caldrail

In as much as the Romans were a society based on martial virtue right from the beginning, I agree, however painting them as the villain in every case distorts history somewhat. Yes, it was a society that was far from perfect, but whose is?

Extremely, and hugely incorrect. Druidism is a foreign import that arrived in Britain around 500BC. The claim of an earlier origin in Britain revolves around the assertion by John Aubrey (and his fellow antiquarians afterward) in the seventeenth century that Avebury Circle was a druidic temple, thus Stonehenge got pulled into this myth. In fact, the builders of Stonehenge and the other megalithic sites in Britain and the atlantic coastal region worshipped an entirely different religion, despite attempts to link Druidism to it. There is absolutely no historical or archaeological evidence to support that claim. That doesn't prevent neo-pagans worshipping their chosen faith, but it is a modern reinvention and a distortion of the original. However, any claim to 'right of worship' at Stonehenge or indeed any other stone circle has no credibility.

One of the advantages of digital broadcasts in the media is that you can watch television on your computer. I was doing that long before Windows 7 came out, so I'm afraid the young lady claiming on the advert that she thought of watching television on her PC and Windows 7 was her idea is talking out of her script. As I'm sure you're aware, staring vacantly at the screen while you rapidly page through the available channels is typical human behaviour. In a state of mental numbness I strayed into the radio channels. I don't bother listening to radio much these days. Current chart music is unbelievably dire. And so much of it is exactly the same as the one you heard before. Remember when the Top Forty contained music? Or do you not want to admit your age? By chance I happened upon Absolute Radio who were doing an 80's program last night. I even forgive them for playing Fleetwood Mac Lookin' out for love. No, that's unfair, it was great to hear some of those old tunes get an airing. How can anyone get tired of Van Halen and their exuberant Jump? It certainly brought back some memories. Hang on a minute... There was something missing... Blast From The Past Back in the eighties I played drums for Red Jasper, just in case anyone hasn't heard about that before. There was one time when we'd gotten a slot at the Mean Fiddler, a somewhat exclusive pub gig in London. That was a major stroke of good fortune for us and we were keen to make an impression. Sadly someone decided we weren't going to, and we barely survived the evening, mostly because the chaotic noise that was coming off the stage was beyond the London crowd's understanding. We understood only too well. It was deliberate sabotage by a sound engineer. Well, that's show business. The following night was another gig in Bristol, our usual stomping ground. Tony and I had gone to a recording studio to collect our singer, who'd decided to leave long before we arrived, and so we made our way into Bristol with the car radio cutting into the irritated silence. "I went to a gig at the Mean Fiddler last night." Said the radio DJ. What? You cannot be serious! Tony and I stared at the radio with open jaws, leaving the car on autopilot. Could this be our big break? A mention on national evening radio? "Saw a really great band..." He continued. Yes? Yes? Please, just one mention... But no, he gave the name of the headlining band. NOOOOO! To say we were gutted was an understatement. But of course that was the entire reason we were nobbled. Someone wanted that headline band to make the impression rather than us knowing full well a Radio One DJ was popping in. So, in order to observe some sense of balance, and to bring some justice to the corrupt world of popular music, I refuse point blank to tell the world who that headline band were. Now I feel better. Especially since they failed too. Advert of the Week One of those cruise ship holidays was advertised last night. Six hundred pounds buys you a chance to live on a floating hotel for a week. Not only that, the holiday company added that they were throwing in a free weeks spending money. Free spending money? I wonder who pays for that?

