DecimusCaesar

I have both versions of Ben Hur on the DVD boxset you mentioned. But I haven't got the 20s version of Ten Commandments (I didn't even know there was one). My main reason to watch the 50s version is to see the Egyptian scenes. From the pictures I've seen of the sets it looks very epic. Thanks for the info Nephele.

The second part in Robert Harris's novels on Cicero is now available. Anyone going to get it? I haven't read Imperium but I thought Pompeii was pretty good (whatever happened to the Hollywood movie they were making about that?) So far it's been having some pretty good reviews - I read a very positive one from the Independent. I would post it up here but its caused my computer to crash three times. Anyone have any thoughts on the novel?

I recently got through Forgotten Victory by Gary Sheffield, which re-evaluates the performance of the British Army during the First World War. On the subject of the classics I read It's all Greek to Me by Charlotte Higgins. I enjoyed both books but I found Sheffield's book to be an eye opener.

"Empire: Total War" is awesome! Have you played since patch 1.4? It totally changes the game (for the better). Can't wait for the multiplayer campaign option to come out, that's when the real fun will begin. Yeah, compared to Rome (and even Medieval II) Empire was a huge disappointmenton on release - quite possibly the worst game in the series - but the 1.4 patch has really improved it. I'm actually enjoying the campaigns now instead of being frustrated by it.

I haven't read this but it looks interesting. The Classicist Charlotte Higgins wrote that she enjoyed it in her blog recently. I might give it a look sometime soon.

Cecil B. Demille? That reminds me of the Ten Commandments which I was given a few months back and I still haven't watched. I just cant get excited about watching a dated 4 hour biblical epic. Anyone recommend this film?

I have a very odd attitude towards Gladiators in that I tend to push Roman blood sports to the back of my mind. When I think of Rome I think of the republic, army, roads and architecture but rarely do I consider the Gladiators. Ask most people on the street about Ancient Rome and it would be among the first things they think of. When you think about it the Gladiators are among the most interesting and repulsive aspects of Roman society - they intrigue and disgust in equal measure,sort of like Aztec human sacrifice. Because I tend to think about the positive aspects of Rome I tend to forget about them.

I haven't tried it, but I've been plagued by Evony adverts for weeks now. I've sort of lost interest in RTS games in the last few months but I've started playing Empire Total War again.

Defecateus? Let's face it, you wouldn't fear a Gladiator with that name - you might just let your guard down.

Good to see you again Pan!

Martin Bashir once reported about Michael Jackson up a tree...now reporters are discussing Michael Jackson in a tree.

Woah, that series has been running for sixty plus years now! That's quite an achievement!

Still Amazon is very good especially if you use market place. I sometimes get perfect quality books for as little as 1p (not counting delivery prices of course). I recently got a hold of a book on Ancient Greece for a very cheap price from marketplace.

By chance I recently found out that the game had been released to very little fanfare. Before parting with my cash I decided to go look for reviews, and I'm glad that I did. The game has been thoroughly trashed by critics with scores as low as 3/4 and even 1 out of 10. I didn't think the demo was that bad, but apparently the full game is awful. Personally I think the reviews are rather harsh - afterall, this a low budget independent first time title by an inexperienced studio using a newly created engine. I've seen big budget games made by professionals that have turned out worse than this game and yet they still recieved much kinder reviews. The complaints also sound somewhat childish - one professional critic called it one of the worst shooters of the last few years. One of the reasons? Because according to him 'period weapons' such as muskets and bolt action rifles 'suck' and the US Civil War and World War 1 were 'boring and shit'. I personally applaud anyone with the guts to produce fps that don't centre on WW2, modern warfare, or sci-fi 'space marines' type games. Sadly though most people want to be served up the same unimaginative settings and formulas over and over again. Then again I can't fault the critics when they complain about bugs and glitches, as this game is overflowing with them. So this won't be a purchase for me, despite the pretty interesting concept.

Happy third birthday Nephele!

Sounds fascinating. Roman armour tend to be a very rare finds. Lorica Segmentata being the best illustrated.

This film seems to have dropped off the radar. Any news? Last I heard was that it had recieved luke warm reviews at Cannes. Since then - nothing. No news of a cinema or DVD/Blu-ray release.

No problem! I was quite surprised when i came across it. I didn't even know that there were Roman comics.

James O'Donnell's 'The Ruin of the Roman Empire sounds like it could be something different and controversial: The Roman empire was not invaded by barbarians in the fifth century, says classical historian O'Donnell. Rather, these tribes

I've just come across this Roman themed webcomic for those who are interested. It's described as a 'Soap opera with swords and sandals'. It's also updated "almost daily" by Carol 'Klio'. It's been around since 2005, but this is the first time I've heard about it. Perhaps It's been mentioned here before? Here's the link: SPQR Blues

I hope you both enjoyed your birthdays!

Considering that the show's creator has basically said that this series will be inaccurate, it's only following the tradition of all screen depictions of Spartacus from the Kirk Douglas film to Goran's 2004 version. The BBC's drama documentary version also played very loosely with the facts. Even the 2004 version of Spartacus was more accurate than the 'Heroes & Villains' documentary ...and that's saying something. Who knows this might be fun to watch in a cheesy sort of way.

I still think that the Gerard Butler film, Attila the Hun (2001) is one of the most inaccurate depictions of the ancient world I've ever seen. As for Alexander, if you ignore the bad wigs, in terms of appearance (not story or characters) it's one of the most accurate depictions of the ancient world. The sets, costumes and weaponry of the Macedonians are far above any other I've seen on film. I remember some of the film props were put on display at the British Museum for their Persian Exhibition in 2005.

Apparently you can use contemporary weapons for the age you play in. Whether this means we'll be able to engage Romans with the gladius and pilum I do not know. After having played the demo, which featured the US Civil War, I had to use muskets and six shooters for the majority of the game. Later on I was given a machine gun when the going got tough. Even then the game wasn't as easy, simply because of the large numbers of enemies on screen. Overall though the game isn't bad. It's made by an indpendent games developer and as a result it has some poor production values. Mostly it's let down by some graphical glitches here and there, poor voice acting, and some bad AI. I hope that some of these problems will be ironed out of the game soon. I still like the concept thoug.

I'm not sure if others have heard about this game, but I recently came across news of a game called Darkest of Days. It's a sci-fi time travel FPS where you play a time traveller who participates in some of the great moments of history. The game has you travelling to the Battle of Antietam during the US Civil War; fighting in the trenches of the First World War at Tannenberg; and attempting to save POWs during World War II. What really caught my eye though is that in one section you travel back to Pompeii as Mount Vesuvius erupts. Your job is to save certain citizens, but it also allows you to battle Roman legionaries with machine guns and what looks like a flame thrower. The graphics and the A.I might not be up to much, but the concept is certainly more interesting than your usual Modern/WWII fps. Here's some pictures: Scenes from the Pompeii section of the game. A Scene from the battle of Antietam. World War I - the Eastern Front. World War II - POW Camp.