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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

Just a small enquiry. I notice the blogs can't access previous posts. Is that a temporary glitch or a new site policy?

Now that was a pleasant lunchtime. Lounging on a bench in Town Gardens, the shrill cacophony from the nearby junior school, the bird calls, even the plaintive requests from dog owners to their stubborn pets to stop sniffing at every excuse, did nothing to stop me dropping off to sleep. I woke with a start. Whether I'd startled the grey squirrel or whether it had startled me, I'm not sure, but away it went, tame or not. Behind me some guy and his companion strolled lazily down the steps and as they passed one said to the other "He's not going to find a job laying there, is he?" For crying out loud! Am I forbidden from enjoying a lunchbreak? Apparently that might be the case, as a workman started his litter blower and made sure I wouldn't be able to get any peace and quiet. Do these people imagine jobs appear out of thin air? Or that employers grin and shake hands with me simply because I get up from a park bench? I don't suppose any of my critics might actually be willing to assist my job search? Seems to me some people need to something better to occupy their time. Writing On The Wall On the way home I passed a church in Old Town. It's a modest place of worship dating back to the days when Old Town was all Swindon was. But times change, and even Christianity has to change with them. These days it places some incredible advertisments on the wall outside. God gives better direction than sat-nav. Well that's optimism for you. The temptation to pop in and ask for directions to Droitwich was enormous. The thought that a deep basso voice might issue from a bright golden glow in the clouds telling me to turn left at the lights strikes me as a little ridiculous. Yes, I know some people claim to hear messages from the almighty, but aren't they the people we point fingers and laugh at? In any case, I saw a program the other night that demonstrated a part of the brain that supplies us with religious experiences. If I want to go to Droitwich, I might be better served purchasing a sat-nav. Come to think of, isn't this advert a little dodgy? I seem to remember something about telling lies not being a good thing. Thou Shalt Not Bag Apples Falsely I've always been an apple a day man. Not because I was obliged to as a youngster, but simply out of choice. As it happens I do genuinely believe an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Being somewhat fussy about the apples I eat, I prefer Braeburns. At my local supermarket, only Pink Lady's are more expensive (and even better tasting unfortunately). Yesterday I took a bite of my apple and immediately knew it was not Braeburn material. Cheap, slightly tasteless, and leaving a persistent sourness in the mouth. Nope, not good at all. So what's going on? Either some wierdo crept into my flat and exchanged my beloved braeburns for cheap rubbish, or they were never properly packaged in the first place. The supermarket exchanged them without fuss or bother, and I can only praise their willingness to please. I hope the apple supplier is equally contientous.

Sometimes the urge to wander gets the better of me. Sadly I didn't have enough time to travel far, so I took a stroll around Swindon's Front Garden, that strip of farmland between the town and the M4 motorway now fast disappearing under a new development. I came across a road junction. As yet, it's unused, because it doesn't go anywhere. There's a couple of 'bus only' signs in front of an earth bank. They've built a brick bridge across the Wilts & Berks canal, and apart from the huge contractors compound to the east, the only sign of life was a solitary fisherman at the banks of the canal, a couple walking their dog (that wanted to wee up my leg - thanks to the sharp eyed lady who called her dog away), and two lads picking berries on the other side. At the moment, despite all this building work, the area remains relatively quiet. The only intrusion is the steady woosh of traffic on the M4, but then again, why would anyone want to live next to that? Before long homes are going to sprout up everywhere in this little pocket of land. It was the sky that caught my mood. Backlit clouds, dark grey with bright cream edges, and along the horizon, a jumble of cumulus in sharp focus, highlighted by the late afternoon sun. Hey, if you don't believe me, check this out... Pic of the Day Taken yesterday on my travels. The sunbeams don't show up too well, but trust me, it was a stunning sight. And Today? Strictly speaking I should be getting on with my job search. Truth is, the air is warm, inviting, and it's turning out to be a fine day. I really do not want to stuck indoors writing lots of letters, sending emails, and generally being a good little citizen. Just for today, I'm having a quiet rebellion. I want to sit in the sun and just let the world go by. I'll do my jobsearching tomorrow. That's going to be a rainy day, so they tell me.

Cultural identity is a suprisingly persistent beast. Even today, the welsh harbour disdain for the english, a remnant of the native celts pushed aside by germanic or gaulish settlers, especialy after the settlement of the Dark Ages. That doesn't mean the galatians were identical in every to the colonists who first arrived there, but I doubt they saw themselves as hellenised even if that was the case.