If the celts had no strong central leadership, where did the 'push' of the Germans come from? Further, although the celtic tribes may have had a similar mindset, there were cultural differences between these tribes. This is something that confounded the Romans. The list of celtic tribes is something that irritated them because they really weren't interested in enthnology to that degree. The division between east and western celts is an artificial one created by the Romans themselves, who for their own convenience lumped the various tribes together as either Gauls or Germans. In fact, the name Germani actually meant "Genuine Celts", thus it might be construed that the Romans created the German identity themselves. For us, the significance here is that the classical sources describe the Galatians as Gauls - the name is derived from the same root word, thus it was the western tribes who spread to Asia Minor. As to whether the Gauls spread outward or were pushed outward, it's as well to realise that the Germans could not have applied cultural pressure to force the Gauls elsewhere unless they had some leadership of their own, as the raids recorded by Julius Caesar across the Rhine were small scale affairs and not intended for territorial conquest. As a major concession to this point, it must be stressed that druids are only mentioned in the context of Britain and Gaul, though it is known that the Galatians had judges who performed the same civic functions, and the Galatans were known for their sacrificial practises such that it was said one should not surrender to them in war. It is possible that the druids were therefore a breakaway sect of these tribal overseers rather than the druids as a universal celtic faction, but that still underpins the view that they were part of a cultural phenomenon.

North African elephants of the species you mention may well have been in the first stages of decline, given their habitat was also dessicating, but I suspect the capture and use of them by human beings (not just the Romans, who were themselves exploitative and hugely damaging to local ecologies) didn't help one jot. There may be other reasons for the decline though that contributed. As for use of elephants by armies, remember these animals require a huge amount of water and forage to remain fighting fit. I doubt the Romans saw them as an economic weapon of war, but rather as unreliable, unwieldy, and ultimately restricting their strategic options, and since the Romans preferred a uniform and focused methofdology in their armies organisation, it was likely that elephants would not be considered as a companent part of the legions, but as more variety in their allies who supplied the skills and features the Romans could not adequately do themselves, and who themselves were no more ready to pay to keep these animals in service.

Maybe, but there's a difference between relating a conversation with someone and describing a geography you're largely ignorant of. The same phenomenon happens even today in countries where world geography is not an important subject. As for Roman presence in Ireland, the evidence is largely circumstancial and might be easily explained by refugees bearing roman goods. There is not, as I understand it, any confirmed evidence of romano-irish settlement of any significance.

Scorn and mockery usually. Except for charity workers of course, who are more often shocked that I even paid them any attention. I won't be down at the supermarket today so I've now idea if this particular lady has been woken from her slumber. I do hope so, otherwise she'll miss the weekend completely.

I spoke too soon. Serves me right I guess, but that doesn't excuse what happened. Last night someone tried to steal or steal from my sorry looking Eunos Cabriolet. It has no steering wheel. It has no gear knob. There's an entire ecology all of it's own thriving inside that vehicle. Moss is growing along the ground each side of the car. And if those clues weren't enough, it has two gaping holes in the roof marking the previous attempts by larcenous youths to steal whatever they could. So why did this idiot try it last night? Too much alcohol? Now there's a broken window on the drivers side. Glass all over the seat. Call me optimistic, but maybe the next spotty animal who wants to commit damage or theft might realise there isn't any point. Normally I would have phoned the police. Reported the damage as indeed they ask us law abiding citizens to do. Except I won't won't bother. Because they aren't going to either. It's raining, so they can't take fingerprints. It's a disused vehicle so it doesn't rate as important. And in any case, the police have made it clear they don't believe a single word I said to them. I mean, everyone knows car windows break by themselves, eh? Talking About Thieves I cannot believe what I just heard. Ed Milliband, the new hopeful Labour Party leader, has said he would be willing to put taxes up again, even more than the previous government did. Is he nuts? Has he not noticed that if people havene't got enough money in their pockets to buy consumer goods, shops go out of business. More people claiming unemployment benefits. And bigger bills to pay, which means ever bigger tax rises. The man is a bona fide idiot. Vote Labour? I think not. Thieves don't rate highly in my opinions just right now. We Need A Hero It comes to something when you realise that Bonnie Tyler was actually a prophetess. She needed a hero decades ago, but Swindon could do with one now. As Swindon resembles Gotham City more and more, a caped vigilante making sure villains get there comuppance is a great idea. So I was hugely pleased to see that a company in America is building replicas of the 1966 Batman car, the bewinged wonder that used to burst out of a roadside cave along to a thrilling music score. My childhood addiction to the camp sixties series has definitely scarred me for life. Already I'm having a relapse, savouring the mental image of blasting down the local high street with a flamethrower out the back (which works ion the replicas too, I see) But my dreams will come to nothing. As soon as Eddy Baby gets into power, cars will be taxed off the road. Who will save Swindon from the forces of Larceny then?

