DecimusCaesar

If you already have the article of David Olster Theodosius Grammaticus and the Arab siege of 674-78 from Byzantinoslavica 56 (1), pg 23-28, 1995, you probably know more on this issue than most people here. If that's not the case, that article is a must for you; a copy can be ordered from that link . That sounds priceless. Thanks for that. I'll order a copy as soon as I have a fuller pocket! I'm not sure about Greek fire, but the arabs did make use of Naptha 'bombs', although I'm not so sure they used them during the Siege of Constantinople in 674. They were definately in use by the 12th-13th century though.

I really like the Agrippa one. Excellent Work.

Happy Birthday!

I don't know if this has been posted before (I have a vague feeling that I have posted this video once on another thread) but here is the trailer to the film. Agora Trailer

Interesting points made about the Spartacus film. I ought to watch it agin, I haven't done so in years. It's interesting that so many people love the film, Kubrick hated it. As for the inaccuracies list: The Romans rode chariots into battle. Roman soldiers wore short skirts all the time. Roman roads were always in good working condition. Sewers and false teeth were invented by the Romans.

While not specifically about Hercules, it might be worth checking out Thomas Bulfinch's Myths of Greece and Rome if you have an interest in Myhtology. It does cover Hercules in the book.

Great Review Klingan! This book used to be on my list of stuff to read about a year back, but it fell off. I hear Mary Beard's newest Roman book has won many awards, so that's definately something to look out for.

Welcome Back!

Interesting to see A graham Sumner book among the list - they are notoriously hard to get hold of, usually becoming out of print within a few days of release.

These are excellent! Good job!

It wouldn't be completely out of the question for the Druids to have practiced cannibalism as well as ritual sacrifice. After all the Maya and Aztecs priests did the same - the Aztecs on a massive scale. Then again it might be a mistake on the Romans behalf, considering they thought that the early Christians were cannibals, based on a misinterpritation of the rites of communion, I believ. Does anyone have the source for that story? Perhaps it was Tacitus in his annals.

Great, looks like something Kate Beaton might do!

I'd like to wish Ursus a Happy Birthday too, even though I'm two millennia too late. Same goes for any other members I've missed out on since my absence. Happy Birthday!

I know I have a general interest in the history of the Roman Republic right now; not sure what specifically as of yet. I figure the book on Caesar I bought will help me better understand the end of the republic. As good a starting point as any... just enjoy the pursuit. Thanks. Welcome Titus! Try getting a hold of Chronicle of the Roman Republic by our very own Philip Matyszak. It's a great colourful introduction to the key figures of the period. It's also worth checking out Chris Scarre's companion book - Chronicle of the Roman Emperors. The History of Rome by Michael Grant is a bit old (I think it was written in the 70s - 80s) but it's still a really great introduction to Roman history from the Etruscans to the fall of the city. There are a bunch of other books I'd recommend, such as Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome by Roy and Lesley Adkins, but it might be a bit too much for beginners. It is worth getting once you've decided that you want to pursue Roman history a bit further though, as it's great reference material but not much good if you want something to read from cover to cover.

The comparisons might be silly, but as Mary Beard has pointed out, they are sometimes useful for making us think more deeply about ancient history. Some argue it even turns the spotlight on Ancient Rome and Classical history, a subject that's often criticised as being irrelevant in modern times. As long as it brings some attention on our subject among people who usually wouldn't touch a history book with a ten foot pole, then it's probably a good thing in a way, even if the discussions are rather pointless, and the comparisons very vague or strained.

Try getting a copy of Bob Bennet and Mike Robert's The Wars of Alexander's Successors 323-281 BC. There's two volumes, although the second hasn't been released yet. The book is more military centric, although it's still well written and readable. Here's the book on Amazon: Alexander's Successors

Cleopatra does have some unintentionally funny lines. Although it's not so much a line, I did laugh at Richard Burton's angry rant, when he screamed "Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!" in quick succsession. As for bad lines in historical movies, the obvious and predictable choice is Dick Powell's 1956 film The Conqueror, starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan (I personally haven't seen it, but it seems to be legendary for its bad script): Genghis: "I feel this Tartar woman is for me, and my blood says, take her. There are moments for wisdom and moments when I listen to my blood; my blood says, take this Tartar woman." An exchange between Genghis and his would be wife (Susan Hayward): Bortai: For me, there is no peace while you live, Mongol. Genghis: You're beautiful in your wrath. Genghis is surrounded by his enemies: Genghis: Come and take me, mongrels - if you dare. While I have fingers to grasp a sword, and eyes to see your cowardly faces, your treacherous heads will not be safe on your shoulders. For I am Temujin, the Conqueror. No prison can hold me, no army defeat me. Here's a scen from the film: Dance, Tartar Woman

I've never read it, although I do enjoy the artwork by some of its contributers. Here's some illustrations by Johnny Shumate: Johnny Shumate Portfolio Hope you enjoy them!

Sorry! I should have realised considering Ursus wrote the review for Rome: total war. Thanks for the review Ursus!

Haha! Those aren't the new ones that I did for the base gallery. They were already there (part of the message board's original package, I presume), and the reason why I felt moved to provide some Roman-themed and Greek-themed avatars for our members. -- Nephele Ah, I see. I think some Asterix characters should be added as well, in keeping with the Roman theme. What do you think? Well, I've got Caesar from the Asterix comics in the collection. Asterix himself is a bit difficult, because of his rather imposing headdress that sort of takes up the entire box. To fit it all in, I'd have to downsize the picture quite a bit, and then Asterix's face becomes unrecognizable. And cropping out Asterix's headdress just doesn't seem right, it's so much a part of him. If anyone here has any success at creating avatars from the Asterix comics (Northern Neil has a GREAT one as his own avatar), then feel free to post them in this topic. Any avatars you create must be no larger than 64 x 64 pixels. -- Nephele While Obleix's face might be a bit too fat! Great selection Nephele, I hope you'll add more in the future.

Fascinating interview, it's odd how such small things like an family argument about Cleopatra can spark such life long interest. I hope she does discover it, although not too long ago I watched a documentary about Cleopatra, which was originally shown on the Discovery Channel in 1997, and even then they considered that Cleopatra's tomb was about to be discovered soon.

I was expecting them to boil Harry Potter in their cauldron. Or, since they're from Mordor, at least a hobbit... Yes. That video would have been a lot more effective if they had done a drive-by of Hobbits or Elves. Okay, I'd posted this link here awhile back, but then deleted it because it's one of those tunes that's hard to get out of your head and winds up tormenting you all day long. Aurelia the sharp-eyed caught it before I'd deleted it, and PM'ed me. So now that you've mentioned Hobbits, you've asked for it. I give you... It's an evil, evil, EVIL music video. -- Nephele Arrgh! I first saw that about ten years ago or more, and I still haven't forgotten about it!

It appears that there may be a seperate film being made that follows Rosemary Suttcliff's story a bit more closely than Centurion does. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...amp;#entry93533 I thought I'd read about it before, thanks for that GPM!

Good Review Viggen. Seeing this game's price drop in recent weeks I've been considering buying it, but I've been put off by the fact that it's basically just a turn based game (I've been spoilt by the Total War series). Even so, I thought it might still have some other areas that would put it above your usual turn based game ( I did enjoy Civilization II), but after having read your review, I've come to the conclusion it's better not to part with my cash.