Northern Neil

LOL!!! I assume you have set off already?

Yes, 31 hours and counting... I liked leeds in the years of Revie, Clark, Bremner etc but then drifted away from football. I still have a soft spot for them, though. I shall be wearing my universal attire of heavy jeans/combats, braces, boots and flying jacket.

I've read all his books at various times and thoroughly enjoyed them.

And how the horror compounds itself when the nosepicker then raises the greenie covered digit to his mouth...

I remember 'Legio xx Valeria Victrix' from ages back.

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! 1812 overture is every bit as bad as 'mountain king'!!!

Victory to Rovers! Down with the Southerners! (Present company excepted)

I'm on my motorbike, on a main road, and ahead, a road to the left joins the main road. A car approaches the junction - and the driver immediately looks LEFT and starts to pull out. I peep my horn - letting said driver know I am there, and not wanting to be over his/her car roof with a snapped neck. The driver then looks right, sees me, looks at me as if I'm dirt for reminding him that the traffic most likely to hit him actually comes from the right, and brakes. Sorry, but I dont want to end up dead, by the way! Why pull up to a junction, and immediately look the OPPOSITE way to the traffic nearest to you? And yes, most of you car drivers always do it. Why? Please tell! (for our US friends, simply transpose all the directions. Yes Pantagathus, I have experienced your peeve also.) Here it is again: If you approach a'T' junction, LOOK IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NEAREST TRAFFIC TO YOU. YOU MIGHT JUST SAVE A LIFE!!!!

There is no suggestion of backwardness here, at least for my own part. What I refer to is massive economic collapse, population drop and a resulting lack of infrastructure to sustain previous standards of living.

'In The Hall of the Mountain King' by Grieg (Peer Gynt suite). I feel like curling up with embarrassment every time I hear it. The kind of people I mentioned in my last but one post on this thread probably think its great, given that they have 'always sort of liked classical music, really.' At least, since Robbie Williams and Wayne Rooney said they sort of liked it.

Thankfully, Gems such as Penistone, Goole and Chipping Sodbury are still around, much to everyone's delight. The French town of Condom also raises a smile... but I thought you would appreciate these!

Was Trajan's stance motivated by a dislike of the Christian religion, or based on the fact that at that time many Christians were very belligerant in nature, and often committed crimes against the state?

I think the presence of Iceland further north on the mid Atlantic ridge would be a fine example, and I believe it is the presence of this land mass which lends credence to some geologists view that the plateau under the Azores was something similar. I believe it is entirely possible that such a landmass would slump as a result of the continuing separation of Africa/Europe and the Americas. I do not, however, subscribe to the 'crustal displacement' theory. Regards Arthur: Yes. He is significantly absent from Gildas' writings.

When did the office of consul finally end? I understand that the senate survived down to the 560's or thereabouts.

No degree at all - even my Psychiatric nurse qualification is the old RMN qualification prior to when nursing degrees became standard. Just a room full of books and a desire to learn. I am, however, seriously considering an Open University degree, perhaps starting this coming September. I would really like to do French Language, with perhaps a minor in Classics/history.

You are quite right in what you say - however, I am not saying I believe in the Atlantis story, all I am saying is that there is some evidence to support it. And like I said, the proper Atlantis may well be Thira, but that does not discount the possibility of subsidance of the mid Atlantic ridge, and the amalgamation of legends and myths of that place (Whatever it may have been called) with those of the pre - Dorian Greek world. And as you say, even if these civilisations did exist, they are unlikely to be nearly as grand as stated by legend - hence my suggestion that Atlantis may have been a fairly affluent Neolithic culture. Quite unable, as I realise, to import elephants, wether by ship, plane or spaceship to Crete or to the mid Atlantic! Again, yes, Arthur was one person, but I believe that some exploits attributed to him were in fact the exploits of other individuals such as Ambrosius, Germanus and Cadwallon, and even mythical figures from way back in Celtic folklore. I am aware of the gross embellishments of later mediaeval writers. What I am saying is, it is a shame that the activities of the likes of Hancock and Van Daniken have made research into these subjects unfashionable and virtually off limits, when they may in fact be perfectly viable things to research.