But the Gaulish migrants to Phrygia (and earlier sources refer to galatians as 'gallo-graeci') arrived in the same expansion that brought Brennus to Rome, albeit a little later (understandably). When a warrior culture expands rapidly across a region, it's because the internal differences have been sorted in some way. Without a strong central leadership, the tribes simply argue among themselves. This isn't a purely celtic phenomenon, it applies to all warrior peoples. It is noticeable the expansion began after the druid movement assumes religious authority in Gaul. The emergence of druids predates the expansion into asia by about a century or two, at a time when malmudian law had been established, and the classic druid as we understand them had become part of gallic culture. There is every reason to believe the druids went with them.

Hmmm... To me that sounds more like intelligence gathered from traders, speculatores, exploratores, or in a few cases meetings with individuals from that area. It doesn't really convey any sense of military adventure and Agricola's estimate of a single legion required for conquest is a little less than carefully considered, don't you think?

She was there this morning as well. Poor girl, no-one thought to revive when the shop closed. Actually she did stiffen with trepidation when I walked past today. One gets the feeling awe doesn't come into it

'Twas a cold and eerie night. I looked out the back window in the early hours and a dark open sky seemed to be relatively shy of revealing stars. Down in the valley, the urban spawl was in the clutches of a thick mist, glowing a dull orange from the street lights. It looked very gothic and mysterious, and without the usual soundtrack of traffic light grand-prix's, arguments with windows and lamp posts, or the salute to football team affiliation in song, the mood was perfect. So I went to bed, safe in the knowledge that it was unlikely anyone was going to try and steal my car again, or that the neighbours would have a late night argument just to round off the evening. Swindon was strangely quiet when in fact, we do have a couple of things to shout about... He Who Monopolises Wins Another series of The Apprentice is due on our screens. After seeing the hapless antics of supposedly high flying success stories I have to wonder how people have the sheer gall to announce themselves as the best businessperson since sliced bread, but that's the point of the show isn't it? If they were all organised and perfect there wouldn't be any entertainment. The reason I mention it is that Swindon has an entrant. Despite a publicity photograph that makes the young lad look five months pregnant, he claims to be ruthless at playing Monopoly. Well, I guess that qualifies him for a six figure contract, doesn't it? Judging from the photo he also needs sunlight desperately. A visit to London will do him good. Bless. At a tender age of twenty two young Mister Raleigh Addington claims he's also the best salesmen around. Call me a doubting Thomas if you will, but what has he sold, exactly? A few cards on a board game? I have a sneeking suspicion that Newcastle has enough coal, the arabs have enough oil, and that eventually Sir Alan will have enough of his boasting and fire him for having a wiltshire accent and a dodgy haircut. I know, it's easy to poke fun and criticise, but if you want to go on television and make a name for yourself in the public eye that goes with the territory. A part of me wishes him well in his forthcoming efforts to reduce Sir Alan to apoplexy, and let's face it, you just know he's going to be an excruciatingly hopeless entrant who blames everyone else. We'll see. A Third Place For Swindon Another Swindoner is in the news. Good grief, whatever next? Anyone would think this was a happening town. This chap is a balloonist, and narrowly lost the World Championship for long distance ballooning. Apparently they get one fill-up of hydrogen and away they go, letting gas out to descend, and throwing ballast over the side to ascend, in true Phileas Fogg fashion. In fairness, although our lads didn't go round the world in eighty days, they managed to drop litter from a height across Europe and finally came down in Serbia, and I wish Mr Hempleman Adams and his team mate my hearty congratulations for at least trying.