The Old College site is proving suprisingly contentious. I see one good citizen of our borough is fuming and declaring the development to be less than impressive. What does he want, Massive monuments and tall glass towers? Of course he does. It's part of the human psyche to seek urban aggrandisement by making tall buildings. Personally, I think another glass carbuncle is extacly what the area doesn't need. It'll look ridiculous, a flashy tall modern building surrounded by run-down victorian terraces and dumped rubbish. That certainly will make a statementn about Swindon. The other issue is crime. Critics of the new shopping mall have stated that it will open a new avenue for late night revellers moving up and down the hill late at night, causing problems for residents in the nearby streets. I mean, where has this guy been for the last few decades? We've already got late night revellers causing all sorts of damage in the local area. What difference is a shopping mall going to make? Birds At The Lake And I though the geese had gone. To my suprise, the squadron noisily arrived at the park this morning for a formation landing which was carried out with precision. Back from their hols? The other day I saw the two swans plodding along the pavement by the lake. Normally they float around the lake or chase off birds they don't like, but this was hilarious. Everyone giving them a wide berth as they wandered along the lakeside, looking so incredibly self-important, and I suspect enjoying their status as senior members of the Park citizenry. Talking Rubbish Again The latest community newsletter tells me that councillors have been busy clearing away rubbish dumped in our area. Not where I live they haven't. Maybe it looked better on the publicity photo.

Yes... I see... But cheap mobiles just don't compensate for good old fashioned Roman values such as orgies and feasting.

The mistake here is assuming the emperors were controlling the economy. Some had a hand in directing it, but the attitude of the upper classes was never to muddy their hands (at least publicly) in business. Certainly they raised taxes at times, but that's simply demanding an increase in revenue, not financial control, which was left to lesser functionaries to administer, and one suspects most of them were less than contientous.

Soviet Rome? That seems a little far fetched to me. Fundamentally the empire was carrying on business as usual, albeit with a different politcal organisation, but that simply amounted to power sharing at the top. If anything, it was the failure of successors to maintain good order that ruined things. After all, the civil war that followed Diocletians reign can be said to be responsible for Constantines patronage and eventual adoption of christianity as the state religion, paving the way for the christian west in later times. The seeds of economic decline were planted much earlier, the empire living of the fat of former times, but remember that it was Contantine who moved wealth to the east and thus created conditions for western decay, whereas the Byzantines persisted for centuries.

Whilst I agree broadly with your point, please be aware that there were anti-slavery intiatives in Medieval times. These were largely forgotten when exploration opened up new areas for colonisation and indigenous populations to exploit, sometimes aided by the locals themselves.

I've been doing some reading on this point and although Diodorus may have inherited information from the explorer Pytheas, he does no more than mention the regular astronomical cycle of the moon in Britain. Hardly firm evidence. Attempts to portray Stonehenge as a Roman monument have not proven credible. There is no further mention of anything which might be identified with Stonehenge in classical texts, either from Julius Caesar, writing c.55 BC, or from any other writer during the whole of the 360 years or so that Britain was a province of Rome. Apart from what may have been a single inscribed lead tablet, nio archaeological evidence has been found to suggest that any formal or organised religious activity took place around Stonehenge at this time; the absence of significance interest is probably part due to its relative remoteness, as the occaisiaonal finds of pottery and coins suggest no more than the casual detritus left by passing travellers. The obvious conclusion is that the site had been deserted and its associations forgotten long before Britain became part of the Roman Empire, its outward appearance already one of abandonment and decay. Solving Stonehenge (Anthony Johnson)

Walking home on sunday lunchtime I came across a lady walking her dog. Out of curiosity I engaged her in conversation about her canine companion, which turned out to be a Husky. We get a few breeds that are similar, such as Alaskan Mamelutes and such, but most of those have thicker coats so I didn't recognise this one. The Husky in question was a perky little animal, friendly, and very keen on pulling its owner across Swindon. Whilst I was chatting a couple passed by with their bruiser of a dog, stocky build and short face. The two dogs immediately started wagging tails and approached each other for a sniff, as dogs do. "Be good." Said the others dog's owner, "It just wants to get to know you." The Husky dived in, up close and personal. I'm not sure what the correct phrase is for that particular activity, but rest assured the terrier was not displeased. Yep.... Thats what I call call getting to know you.... I mean, dogs just don't care, do they? This was graphic stuff, right in front of all witnesses, and we all burst out laughing. What if humans behaved like that? Can you imagine, an interested woman walking up to you all smiles and wiggly bottom, asking you to drop your trousers in the street? Why do human beings make such a big deal out of courting? All that teenage angst, endless preparation, damage to the liver, impaired hearing, endless advice on how to be good at it, visits to the doctor when you are, and so forth. A part of me thinks it ought be like the films. One action sequence, a blast of violin music, and away you go. hey, how could a century of Hollywood block-busters possibly be wrong? On The Box One of the downsides of all these new television channels is that I now receive a handful of x-rated ones. Yopu might ask why that's a problem. Well, a couple of nights ago I got curious and investigated this source of lewd and decadent entertainment, purely in the name of scientific research you understand. One channel showed a woman doing slow motion gymnastics to get you make a phone call before the channel encrypted itself. Lots of quickfire adverts showing various women enjoying themselves and such, but mostly a grinning lady waving a mobile phone at the camera. Nope, not excited. Another channel was a pair of young ladies in a paddling pool together. Now this looks more promising. "We've been naughty" One enticed me to see more, "We've both had girl on girl action and we liked it." So... Do they do action replays? Or is this just two girls chatting in a paddling pool? "So phone us now on 0123456789" And there they were, filmed chatting on the phone. Is is just me, or do dogs get a better deal than humans? Face it, the mobile phone is destroying decadence as we know it.

