Pertinax

Dignitas defeats Sophistry. I think this series has been made by people with a measured eye for entertainment and an insight into Roman ideals, that moment "he was a consul" was the one where I thought -"yes " thats what it might have been like,I know the Vorenus/Pullo show is a continuity device but even they have dignity and seriousness according to their rank.

side note: dedication to seraphis in 'Eboracvm" gallery

oh dear even worse than I thought! It was meant to say-"if you can read this "fender/bumper" sticker ,you are seriously overeducated and too close" how wrong can you be?

Would you mix that with Devil's Dung to prevent indigestion? The traditional British food to eat with any second rate alcoholic bevarage ( not that I include fermented mare's milk in that category) would be mechanically retrieved chicken carcass meat mixed with a delicious batter of dried onion, flour, emulsified vegetable oil -deep fried in rancid rape seed oil.Eh voila! As a medicinal aid ? well id try milk thistle (silymarin) and golden seal (hydrastis) the day after,(and a sauna)!

Thats about the most comprehensive breakdown on silphium ive seen-ive kept an eye open for any additional material but im afraid its all bits and pieces,Nero really should have kept that last plant instead of scoffing it. I conjecture that harvesting might have been somewaht similar to Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadiensis ) , a wild growing herb, only reaching true potency after a couple of seasons , with a sparse range, picked by knowledgable locals, and picked only at a particular season. Asafetida doesnt figure prominently in modern herbal materia medica-it tends to be an add on to some nervine mixes,( being anticonvulsivant), ive never had ocassion to use it as a tincture or fluid extract (if I had I could tell which variant was the most common commercial variant) . I understand its main use is as a flavouring in Worcester Sauce,(but you probably knew that one!).The gum resin from the roots is the part of the plant used.

Salve Fratres! si hoc adfixum in obice legere potes.et liberaliter educatus et nimis propinquus ades

well kids used to pick them to make daisy chains -but im not too sure now .The gallery photo ive put up is in some undisturbed secondary woodland by the way,( no I didnt eat any!).

this has to be an onliner?

His main target is always western manners,mores and class systems

my time scales are hazy-how does this relate to Meskalamdug of Lagash and Eannatum?Am I in the correct frame?

I dont think Epicurus was a million miles away from the Stoics,in many ways the division is between "sufficient enjoyment without wrongdoing" versus restraint tending to moral austerity-if you have a dearth of compulsive personality traits then wine ,women and song dont feed addictions -you just go home and get a good nights sleep after a modest bout of social drinking:ive often wondered if this was somewhat similar to the Samurai ethical position of not appearing too austere but properly displaying merited rank in a forthright manner. The school of the Stoa seems to be a Liberal non-materialist creed for those who feel that "being saved" from anything is not a rational world view . Look at Pliny (Elder) a man full of life and deeply inquring-all the writings are tinged with a view centred on the moral "plainness" of what being Roman is , nothing fancy needed for psychological health but to remember oneself as a balanced person without overweening desires or lusts. Epicurus goes a way further ,the balanced personality can savour unusual foods,wines (whatever) but in the knowledge that gluttony and lust destroy any true appreciation of "fine things". I hope im not rambling here If I had to go modern again id say ,your soldiers and politicians should be stoics and your urban elites can afford to be Epicurean! I dont think either view would be a mental or moral hill to a Liberal atheist, my own Father was in many ways a Stoic who quite fancied being an Epicurean but happened to be a Liberal Protestant who liked to think God might possibly exist-but he didnt get excited about it. I feel im an Epicurean who's overindulgent and should be a Stoic, whilst also being a very relaxed Protestant Liberal(Whig) . I think many ordinary Romans being seriously practical people would have kept an eye on the Gods,(why offend anyone who might alter the odds for you?), and Stoicism being so practical could be as simple as good manners in educated company.Wealth from conquest is I still think the key "spark" to the enjoyment of luxury . Oh dear that really was a stream of consciousness rant. This is a great thread-but im worried that im getting too close to "modernism " again

"is it a dangerous animal ? or did I just dream it?"

I forget we are a cross cultural entity! I mean Liberal as in European Social Democrats and their role in extending the state into all areas of life,( certainly not a true "Liberal",being in many ways an British "Liberal" myself or possibly more correctly ( but outdatedly) a Whig ). I didnt want to spark another Rome yesterday-USA today debate, I was trying to kick some thoughts about in relation to modern interpretation of "moral"ideas. I apologise for the vagueness, the comment was the least part of my post

the Tulane link is exactly what I sought as a starting point.And the 'City " estimates are very interesting especially in relation to the various plagues. So no wonder the Province of Brittania was left to its own devices when trouble flared on the continent.

My suggestion is this-the Romans were often Stoic ,particularly in War and in their attitude to actually functioning in the world , and Stoicism was ( I feel) a defining characteristic that ruled the Roman head and Soul,and a system of thought and ideas that would be very central to many lives (dare I suggest a modern parallel-many people go through life witha nodding acquaintence to Christianity, but they would not wish to be buried or cremated without the benefit of a Christian burial(this is not a comment on modern social mores)), and those who espuosed it would be considered virtuously and definitivley Roman.I suggest Stoicism as it came to be is an intellectualised Romanism of attitude. However in their hearts we seem to see them( or certain prominent sections of society) leaning towards the Epicurean, the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, wealth ,food ,drink and sexual liasons.This is perhaps a little like the "wealth " which overtook the Dutch as they became a new nation with a new religious central identity-their "virtue" and Godliness profited the worldly state enormously. I also suggest that there are very strong parallels to Victorian England which wholeheartedly admired Rome, an iron will to "Civilise" and impose order because it was a moral obligation to do so within a certain religious framework and a huge dynamic self confidence based on being ,if not too clever(possibly anti-intellectual) , tough ,durable, plain spoken and Democratic ( to a limited section of ruling population), with a sub-culture of sensual indulgence. Does this help the debate? So you could "become " Roman by accepting the Stoic stance( I simplify greatly)-hence their ability to deal with issues such as race and religious variation which liberalism hopelessley fails to do. The difficulty with the idea of degeneration is that actual world events, population dynamics and chance wait for no man or political system.

Cowslip is quite hallucinatory if you overdo the recipe by the way-(saponin glycosides)Iit happens to be a very good nervine for precisely this reason if used in a reasonable dose strength, (and just to add it became "Our Lady's keys" as Freya was pushed aside by Christianity). posted illustration in gallery-as Freya's key

im prepared to forgo sex appeal for full segmental armour and a shield

The Snails in Cumin are a brilliant ploy-a flavoursome dish but cleverly the Cumin is one of the best anti-parasitics (still) available ,snails as you know need careful purging (usually with milk ) to make sure your guests dont get nasty /bacterialparasitic infections.( beer would do as well).