Druids weren't wiped out by the attack on Mona in ad59. Their political power was broken and Claudius had them banned, but they persisted in the background and druids are mentioned at least once in Scotland during the early Dark Age. The Irish sagas that mention druids were first written in the 7th and 8th centuries and portray the druids role as declining. Further, all classical sources that mnention druids invariably describe them as gauls, regardless of the British connection, and the strong persistence of gallic culture in Galatia (as described by Barry Cincliffe) would indeed involve druidic oversight. Please be aware that whilst the druids had a system of belief, they were more a class of wise men with communal power. The rites mentioned in the sources are mostly gallic, not druidic, and it's mentioned that the druids regulated rites and would not permit the sacrifice of a human being unless they were present to officiate over it. Human sacrifice for the purposes of divination was a gallic phenomenon, not a druidic one, and the 'wicker-man' burnings described by Julius Caesar and others have no correlation in archaeology. Whilst Diogenes Laertius may or may not be a dodgy source, he isn't saying anything different about druids than was related by other writers. Where the iron age gauls went, so did their priests, and noticeably the gallic migration to Britain around 500BC corresponds to the creation of Malmudian Law, the 248 triads of rules, regulations, and customs expected of subject peoples. The Druids listed their original heroes from this time as well. Dunwal Malmud, the inventor and lawmaker (and reputedly related to Brennus, the warrior who sacked Rome in 390BC), Prydain, the 'conqueror' of Britain, and Hu the Mighty. Whether such individuals were real people is impossible to say, but notice it was an aggressive expansion from gallic Europe that spurred the druidic connection, thus the arrival of gauls in their expansionist period into Phrygia almost certainly had druids among them.

Why? Why did they do it? Why did they make Ed Milliband leader of the Labour party? He makes you wince every time he stands in front of a microphione. It isn't the first time the Labour Party have made an odd choice. Remember Michael Foot? Probably a great guy, but not the man future prime ministers are made of. Politics is a funny game sometimes and I can't help wondering if the sole reason Eddy Baby got the job was to stop his oolder brother David from achieving his ambition. He was disappointed, a natural reaction, and gossip indicates he might quit frontline poltics altogether, and now I see a news report that sharp eyed cameraman has caught him making a barbed comment about his younger brother. Hell hath no fury than a politican thwarted. After David Millibands public love affair with Hilary Clinton it looked sort of certain didn't it? But then, he was in Gordon Browns government, and that I suspect is exactly what the Labour party didn't want. Standing On The Corner That's enough politics. You can only swallow so much of that in one day. So I switch the television off and instead of people standing for parliament, I see people standing on street corners. One chap in particular caught my attention. There's an asian lad who works for one of the fast food outlets at the bottom of the hill. He spends his day positioning a placard displaying all the low low prices for burgers and other fat inducing nourishment so that passing motorists can see the offers and think how great it would be to stop and eat them if only they didn't have to drive through this road road junction on their way elsewhere. Come to think of it, there's a sandwich bar in town that has an employee stand all day long holding a sign saying sandwich bar this way. Maybe it's just me, but one wonders if their loaction isn't working for them. Standing Still I'm not interested. Instead I'll get better value for money at my local supermarket, and as it happens I do need a few things this week. It so happens I spotted a rather attractive young woman standing at the exit promoting a charity. I confess I can't remember which one, but I'm sure you understand. Usually in circumstances like this I can't resist the temptation to have a quick flirt. Can you imagine what I'm going to be like when I get old? I always said I wanted to grow old disgracefully. Funny thing is though I wasn't tempted. She was stood absolutely stock still, frozen, static, looking for all the world like a wax dummy. Perhaps she copes with terminal boredom by entering a state of hibernation, but how odd that it put me off completely. Just a little eye contact. A welcoming smile. I might even have popped a few pennies in the slot. What a lost opportunity.

Nephele, no, don't do it, don't fall into the conspiracy of the evil wiki's. You who opened my eyes and made me see what a threat to sincere and accurate history the high priests of the Wikipedia can be. Do not fall under their spell and surrender to the hordes of public information gatherers. Or does this mean I can quote from Wikipedia again?

