Kosmo

It's getting better already.

Internal custom taxes were important and this source shrinked as the trade was reduced after the third century crisis. Also that crisis reduced urbanisation but most of city expanses to keep the great public works from the previous prosperity period where at the same level even augmented by new needs for defence. This put a lot of pressure on provinicial gentry and poor alike.

Hadrian for his atention on the provinces during his long voyages and for his peacefull attitude in foreign policy. Also the renewal of hellenism was important. Many emperors conquered for prestige. He was not afraid to give up exposed areas from the first years. His only mistake was sparking the last major Judeean revolt. Maybe Marguerite Yourcenar influenced me to much :wub:

The huns were steppe living nomads and they lived from grazing in Tisa valley (Eastern Hungary) and in the regions North and East of Black Sea. They did not settle areas they conquered like Serbia. Dacia, from where they kicked out the goths, had few hun settelments despite being so near to their main centers and the importance of Transilvanian salt for preserving meat. I believe that their numbers in Pannonia where low and most still lived in the East. So, if they conquered Gaul they would have kept it under control without major settelments. Or maybe just raided and go back. An interesting (and with serious evidence) theory claimes that some of the huns from the Black Sea were, after a period of independence, reunited in the Bulgarian Khanate. The reminants in Pannonia where either subordinated by the avars or pushed west where they were destroyed by the Thuringians under Frankish soveraignity.

And how did the arheologist discovered this. Thrown away tools and graffities with "we're on strike 'coz you're no god"

It is nice! Good job! But I expected more of a debate.

Gaius Octavianus Romania is a democracy. It's a young one and it has a lot of problems, but this makes us more awere of what democracy is and it's limitations. If people are moronic enough to vote for a former comunist leader with stalinist sympathies like Iliescu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_Iliescu or for a corrupt communist aristrocrat like Nastase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_N%C4%83stase does not mean that there is no democracy. In a democracy you can vote who you like, even an idiot like the americans did, twice... -_- (maybe he is not that stupid, but he looks stupid)

I think we are a little bit off target. There is no guarantee that if the germans would have defeat the RAF Britain will make peace. With RAF out of the way bombing was easier, but still antiaircraft fire and passive defense would have made the german bombers have less impact. German bombers were designed for tactical role so they had small range and small payload. They did not have tactics, equipment or training to carry large bombing raids even in areas they could reach. Also the german fighters were in small numbers and could cover only SE England so thay could not provide cover for bombers to more distant areas where RAF fighters did not took part in the BoB. The much heavier british-american bombing raids did not impact german war production until january 1945. So, fighter production and pilot training could not be stopped by germans thru bombing and during the winter the british would build up the airforce. Even if the germans would have defeated the RAF (a victory meaning destruction of fighter airplanes and airports in SE) in BoB the war would have continued the same.

It is a great ideea. As I write from my workplace it will be harder for me to get citation of sources. And all my books are in romanian I'm not sure what a source will be: only ancient writers or also modern historians? Internet resources count, if provided link? If we start with the legion then arheology will play a key role so modern historians can not be neglected despite sometimes conflicting opinions. Also we have here more areas, not only Rome. The problems about other populations connected with romans (like Parthia) or post roman empire (like the franks) will be covered?

In my opinion Romania joining the EU will be good in long term. Money will come here bringing better payed jobs and qualified people from here can go and work elsewhere (not only construction workers and other low pay jobs) Of course, some of the surviving old industries will collapse, but that it's not always bad news. Other positive aspect will be the decrease of influence in economy of corrupt politicians and the weaking of their political power. Romanian bussinesman will have to face increase competion from large international companies. Most had build their fortunes by using political power and influence, so they are unprepaired for a fair competition against strong opponents. The EU will stop Romanian goverment of wasting the money and inflating the currency and some money will be under administration of the EU with less corruption. I think less authority the romanian politicians have it's for the better. It would be better if we had a strong goverment in control of few sectors like police, defence, justice and less or no goverment in education, health, industry etc.

I have voted for BoB, but now I've changed my mind. There was no way that Luftwaffe could have won against RAF in such a way to keep RN out of the game, so a different outcome of BoB would not have to much impact. In the same way, even if Armada would have defeat the english fleet it did not had a deep water port to load an army that was not there. So, my option now it's for Hastings as a norman defeat would have made both England and France very different. With Hastings the germanic invasions that came in waves for 600 years were stopped and England started to look toward France for many centuries instead of Scandinavia. The medieval England adopted many things from the developed and structured society of feudal Normandie that would not be possible just from influence. It would have been interesting to see what Harald Hardrada would have done as he was a travelled man that he was an important person in Kiev and the Byzantine empire (leader of the varangian guard)

