Gaius Octavius

Constantinople? Caesaria? Koln? Utica? Napoli?

If neither can be understood (since they both are speaking at the same time), and there is the required background, side-ground, and foreground alleged music, along with the flashing and bouncing camera, it is intellectual. The obligatory flashing commercials at the bottom of the screen, make it easier for multitaskers to misunderstand. Aside from the fact that at least 40% of the time is spent with commercials, and another 10% spent on reminding one about what went on a few minutes ago, and the last few minutes being a teaser, one really gets only about five minutes of information. Most of that info is either wrong or highly suspect. One wonders if the 'experts' ever look at the 'show', or simply collect their checks. P.S. Make an end to apologizing for your English. You are easily understood. Exceptionally few people speak it, anyway. Why, the prez of the US speaks neither English nor American!

It's all the Finsters' fault or Moon(col)lapse's. Pick one. I'll deputize L_W to administer a very necessary exorcism to the winner.

Tiberius? Marcellus? Yeah!, Yeah!, I look stooopid, but I am not cheating like the rest of you!

Whoooz Drusilla?

Full Moon? Don't you know what every bar tender knows? A full moon brings out all the coo-coos! Get on track; become an R.C. or an Episky or an Ortho. Hook up with the Ethiopian Rite. They use drums in the Mass. You'll go for that, and won't understand a word of Ghazi (Ethiopic). It will be thrilling. You won't have to buy all these worthless beads, and charms. You can look forward to climbing up to a monastery in Ethiopia and viewing The Ark of the Covenant and seeing the original Ten Commandments. You may not know this, but God speaks Latin; goes to mass at St. Peter's every Sunday; and then has a nice plate of lasagna and cotenelle with the Pope for lunch. Google The Ethiopian College, and then become a nun in their Rite.

Zosimus? Cato

Am I being put upon here? Peoples name their dogs 'Bread'? Not Rex? No Basil? No Auggie (Doggie)? How about Killer? No 'Star'? What a pill! My Jack Russells are appalled!

The above ( http://en.mercatiditraiano.it/ ) is available in English (mostly) and a couple of other languages. Well worth a visit.

Yes, I see it all now. His lack of ear lobes was a dead give away.

"Returning to this thread, I am going to go (somewhat controversially) for Adolf Hitler. If you think about a leader who has had the most profound effect on the world today, then he has to be in with the biggest shout. I think it is in no small measure due to Hitler that we have become more politically correct and anti-racist in our current generation. No doubt the other candidates in the poll have left great legacies too, but I do believe that along with the great socialist thinkers of the 19th century, Hitler (against all his intentions) has had a huge effect on making us a more egalitarian and tolerant society. It's just a thought." Caldrail, if this is the post you are referring to, I believe that you have come to a conclusion outside of its context. Even without the context, you are in error. Can't you see that the prose is 'irony'? You have delivered a slander on The Augusta. I guess that the above will make an end to this thread. Sorry all.

Interesting bit about Nero at the end of the article. Are there any pictures of the bricks in the arch?

I'm sorry, Caldrail, this is total tommy rot! I am not sure what books you have been reading at all! There was the little thing called The Augustan Peace; there was an enormous rebuilding programme and advances in engineering; there was the founding of colonies; there was stability. Augustus's reign was remembered for all these things. And you are not prepared to call them 'events and advances'? Words fail me, for once - they really do. The augustan peace was kept in place by a man who acted much like a modern dictator or gangster - anyone who questioned the regime too much either listened to reason or disappeared. The colonies were a roman franchise, an extension of Augustus's regime, and a means to increase his income which he could then use to further beautify Rome and buy popular support. Making a city beautiful isn't so unusual, lots of dictators have done that, including Hitler whom you rate so highly. Tommy rot? No, I feel healthy enough and read the same books as you. I'm just not fooled by the statues or public image. , Please help me. Where was the above point made?

Took my computer apart! Considered suicide!

Great job G-Man! Thanks.

Oh, my gods! This is the second thing MPC and GO have agreed upon!!! Do y'all realize the moment of this? One more, and the entire universe implodes! Kiss your childrens and loved ones good-bye. Do all the dirty turns that you can to your enemies while you still have a chance!

No hint? (Not that it would help me.) Cato?

Sun Tsu and Macchiavelli both claim that battles are determined before they are engaged. If my memory serves, the Romans had been forced to allow the Goths to enter the province as peaceful farmers, and such, long before the battle. Initially, they were unarmed or disarmed. The Roman government mistreated them, and they commenced to arm themselves with the aid of their compatriots from across the border. This was the initial and fatal error of the Romans. I think that the Western Emperor had never intended to come to the aid of the East, and kept prolonging his arrival. Perhaps Valens had so concluded. A few questions: How many spears did the cavalryman carry? How, and when were the spears used? Once engaged, was the spear the weapon of choice, or was it the sword and the trampling of horses?

Can you believe this? One of the louts, (a Brigantine), on the board, who is trying to cotton up to Hecate, had the crust - the unmitigated gall - to accuse me - Me!, your god-Consul; your Pater Arcanae, of being lower than a snake's belly!!! These Brigantines, who are the present subject of homicide, stick together like molasses. Will you Roman citizens let this stand? My Roman nobility will not allow me to give you his name, but his initials are 'GPM'.

Actually the huge difference was the fact that when the Inca were visited by the stinky white man, they were in a state of Civil War. The Inca could have easily whomped on the Spaniards except for two reasons besides this. One-Incan warriors fought like European athletes played sports. Strictly one on one. There was no unified body. Soldier would fight soldier in combat. There was no team work. And they played sports like the Europeans like the Europeans fought. See the irony? Two the biggest thing of them all, the Incan population had been decimated by that great European addition, Small Pox! But the Incans did strike back with syphillis. The 'stinky white man' should have played the game just like the Incas would have. And the Romans should have played the game the way the Gauls did. Except in most cases the inca populations welcomed their visitors as the return of the White Bearded God. There was hardly any resistance, and the spanish did some nasty things on the quiet, including the assassination of the inca prince in order to nab his gold. Further, the spanish introduced disease to the area that severly reduced the population from that time. No inca in 1000AD? Ok, but what culture were the local inhabitants before? Methinks there was something broadly similar or perhaps less unified and sophisticated. Methinks that the nasty Spanish should have gone easy on people who took the hearts out of kids and prisoners with their bare hands. As a matter of fact, they should have surrendered themselves for such a joyous occasion.

I know that this is going to be hard, but check here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/gibbon/index.htm I think that you will find in Gibbon that prices had risen so high for commodities as to be unaffordable to the vast majority of the Romans. This was to a great extent because the specie had been so debased in prior reigns. Interest rates in Rome, and more so in the provinces, had increased beyond the legal maximum of 12 1/2%. The price controls were an attempt on his part to prevent unrest. His price controls did no good. Both commodities and specie were hoarded. Commodities became scarce. Gibbon will do a better job than I can - at present.

Aside from the fact that at least two of you are cheating, you are showing his hair. That's a dead give away to a 'certain party'. Of course none of this is fair to clods like myself. You might just as well be playing with yourselves!

Lest we forget, The Imperial Navy.

Scipio Africanus?

Julian the Apostate?