We all have a new regime to cope with. For most people, the change in government from Gordon Browns grand money giveaway to the scrooge brothers of the coalition hasn't really impacted on them yet. For us dole seekers the changes are already apparent. They might get a lot worse yet, but already we share knowing glances at each other and expect trouble ahead. For many in the general public that's no cause for sympathy. Many will see us as worthless parasites. Many of us are exactly that. Feckless individuals for whom an easy life paid by someone else is a good thing. In theory, the new regime should be sifting them out and pushing them toward trying to find employment. That's what the politicians are telling us they mean to do. In fact, there's already a shift in that direction from those they mean to penalise for their lack of effort. There's a growing sense of urgency. In a way that's a good thing. It's what the public want. Nonetheless it's occured to me that competition for the vacancies will actually get worse until the economy picks up enough to enlarge the market. And I'm not young any more. That means I have no choice but to take my place on the one-day training courses designed to motivate and improve our job-seeking. We had a session just the other day. A group of us gathered to listen to a pep talk on how to be a good jobseeker. In fairness, the lady who ran the course did a good job, and even the presence of our claims advisor made little difference. We were indeed a diverse bunch. I get pretty diverse all on my own sometimes, never mind a cross-section of societies unwanted sat around the room. Mister F was a suprise. Now he's a big chap. He had a very real physical presence. How strange then, despite his friendly, confident manner, and his powerful voice, that he was unwilling to speak out in front of us all. Mister B was a different beast altogether. A man of forthright opinion. But he knows he's a pain in the backside and we all had a good laugh about his obstinate refusal to accept the obvious. "Hey, B, say what you mean mate. Don't hold back." I called out during a teabreak as he reduced the claims advisor to a sweating nervous wreck. "Don't encourage him, Caldrail." The claims advisor replied in a state of rising panic. Mister G was an elderly fashion designer, a man who against better judgement had left London to find work in the Rainforests of Darkest Wiltshire. True to his trade, he spent most of the session designing patterns. Red and black pen on white paper. Classic colours to demand attention on the catwalk. See? Amazing what you learn on courses like this. That said, I don't forsee a change in career path, even though a computer program the Job Centre once had me use years ago announced my best career choice was as a hat designer. "Caldrail?" Our tutor asked me in a moment of quiet with everyone preoccupied with form filling, "Why aren't you a success?" I think she was asking that question with genuine puzzlement, and for that reason, I'll accept the compliment with good grace. Guess I'm just another square peg. That's the price you pay for individuality in a recession. I doubt a new range of hats was really going to improve my circumstances. Spray On Success There's a new nasal spray that can make you better at social interaction. It contains a hormone called 'Oxytocin' which apparently makes people with poor social skills more confident and proficient. I suppose this sort of thing is inevitable. There was a popular song a few decades back, I forget the artist, that was about the changes in future society. In the year 2525... was the chorus. I remember one line was Everything you do or say - Is in the pill you took today. These days we can't have sex without *iagr* to stiffen our resolve, or various chemicals designed to stop us getting pregnant or seriously ill. Is that really the future we want? Artificial drug-induced lifestyles? Keep taking the pills.

Why not? It seems quite probable....If the army was presumably in the shield-wall formation then it's movement and appearance alike really looked like the phalanx. And we know the shield-wall was regularly used (Julian also used it at Strasbourg). Shield walls are defensive formations. The late roman units made large scale use of spears,not long pikes, and it wasn't possible for them to arrange their men with overlapping ranks of polearms as a phalanx might. Further, the Romans at Adrianople did not advance in an ordered attack. They were defensive from the start, suprised by the sudden appearance of gothic horsemen, startled to discover the number of adversaries was much larger than expected, and the Roman line collapsed quite quickly, becoming disordered and merging into a large mass of men hemmed in by the Goths. A phalanx-like advance is not probable at all.