Whoops - accidentally posted twice. see below for edited response.

This held sway until the widespread adoption of Christianity. For some reason, Christians regard Homosexuality as an utter no-no, despite there being virtually no reference in the scriptures to it whatsoever.

The archaeological record supports this statement absolutely, at least with respect to Western Europe. In 400, ordinary people lived under tiled roofs, had a varied selection of pottery vessels suited to multiple functions, had access to luxury products made some distance away, and access to imported wines. A hundred years later they were living under thatch, cooked, ate and drank from basic round pots, had virtually no luxury items unless very rich and drank beer or mead. So they lived in less grand homes. But what about the quality of life? There's more to that than luxury items, which most people couldn't afford anyway even during the pax romana. The archaeological record, however, proves that ordinary people did have luxury items, tiled roofs, and grander homes than in the early dark ages. That was one of the primary features of the ancient world - a large middle class largely residing in towns, providing specialised industries and services. The people who lived in the vici at Vindolanda, Housesteads and other places can hardly be described as rich, but they did posess manufactured items with great variety and multiple uses, all of which no doubt greatly enhanced their quality of life. Another factor influencing quality of life for the better was that society was stable enough to provide the infrastructure to support this. According to Proffessor Michael Grant (The Fall of the Roman Empire) a thriving and very numerous middle class existed during the Roman period. This all ended with the Western Roman Empire, and the emerging feudalism virtually obliterated the middle class, resulting in a society in which very rich and very poor were polarised. Another thing to consider: Yes, there is nothing 'wrong' with thatch, except that it is far more likely to catch fire, leak, host insects and need replacing far more often than a tiled roof. Life did indeed become far more austere, insecure and grim for former Roman provincials in immediate post Roman times. The evidence positively screams this out.

Not Neccessarily. I don't pretend to speak for the administrators, but I would think that the quality of your enquiries would denote wether or not you are a serious member, so it is not solely what you know.

...However, geologists suggest that the plateau under the Azores was once above sea level, and that the ongoing separation of the North American and African plates caused it to subside rapidly, leaving only the mountaintops (Azores) visible. This in turn resulted in a sudden northerly turn to the Gulf Stream, (of course - the plateau was no longer there!) which resulted in a rapid melting of the Wurm ice cap - at about the same time that Plato said Atlantis was inundated. Sea levels rose worldwide, giving rise to the various 'Noah' legends - which are extant both sides of the Atlantic. It is not inconcievable that refugees from this disaster fled to both sides of the Atlantic, giving rise to further legends. In addition to this, the very name of the Atlantic Ocean itself, and the Atlas Mountains lends place name support to this dialogue. I am not a supporter of the Edgar Cayce - Graham Hancock school of thought, which sensationally mixes a modicum of historical fact with mysticism and a great deal of speculation. But neither am I of the inclination to disregard a theory, because such individuals have rendered it 'unfashionable' in the first place. I ask my friends on this forum to give that point considerable thought. Indeed. In this respect Solon was probably exaggerating - it is human nature to remark on a golden age superior to the present, wether it be the 1940's or the remote past. But whereas exaggeration of facts is a characteristic of much ancient literature, geographical alteration of facts is not. For what possible reason would Solon/Plato move the site of this legend from the mediterranean to the mid Atlantic? Place name, geological and mythological evidence suggests the mid - Atlantic was indeed the seat of this alleged culture. But consider this - as regards the alleged civilisation of the Atlanteans, the details outlined in Criteas are incidental. If Atlantis was, for example, a high Neolithic culture slightly superior to the rest of the world, with perhaps literacy skills and superior seafaring, this would indeed translate through the ages as a glittering civilisation, superior to anything the rest of the world had to offer, whose streets were paved with gold. Here's another thought - the actual atlantis may well have been the Minoans, but the legends associated with the demise of the mid - Atlantic landmass may also be true, in which case the 'chinese whispers' aspect of ancient recording may have fused the two into a single entity, much as the tales of King Arthur might originally have referred to two or more separate individuals. To ignore the somewhat compelling evidence for this culture / empire because of a dislike for pseudo historians, mystics and their sometimes ludicrous assertions, is not scientific, and does not do justice to the analysis required of this subject.

