Maladict

It works, but only the main roads have been photographed. Still, it's rather nice. Doesn't come close to being there, though.

I have very little experience rowing fixed seat, but the longest I've managed on slides (on the water, not the machine) is about 11 hrs straight. I couldn't properly sit for two days after that. Makes you wonder how those rowers from antiquity managed to do it day after day. You're definitely right about the engineering bit, and it also would be a costly and high-maintenance venture.

Well, I was talking about modern boats. You'd have a lot of trouble trying to cross the Med in a skiff. True, I'm not denying the increase in power output. But it doesn't necessarily translate to higher speed. In racing boats yes, of course, but not so much when they get bulkier like the triremes. The increase in speed would be much less and in fact a waste of those 500 watts of power. Slides are for racing, fixed seats for going the distance.

Just because one rower on a relief has his knees raised a little? Colour me skeptical. In any case, the sliding seat does not necessarily improve performance, only when using modern, light-weight boats and only on 'flat'water (lakes, canals). That's why you generally won't see them in open water rowing craft. As you said, it was an invention born out of competitive rowing, sliding seats require much more energy to operate. It really doesn't make a lot of sense for long distance, seagoing vessels.

Mal - Do you work in Venice itself or do you commute to the mainland? I'm curious about the patterns of one's existence in such a unique place. I only lived there for a year or so, quite a while ago. I did not have to commute to the mainland, only a short boat ride or walk to wherever I needed to be. It was terribly strange leaving the city after being holed up there for a month or so without seeing a single car and then visiting a 'normal city'. You just wanted to flee back to the quiet, insular life. That said, Venice can be annoying. It takes a long time to get anywhere, and there can be an almost southern Italian unwillingness to get anything done. Small price to pay for living in the most beautiful city in the world, though.

I'm not familiar with that. I have heard of subsidies given to non-tourism based companies moving to the historical centre. Apparently it has had moderate succes in attracting small businesses in the IT sector.

It's not that I do not trust you, but do you have a source on that? I would love to have something to fall back on next time I get this question. Unfortunately no, just remember reading it somewhere.

I've lived in Venice for a while, and it is in fact quite alive. It takes some time to notice, and a lot more time to get accepted, but it is all there. The tourists can be annoying but they quickly become background noise. As I understood the sinking was primarily caused by the heavy industry in Marghera drawing water from underneath the city. A rising sea level, of course, doesn't help.

I believe it was Mussolini who started the tradition of placing flowers (or wreaths) at the temple on the Ides.

Sure. Maybe we could set up a small-scale test album to see what it would look like?

Yes, I've been baffled my some of the displays I've noticed there too.

Yes, there is. People regularly place flowers on the remains of what might have been an altar.

In fact, I haven't been able to found where they are (either Caesar's remains or his familiar tomb). Nothing remains of either. Even the location of the most likely place of burial (the Julian tumulus) is not known with any certainty.

...and they sure aren't there anymore.

Why are Pompeii and the museum in Naples lumped together while Herculaneum is a separate entry? I have a hard time comparing museums and archaeological sites, maybe there should be two separate lists?

It takes a connection like that (whether real or imagined) to make the front pages. Just saying you found a Roman pillar on the Palatine won't interest anyone. If you want to know what it really is, you need to wait a few years (or decades) for the full archaeological report to appear. By then, if it turns out it wasn't what was claimed, nobody cares, and if it turns out it was, it's not news.

Because nobody tells an emperor to put it down again?

The Tempietto at Clitunno maybe? Afaik there's no real consensus on its date but as a built-from-scratch church it should fit the bill.

The big difference between pagan temples and Christian churches is that the temples were part of an 'open air' religion and the churches belonged to an 'indoor' religion. People generally did not enter a temple, and rituals were performed in front of it, where you'd also find the altar. When building churches, which were usually new constructions (in the case of the Lateran the existing buildings were razed first) the architects would have looked to existing buildings capable of holding large amounts of people, large basilicas as found on the forum. Mithraic temples as mentioned by GoC may well have provided similar inspiration.

That's a bit harsh, though. The transition is still better documented than it is for most large cities in the empire.

I imagine that would certainly have been the case. A lot of people in Rome making a living out of being close to the centre of power would have had no choice really. I remember reading somewhere that eastern members of the Roman senate were transferred to make up the new senate at Constantinople.

When I was there last spring large sections were cordoned off for restoration work, including the Great Hunt. Other than that you're not likely to miss anything, as you are guided along raised walkways most of the time. Enjoy!

Happy birthday!

I don't know, I don't think I've ever been disappointed by an ancient site, but then again I tend to do my homework before I visit. The only negative experience I can remember was being prodded out of Thurii by an attendant who apparently didn't want to be disturbed that day (I was the only visitor), and the occasional overcrowding at the usual suspects (Colosseum etc.). But I never let that detract from the sites themselves.