long and hard. Most of the East was occupied by persians, including rich Syria and Egypt. They also reached Scutari on the asiatic side of Bosphorus. Roman positions in the Balkans were abandoned/lost and avars toghether with slavs besieged Byzantium (with their persian allies on the other side of the strait) Salonic was attacked repeatedtly and slaves reached S. Greece. Romans delievered some serious blows to persians and forced them to make peace. Peace meant a long and confusing civil war between persians. North Africa (Maghreb) was roman, especially the East (the exarhate of Carthage was the position that Heraclius used for his imperial bid) and the North seaside, with the inside areas held by bebers. The romans and persians were at peace when arabs attacked both. After the fall of Syria arabs had cut the roman land connection to Egypt. After Egypt fell they had a direct rute to attack Cartagina while romans had to rely on sea rute thru roman held S. Italy. After Cartagina fell the last roman cities further west were isolated with little sea connection but still fought. Probably visighots had some things to do as well. The berbers made a strong resistance and arabs had to fight them 30-40 years. Chronology after Wiki - Syria 635, Egypt 639-641, first real invasion in North Africa 665, reaching the Atlantic in 682, but romans fight beck, romans completely defeated up to 698. Berbers subdued 709. Not a short fight between 665 and 709 for Maghreb.

Turkey it's extremly rich in arheological remains and problems are only in SE kurd areas. Saudi Arabia it's rather unsafe because of the large number of random attacks on westerners. If your planning your future then you should think in long term. Near East troubles will end sometime. I have no problem going in these areas today (except open conflict areas like Irak). TV makes things look dangerous, but usually troubles are confined in a hot spot while the rest is safe (bad luck to be in the hot spot when trouble bursts). I'm more worried about crime then about political conflicts (I felt safer in Sharm el Sheick after bombings then in Montmarte in the evening).

"Still, until that day, I wave the Palestinian flag in solidarity. And will even let it fly over my bed. Know this, future ex-boyfriends of mine." Oooo! what a fine example of tolerance! And black supremacy it's waaay better then white supremacy! :afro: I once had a similar dispute with my girlfirend (now wife). She liked Diana, I liked Charles, but none of us had their portraits hanging over our beds. That would have bring nightmares .