Only when you get up close to a Great Dane do you realise just how big those dogs are. There were two being coaxed along the alleyway across the yard last night. The pair of them just about filled the pathway. Nice horses, I quipped as I strolled past. At least these two dog owners won't get attacked by urban foxes. The curious thing though is that the owners expected me to be scared stiff of them. Why? Both dogs were behaving themselves. After all, there was an occaision when I decided to photograph one. I asked the owner who was playing with her kids in Lydiard Park, and she said fine, no problem, the dog was okay with strangers. As I knelt down to get the best angle, the great dane wondered what I was up to. I tried to get the dog to stay still but it got even more curious, and possibly even a little annoyed, because it walked toward me and stared me in the face. Not a good moment. It wasn't being aggressive or anything, just not friendly, and I sort of got the impression that a retreat was the sensible thing. As it happened the owner rescued me and had the dog lay down on the grass. Phew. Pic taken. Had the dog gone for me, I would have been in deep trouble. I remember seeing one great dane at full gallop at Coate Water coming toward me along the footpath. A very unnerving experience, even if it did rush past without so much as a second glance. Faster! Last night I was off down the internet cafe, and ahead of me was an old chap I see sometimes. His corgi is probably as old as he is, and neither of them can do more than shuffle forward. Nonetheless, he smacked the dog lightly with the end of the leash and told the poor dog to get moving. Not sure if it worked or not... Also Available In Pink Some of you might have heard about a cat in Swindon that was dyed pink by some idiot for a laugh. That woman a few months ago who dropped a cat in a wheelie bin also said she did it just for a joke. Why do people do things like this? It isn't as if cats are a problem. They don't pounce on us humans anymore, having gotten too small and cute to eat us for lunch, and generally the only gripe we have with cats is their malicious treatment of our gardens, or perhaps how much food they scrounge off the local neighbourhood. And they still manage to stay slim. Have you ever seen some old age pensioner whipping his cat for being too slow?

Our temperatures are starting to drop. The flat feels colder now. Autumn in Britain has none of the colour or virve you see in America. It just sort of goes brown and drops off. Today is typical. Grey, damp, and and thoroughly unexciting. Hmmm... The need to create entertainment is talking hold of me... Need mischief...

The last few days have seen dramatic moments in the history of Swindons Mechanics Institute. For those who don't know, the Great Western Railway built a community centre for the benefit of its staff back in 1859 and it's been left to decay for decades, since no-one has any idea of what to do with the place or where to find the money to do it. The owner, a property developer, has done little to maintain the listed building (that means it has historical significance and should be preserved) and might well have to foot a big bill very soon. In order to stop the roof collapsing completely, the council have had it removed. Streets are blocked off as the top of the building is taken away. I passed some distance away the other day and you could see exactly how poor the condition of te roof was. The beams were visibly sagging. Well at least the building is going to get some remedial maintenance at last. Now all they have to do is decide what they're going to do with it. Because if they don't, the building will eventually have to come down. And that, I think, is what the developer is waiting for. Will this all have a happy ending? We'll see. Seeing Red A few days ago I saw a news report about how the Red Sea really could have parted for Moses, way back in biblical times. Apparently a strong wind can force shallow water away, and the scientists responsible for this ground breaking research note the extensive shallows in the Red Sea area. Maybe it's just me, or is this clutching at straws to give the Bible credibility in our educated and cynical modern world? For all I know the researchers might be right. Perhaps Moses did lead the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea which conveniently parted for them. I don't recall the Bible mentioning howling gales at the time though. I get a bit tired of this biblical research stuff. At first glance it seems to be designed to please the believers, but then, these people already believe the bible is telling us how it was, so what difference would that make? No, it's designed to make us unbelievers realise we were wrong to doubt the bible in the first place. And boy oh boy, are we going to hear about it if someone actually does pull a rabbit out of the hat. What do I believe? If Moses was a real person and did lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he certainly managed to confound the irate egyptians. But did God part the Red Sea for him? If he did, that woulkd have been pretty impressive. So why did the Israelites start worshipping golden calves instead? It's all a bit allegorical isn't it? But then the Old testament does that more than once. God seeing red when human beings don't do what they're told. And there lies the truth of it.