Seven hours. Seven. That's how long it took me to compile the paperwork the Job Centre have asked for concerning my last fortnight of job searching. Come monday morning I'm going to slap those wads of paper on the desk and believe me, sparks will fly if they get shirty over it. The trouble is, there's a claims advisor there who doesn't like me very much. He's a very urbane, serious type, and for him any hint of jollity from a claimant is a sign that not enough tyranny has been wrought upon the hapless hordes of useless spongers in his care. Given the forms I had to fill in were dubious to begin with (I've mentioned that before) one gets the idea they want to slap me down. I am, after all, a somewhat irreverent character. His purple shirt, dark tie, and the worlds most anonymous haircut (it just sits on his head like a lump of hair) might for some give off the image of bureaucratic superiority that he seems to desire, but to me it just doesn't. He so wants to be taken seriously and instead comes across as ridiculously pompous. He's already interviewed me and warned me three times that it was in my interest to be honest. Clearly my protestations of innocence fell on deaf ears. He has, in true bureaucratic style, filed me as 'dubious character'. That's what you get for not being as miserable as he is. This does seem to happen sometimes, in all walks of life, not just dole claiming. We are social animals and occaisionally one member of the community feels he has a right to demand subservience of the others, and the general idea is to force the other to beg for forgiveness. I've had that done to me in the workplace and it never worked there either. Some people can beg for breakfast. They just say whatever is going to please their superior, and live to fight another day. I can't do that. It's called honour. I can recall a quote from someone who once said that "You can lose anything in life, but never lose your honour". Obviously he wasn't surviving on benefits. Car Park Woes The Granville Street car park is a busy place during shopping hours. Nothing grand, just a block of housing demolished decade ago and turned into a ground level arena of car driving competition for spaces. There's even a one way system, carefully marked out in white paint, which the ravenous shopprs ignore in their quest to get that space before the other guy. I felt sorry for the old gent I saw driving around the area in his safe little hatchback. He was crawling along at less than walking pace, trying to spot an available space with eyes past their best, and once he'd managed to find a vacant spot and claim it as his own, crushed the wing of his car against a metal bollard. Poor chap. He tried so hard to park safely. Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch Did I ever mention my neighbours? They seem to be getting on better with each other now. Yesterday afternoon she giggled and barricaded herself in the bedroom while the boyfriend tried to push open the door. Later they had a singing contest. It's like living above 'Conan The Rogers And Hammerstein'. What?... Did he get in? I dunno, but at least they were quiet for ten minutes.

The name 'Galatia' means 'Land of the Gauls'. It's likely then he was preaching to colonists/descendants of gaulish origin.

I'm not aware of any written accounts but the Romans almost certainly knew it was there and had checked it out, since the site had been a major religious focus in times past. The last observable modification was around 1600BC and it may well be that by Roman times the site was well past its best. Both roman and medieval artifacts have been found there which indicates the site was still being visited. Perhaps it was a tourist site back then too? The location of Stonehenge is two miles from Vespasians Camp, which although has no formal links to roman occupation, indicates habitation in the Iron Age prior and pssibly throughout the roman period. A decapitated man buried in the 7th century was found at Stonehenge in 1923, so the site had some significance in the Dark Ages, which is probably unavoidable because the site is close to Amesbury, recognised as a possible refuge for troops under the command of Ambrosius Aurelianus in the late 5th century, who warred against the Thames Valley Saxons for a considerable time, and it's know that Saxons were living in Wiltshire at this time. I suspect the Romans left it alone to a large degree. They were superstitious and observed the influence of local gods where-ever they went. The religious nature of the monument must have been obvious to them, and since it was no longer the focus of religious life that it had once been, there was little reason to assimilate the 'local god'.

It's a big deal because historically christianity was developed as a secondary government in Roman times - Marcellinus makes some comments on that issue - and back at the end of the 11th century, we came perilously close to a Papal Empire stretching across Europe. Don't get me wrong. You've chosen to be a christian, and that's your right as far as I'm concerned. There is however a difference between belief and religion. Belief is what you hold to be true, religion is what someone tells you to believe. The modern Pope represents a figurehead for religious politicans of the Vatican who are, for all intents and purposes, making themselves very comfortable indeed. That they have their hand in things we would consider controversial isn't easy to prove, but I note that perverts and terrorists have found sanctuary under the cloth. I cannot belive these religious authorities didn't know something about what was going on. They choose not to act for fear of upsetting the apple cart, and ruining it for themselves. Therefore they put a Pope in the window every so often and the punters go home happy.

Politics. The wars of the Republic weren't always expanionist conquests as is popularly imagined, but sometimes situations and crises forced on them by other nations. Granted the Romans were always up for a fight as martial virtue had been part of their culture right from the beginning, but Rome had suffered defeats in their early history and really once their influence expanded into the Mediterranean all that changed was the scale of conflict.

Doesn't sound quite right, does it? Still, we'll see. I even gave the remake of Flight of the Pheonix a fair chance. Still prefer the original. Feels more real, more attached to reality. Couldn't handle the remakes 'flying off into the sunset' ending though. Gah!