Despite that I was part in some hot debates nobody here used my poor english as an argument against me or made a too agresive comment. People are nice around here and that it's hard to find on the net this days. Of course, we have arena and there sometimes the spirits can go high, but it's a risk that we take when go on the bloodspoted sand. It's more likely to get insulted in a thread about Bush then in one about the use of greek in roman Thracia

I think that US sistem it's great. Less taxes compared to Western Europe and more control over the money. I'm not a fan of the extensive social security that chokes initiative in E.U. and I hate the romanian sistem that really sucks (high taxes with no return) The best thing about the US it's the fact that most things are private and not public financed and that keeps the competion and the economy going. Some very wrong statements have been made about Israel. You can not say that it's second to US ahead in comparison ahead EU or Japan, Australia etc, but of course it's better than his neighbours. On the other hand it's not either fascist or theocratic. It's very small and his population it's very mixed along ethnic, linguistic, religious and political lines. I think conflict with arabs it's what keeps it from breaking. This black and white view from TV does not apply there because there are a lot of colours.

Fair enough. If they kept Pluto they had to add some 8 more planets that are similar in size and orbit.

Romans had built lots of walls, most are hardly visible now. I think a comparison in terms of tehnolgy would be the best as other things are tied to local conditions (romans had more olive oil and the chinese more silk). And we should choose a year or a period to compare as Rome was a long lived empire and Han was a dinasty.

Hhufhkjgjdlskl!! That means, put me in I'll love any of this books.

Maybe conquest it's not enough to consider one a great leader. If so, others will be worth mentioning like Justinian that was very influencial with his conquests in the West, Heraclius that resisted the persians, the avars and the slavs, reformed the empire but failed against the arabs. Or people like Aurelian that restored the empire.

I think that it's easier to point the things in common that the differences. They both ruled large areas and achieved a high level of development. But they had different political structures, social and ethnic patterns, military needs and answers, religious and philosophical approaches, economic base and ecology. The roman influence was more important not only for Europe, but also for SW Asia and North Africa as arabs borrowed many(most) things from romans. China played a greater role as an influence to Europe in the Middle Ages and not by herself.

I'm worshipping those who made this great source! After "A History of Spain and Portugal" and "A Society organized for war" that surprised me with new information about town militia now I'm reading the excellent "Islamic and Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages" by Thomas F. Glick. The first chapter was great in expleining some things I always wondered about.

This online library it's incredible. I'am reading on the third book and many other interesting ones still left. They have stff about ancient Iberia as well. Enjoy! http://libro.uca.edu/title.htm

Some attempted to make such comparison, but the thread ended in Tartarus.

The East had enough problems for himself and maybe was a bit happy with having just an emperor remaining.

@ Gaius Octavianus Of course, where and what you post it's your option, but I'll feel bad if my anwers were the motif for your current non-alignement in this thread :sadwalk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonaligned_Movement Last paragraph on that page: "The 1979 meeting in Havana saw the movement discussing the merits of a "natural alliance" seen by many between the NAM and the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of Fidel Castro, the Summit discussed the concept of an anti-imperialist alliance with the Soviet Union. Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica gave a well-received pro-Soviet speech. Among other things he said, "All anti-imperialists know that the balance of forces in the world shifted irrevocably in 1917 when there was a movement and a man in the October Revolution, and Lenin was the man." Manley also praised Fidel Castro as "humane" and credited him for strengthening the forces committed to the struggle against imperialism in the Western Hemisphere." Edit: And guess where the next conference it's held?... "14th Summit – Havana, 14 September 2006 – 15 September 2006"

Our view of capitalism was created by the strong negative propaganda that he received after the Industrial Revolution from all sides. If Dickens, Zola etc made as feel bad about the condition of workers and urban poor we should remember that before the Industrial Revolution they will simply die from hunger or by hanging for stealing food. If a chinese works today in conditions that are called by some slavery he does that because it's well payed for his standards. Before he had this oportunity the other options would have been far worse including starvation as it happened so many times in China until now. I don't believe that humans are able to make a dream society by themselves as everything it's very complicated and acting it's hard. Liberal democracy has the great advantage of beeing able to adjust to changing conditions by the combined mechanisms of public opinion, democracy and free market. It can not bring Utopia, but Utopia it's better left a dream and not forced upon real people. Most Central European countries have a much serious aproach to capitalism then western Europeans and they generally support US in it's foreign policy. They know that the political dangers of state owned economy makes democracy dependent on capitalism. If Bush claim to free Iraq was obviously propaganda many in Central and East Europe supported it as they remember the dark times when they lived under dictature and wished for the americans to came and kick the commies out.

Very nice AD. I don't mind the Amazon adds.