The basis of the feudal economy wasn't created by Diocletian's policies, it was already inherently part of Roman culture. Rather than see Diocletian as a man tinkering with policies to invent a different social order, perhaps it might be more useful to see him as attempting to stabilise a difficult situation? Or even more to the point, as a manager of a large multinational corporation beset with labour problems and low profits? The empire had become somewhat bloated and inefficient by Diocletians reign. Increasing bureaucracy had all but rendered the empire ungovernable by one man. The extent of corruption and increasing numbers of sinecure seeking functionaries hd reached breaking point. In order to prevent a schism in Roman politics and the ugly prospect of civil war between rivals and possibly break-away regions, Diocletian created his tetrarchy, which effectively produced a federal Rome. He is also credited with ending the crisis of the third century for these very reasons. His persecutions were designed to prevent divisions in Roman society, to reaffirm the pagan order of things, and prevent religious strife in Roman society, but they were carried out because of pressure from others, and the extent of persecution was therefore down to public pressure. He was, after all, a very conservative man. Notice that with Diocletian in charge, regardless of the nature of his policies, the system worked. Only when he retired did the empire break down into civil war exactly as he had tried to avoid. A cynical observer might wonder if he was doing what Tiberius had - making the next reign far worse than his, in order to look good in historical records, but then why would he have bothered to share power if he was so self-important? His attempt to control prices was unsuccessful, but then, the Romans did not have any real control of their economy to begin with, and his policies here were largely ignored by the roman populace. His autocratic style obviously helped, as some measure of stability did return, but whereas obstructing social mobility would create a more ordered society, it was also against the competitive and ambitious nature of the Roman mindset. As with all emperors, it's easy to see them as powerful god-like individuals who simply clicked their fingers. In many cases, these men were having to remain popular or suffer the consequences, which means at some point that they need to act on public demands. Diocletian did that, and in a way tried to make Rome a fairer society. The problem was, Romans rather liked things the way they were.

Shields went through a number of changes in shape. Oval was the most useful, common, and appears throughout the history of the Roman military, ultimately becoming the standard in the late empire. The rectangular scutum that we all know and love was available first in a tall pattern during the Republic, widened in the Principate era, and shared the front line with a hexagonal shield occaisionally, especially in the reign of Tiberius. A rectangle with rounded corners was also used but this pattern was as rare as the hexagonal, and essentially celtic-esque in form. I'm not sure what you're asking for. Do you mean the rounded rectangle, or the oval?

Found this intersting comment dated from the third century. ...while the Kelts and the Galatae had seers called Druids... Lives of the Philosophers (Diogenes Laertius) If correct, that suggests a more aboriginal religion and certainly not a hellenised format, but caution - Julius Caesar had already described Druidic beliefs in terms of familiar greco-roman deities, though in fairness his comparison may have been based on similar attributes rather than name and origin, and I note that the assmiliation of local beliefs was something the Romans did readily.

There's an old chap I sometimes see by the cenotaph on Regents Circus. He stands there, breadcrumbs in hand, and allows pidgeons to clamber all over him, and I do mean, all over. He is swamped by the birds clamouring for his limited supply of titbits. Not my idea of fun, but each to their own. I was passing his favourite spot the other day and noticed a crowd of hungry pidgeons milling around a pile of breadcrumbs on the ground. Hang on... Have they eaten Pidgeon Man? Oh no! One of Lifes Little Struggles Like today, yesterday was pretty dismal as far as weather goes. Just outside the library entrance is a bus stop on a dedicated bus lane seperated from the road by metal railings. Buses come and go, picking up and dropping off, all day long. A small red one looking rather like a hatchback sped down the lane and rejoined the main road without so much as a signal. Obviously there weren't any passengers aboard or waiting for his route. Somehow I don't think the driver had any intention of stopping. There were however passengers waiting for another route. One was a grim looking lady who yelling down her mobile phone. Apparently she's with someone and doesn't want this other persons attention. Given her demeanour, one wonders how she manages to attract anyone, but there was the obligatory infant trapped in a little buggy. Once upstairs I booked my computer, chose a book to read, and sat down in the lounge area until my slot came about. Although I couldn't hear that formidable valkyrie below, I could see her there, yelling and gesticulating in frantic and angered attempts to get her point across. Then I noticed just around the corner, a young lad doing pretty much the same into his phone. You had to see it to believe it. Talk about dependence on mobiles. Eventually the lads other girlfriend turned up, he rang off abruptly, and the pair walked around the corner.... Oh dear. This is not going to be pleasant. I put the book down. Life can be so much more entertaining.

What the... Hey, that's cheating , those buttons weren't there the other day! Oh well not to worry, as long as the problem has been solved. See look? I'm learning Roman attitudes