Primus Pilus

I've approved some entries and made a change to the system that doesn't require approval. We will just delete any future entries that would be deemed inappropriate.

I've also seen it a few times recently. Thankfully, a refresh seems to clear it up without much difficulty.

Add away... that's what it's there for. Provided entries are appropriate and related, we encourage it.

Ouch that Ammianus reprint (originally published in '89 I believe) is a tad pricey... I could use it though, I only have a Penguin translation. Perhaps it is updated.

National Geographic published their own Top 10 for '07...

AN unexpected historical discovery has been made at Scottish Water's site at Glencorse, near Penicuik

An international archeological expedition to Lake Issyk Kul, high in the Kyrgyz mountains, proves the existence of an advanced civilization 25 centuries ago, equal in development to the Hellenic civilizations of the northern coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The expedition resulted in sensational finds, including the discovery of major settlements, presently buried underwater. The data and artefacts obtained, which are currently under study, apply the finishing touches to the many years of exploration in the lake, made by seven previous expeditions. The addition of a previously unknown culture to the treasury of history extends the idea of the patterns and regularities of human development... RIA Novosti

Well done Klingan. I personally enjoy the casual approach in an introductory piece such as this, and the language issue is quite minor. Continued practice will help smooth out the rough edges. Out of curiosity, was this written purely out of personal interest?

As accurate as any primary source. Polybius was a contemporary of Scipio Aemilianus, the destroyer of Carthage circa 146 BC. He would have had first had knowledge of much of the 3rd Punic War. There are a couple more ancient sources that can be included as well... Plutarch's biographies of direct players: Life of Fabius Maximus Life of Marcellus Ancillary bios with some cross-over Life of Flaminius Life of Aemilius Paulus Appian: Foreign Wars - Books 6, 7 & 8 in particular. Cassius Dio: Roman History - Books 11 - 19

Happy Day Doc.

Uncyclopedia is great... "Only the Roman Empire is more fucked up than Japan."

Empire actually started with some hope. The pageantry and visualization was excellent in the early going, despite a few liberal interpretations of history. I was enjoying it until three little words... Arkham gladiator dungeon.

I think historical accuracy is only an issue when it's widely known or understood history. Why change the history for entertainment purposes, when the actual history is equally entertaining as the fiction. This would not be such an issue when fictionalizing little known events or people, or inserting famous characters/events as backdrops or into ancillary roles of a fiction. However, most of us take offense when something we know as fact and/or consensus probability is altered in order to entertain the masses. I agree here, especially with such finely produced epics as HBO's Rome (season 1) and even Gladiator (despite it's inaccuracy). However, hatchet jobs like Empire and their horrible failures at the box office or in the television ratings might very well make producers and investors shudder at the thought of historical productions.

Yes, but can you honestly say that they don't have tremendous influence on the world? Whether or not that influence has been manipulated, altered or strictly adhered too, it's still influence. As for Boudica, she certainly made a splash in the historical pages, but in the big scheme of things, she accomplished little more than getting the Iceni completely butchered. However, despite the fact that her rebellion against Rome had absolutely no impact on the eventual and permanent unification of Britain (whether we attribute this to

We can't be certain of anything that deals with the hypothetical. While the death of Antonius might seemingly allow a peaceable return to Republican government, we can't be certain that another ambitious general wouldn't have seized an opportunity to fill the power void. Perhaps a Lepidus, Decimus Brutus, Aulus Hirtius, Sex. Pompeius, etc. would've made a tangible bid for power. Some may be more likely candidates, others perhaps would've surprised us, but different circumstances can create different behavior. Consider too that without Antonius, perhaps a great many more of Caesar's veterans would've joined the young Octavius. I don't see any reason to believe that he wouldn't have come to Rome and asserted his rights as heir. The absence of Antonius creates an interesting dynamic in this regard, but I certainly don't think it changes the young man's ambition. Of course, with that said, the death of Antonius would've made a return to Republicanism much more likely, but there are always potential variables.

Lincoln and Franklin were both "honorable mentions" in the original list by Hart. Jefferson was included in the original, as he should be, but is conspicuously absent from this list by mcpon. Of course, our places of origin have a major influence.

I believe Hart's reasoning for Mohammad is because he was both a conqueror/political leader and the founder of a major religion.

Four frescoed rooms in the eastern wing of the house of Augustus, where he lived before becoming Rome's first emperor, will open to the public for the first time next year after three decades of restorations. Italian archaeologists said on Monday the rooms dated from around 30 B.C. and had been buried -- which may explain why some of the paintings are so well preserved -- after Augustus moved to another residence on a higher level of the Palatine Hill... Reuters

The Greek myth that ancient Spartans threw their stunted and sickly newborns off a cliff was not corroborated by archaeological digs in the area, researchers said Monday. After more than five years of analysis of human remains culled from the pit, also called an apothetes, researchers found only the remains of adolescents and adults between the ages of 18 and 35, Athens Faculty of Medicine Anthropologist Theodoros Pitsios said... Yahoo News

Resting in less than 10 feet of Caribbean seawater, the wreckage of Quedagh Merchant, the ship abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd as he raced to New York in an ill-fated attempt to clear his name, has escaped discovery -- until now. An underwater archaeology team from Indiana University announced today (Dec. 13) the discovery of the remnants. IU marine protection authority Charles Beeker said his team has been licensed to study the wreckage and to convert the site into an underwater preserve, where it will be accessible to the public... Newswise

On the morning of Friday July 20, 1928, the crew of an RAF aircraft took photographs over the site of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund in Norfolk, a site which now lies in open fields to the south of Norwich. The exceptionally dry summer meant that details of the Roman town were clearly revealed as parched lines in the barley. The pictures appeared on the front page of The Times on March 4, 1929 and caused a sensation. Now, new investigations at Caistor Roman town using the latest technology have revealed the plan of the buried town at an extraordinary level of detail which has never been seen before. The high-resolution geophysical survey used a Caesium Vapour magnetometer to map buried remains across the entire walled area of the Roman town.... Univ. of Nottingham

Excited archaeologists are raising part of a Roman barge that sank near the wharf nearly 2,000 years ago in the German riverside city of Cologne. Cologne, which derives its modern name from the town's Latin name, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, is full of Roman remains including a largely intact aqueduct. But the oaken boat, found 12 metres below the surface during excavations a few days ago for an underground mass-transit line, is something special, offering scientists a new window into life in this cold northern Roman province... Earth Times

Human remains believed to be 2,000 years old were found this week by two sisters near the ruins of the ancient city of Caesarea. Julia Shvicky of Kibbutz Barkai and Janet Daws, visiting from England, found some bones that had washed up on the shore during a stroll by the beach. "I love taking strolls at this spot. I always look for special stones and coins from the Roman era," Shvicky said. "Just as we started walking I said to my sister: 'Wouldn't it be fun if we found something interesting?'"... Haaretz.com