Favonius Cornelius

I don't think the peoples of northern Greece can be said to be who they always have been...

I believe all of the above. In the islands and costal areas you had hold-outs I believe, and even in areas where the slavs push into they still lived in peace with them. But then yes surely some were killed, and others mixed in with those living with them, or the women at least taken.

Heh, without a doubt the lead poisoning theory is the post popular one I've seen on the Romans.

It depended on the period and circumstances. The point of the republican army was that the army belonged to the republic not the general. The Romans grew suspicious of even aediles paying for public grain out of their own pockets, so a general paying his troops out of his pockets would be a huge scandal. To reward one's troops then one had to take the roundabout path of having ager publicus being legislated to the soldiers. In later times of civil war, sure you have the generals stamping their own coinage and giving it out, but this was a violation of the norm.

I like to think that the choice of the eagle by Gaius Marius had more to do than just the association with Jupiter. When one considers the Roman art of war in comparison to other nations of the time, you get an impression of a finer form of attack. The Gauls and Germans rely on brute strength. The Greeks and Cartheginians their massive phalanxes, the Numidians their horses. The Roman relys on choosing his battles carefully because he is usually outnumbered. The Roman fights not with a huge pike nor a two-handed sword, but a short, sharp sword, used to make precision stabs rather than gaping wounds or the hope of any wound in a forest of pike. The Roman fights and kills as the eagle does, not like the bull, the horse or the boar.

Interesting question, but as a side note, I bet there are a lot of old artifacts out there which could be traced to an even older artifact melted down to make it. I wonder if there are any listings of these. Lots of American gold in Portugal and Spain.

Interesting topic. Treaties had to be ratified by the people's assemblies, but the senate could appoint a commission of senators to be sent as a delegation to another power. I think also that acting Consuls had the right to conduct negotiations in their areas of influence, as determined by appointment by the senate, but even these decisions had to be ratified by the senate. Treaties with other powers also had religious involvement. Particular priesthoods in the state cult would be responsible for performing rites to ensure that any agreements were in good stead with the gods.

Good luck with your game, maybe some day I will have the time to get into it. This game looks a lot like Imperium from the Ancient Worlds site, any connection?

Exactly, most likely with Iranian assistance and who knows who else. All I can say is I sure am glad Bush asked them to 'bring it on.'

It was about this bloody: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...view=getnewpost

LONDON (Reuters) - Gladiators may have fought and died to entertain others in the brutality of the Roman arena but they appear to have abided by a strict code of conduct which avoided savage violence, forensic scientists say. Tests on the remains of 67 gladiators found in tombs at Ephesus in Turkey, center of power for ancient Rome's eastern empire, show they stuck to well defined rules of combat and avoided gory free-for-alls. Reuters article here.

I guess it's the difference between gaining citizenship in a Republic and gaining citizenship in an Empire as you say. Still you would think even in these later times the benifit of citizenship would be worthwhile. I mean what still was the difference between the two time periods? Even an Italian living in Brutia had to march to Rome to vote, so an elected system does not seem to be a driving force...

I would make it such that the old Star Trek series made it beyond the third season. Just imagine the implications!

Mutilation with sacrifice does not seem so strange to me. The Aztec and Inca did it. If one is going as far as to sacrifice a human, I don't imagine cutting off parts in some religiously important form is that removed from the equation. The bog bodies have also been found with weapons and jewelry. If these were common criminals surely they would not have these? I recall also the Celtic method of sacrifice: digging a long deep hole and leaving someone in it to die...forgot the name exactly. Using a criminal for a sacrifice is hardly grounds for calling it a death penalty for criminals. The sacrifice of a human is what is important, the sacrifice of a human essence. I'm not so sure the ancients viewed the sacrifice so much as in our modern view of the worshipper giving up something to the gods as imparting an essence or power of land and life around them directly to the gods. Everyone knows that eating empowers oneself, or that water grows a plant. Perhaps a god needs sacrifice to be strong as well, or even just the act of worship? Not just a matter of keeping the gods off your back, but also of empowering them to keep the fabric of reality going, lest life

Greek archaeologists excavating an ancient Macedonian city in the foothills of Mount Olympus have uncovered a 2,600-metre defensive wall whose design was "inspired by the glories of Alexander the Great," the site supervisor said Thursday. PHYSORG

The only thing I don't like about the history channel is when they attempt to reinact epic battles on a high school play budget. Might as well just stick to planning across old pictures and statures.

I agree, though we'd need a few more people, Afteral germanicus and Favonius can't make an entire caladener.... Heh, you know that would make a funny gag gift of some kind. A swimsuit calender...but with your friends, or a bunch of big harry dudes or something.

Take your pick of any number of religious superstitions and practices. I don't know of any culture personally that has more or stranger.

I'm sure it was a gradual process rather than one fine point. Even though the whole Empire might adopt a law from a good emperor on the practice, or even if the Empire adopted 'Christian values', you can be sure of little villages in the mountains holding out against the progress of time.

For information on the Roman version of this cult, see my thread on The Cult of Bacchus.

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) -- A Greek hiker found a 6,500-year-old gold pendant in a field and handed it over to authorities, an archaeologist said Thursday. The flat, roughly ring-shaped prehistoric pendant probably had religious significance and would have been worn on a necklace by a prominent member of society Ancient Pendant

Well, if you guys really want to see me in swimwear... /salute For UNRV!

Not to be confused with imperium, auctoritas was a man's total ability to influence the world around him, from as small as being able to convince a man to do a thing with words alone to as large as being empowered to command consular armies. A man's authority.

Bachelors and Masters in Biochemistry.

You cannot have a true Roman Empire without Italia. It all starts there. At any rate, it is also well cultivated and populated, probably a majority of the best minds are there as well as the beating heart of the Empire's administrational infrastructure.