I can send you a lot of useful information about your project, including plans, book references, photocopies etc. An 'average' milecastle was about 80 ft square. On the basis of this, what scale will you be modelling? The ones pictured in my gallery are 6mm (1/300) and 15mm (1/100 approx.) 15mm scale will be exciting, as you can use decent figures to garrison it. 6mm would be good because you could model substantial sections of wall and ditch either side of the milecastle. Hadrian's Wall AD 122 - 410 by Osprey would be an excellent book to work from, as the illustrations and plans are excellent. May I suggest from now on we post directly onto the forum as the information we are sharing will be of benefit to other members?

Not every home, but a great many. By 300 AD most of the Romans in Britain were Britons, as Celto - Latin names like 'Carausius' attest. Britain was a backward province and is a poor example; we are discussing the whole Western Empire here. In Gaul, Spain, Italy etc not only ordinary people, but even animals lived under tiles. Cattle were fatter in roman times, as attested by an exhaustive study of remains throughout the Western provinces, cited in Ward Perkin's book 'The Fall of Rome'. No doubt due to more efficient agricultural methods than those employed by the German successor states. We are indeed talking of the 'wonders of tiled roofs' here, but that one example of trappings of civilisation is very telling, as it suggests a complex infrastructure with centralised industries and a developed transport system. By 500 this had all changed.

It is a matter of record that the Norse briefly settled in Newfoundland, and the Greenland vikings visited Labrador frequently to get timber until their settlements were extinguished in the 15th century. Scottish fishermen were fishing the 'Grand Banks' from 1300 onwards. The Piri Reis map of 1518 shows areas of the Americas not at that time visited by European sailors, as well as the outline of Antarctica as it is under the ice. See this link: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_1.htm Piri Reis stated that his map was compiled from other maps, some dating back to the 4th century, as well as up to date information from contemporary sailors. It shows the coast of the Americas and Antarctica as if the projection of the globe is centred on Cairo, and shows that a correct measurement of the size of the globe was made prior to Magellan's circumnavigation (1522). The comparison at the end of my link, between the Piri Reis map and a modern map using the same projection is the most telling - the azimuthal equidistant projection of the globe centred on Cairo, as you can see, does not merely display the map as close, but as damn - near accurate as you can get. Not bad, for 1518. The map is regarded as authentic, but its implications have been put on the backburner by academics, largely, I think, on account of the 'pseudo - historians' who we have discussed in other threads, and to whom this map is their one and only sound source. Although this map has more implications with respect to Antarctica than the Americas, it nonetheless shows that geographical knowledge in pre-Columbian times was significantly more widespread than is currently accepted. The map, although authentic, does not state categorically where the information comes from. So, for me, although the Carthage / Americas theory is at best tenuous, it cannot be ruled out, as this map demonstrates. Seems to me that the Columbian discovery of the Americas was by no means the first, merely the only one that gave rise to permanent European settlement. This idea becomes less ludicrous still when one considers the immense distances covered by settlers of the many Pacific islands in ancient and mediaeval times, using vessels far cruder than those of the phoenicians, Carthaginians and Norse. And crossing a far larger ocean.

The archaeological record supports this statement absolutely, at least with respect to Western Europe. In 400, ordinary people lived under tiled roofs, had a varied selection of pottery vessels suited to multiple functions, had access to luxury products made some distance away, and access to imported wines. A hundred years later they were living under thatch, cooked, ate and drank from basic round pots, had virtually no luxury items unless very rich and drank beer or mead.