Pertinax

Professor Ward-Perkins, which author brings Rome most directly alive to your imagination? Pertinax.

In the UK we thought ANZAC was a good term for everyone who turned up to risk their necks along with our chaps from former Colonies and Dominions-so its official name has a further unofficial and affectionate side to it.

I kicked the thread off when I was pondering why would a secutor be at an advantadge over another conditioned athlete, or at least offer a strongly contrasting fighting type? I had a look at some mosaic illustrations and wondered if physique varied greatly-it might do between ethnic groups with different diets and lifestyles (as we now say).I presume the object of pairing would be incongruity/contrast so the secutor would have to duck and dive to avoid a heavy blow from some tubby murmillo.Lost Warrior is to the point if the struggle has to be to the death (or near enough) weight would be a blessing in a brawl. Sumotori get hefty on seafood porridge , but that wasnt quite the "heavy" I was thinking of. Pork would be a top of the range food for accomplished men, well worth the investment for those who liked to bet on a well conditioned fighter. Cholesterol is much maligned nowadays but it one of the best "ready use" repairing substances in the body, athletes with a high HDL level are not under any great risk from cardio difficulties -so I say a tubby guy who could run a bit would get my backing at the games. are you not entertained?

well so far I have only seen the first 3 episodes but the quality has been consitently excellent, the last time I actually scheduled any activity around a Tv show was when Inspecotr Morse was shown .

Didnt like the Raw Oysters? Try em smoked then, very flavoursome.

I wish to add Mr Warren Zevon and his Werewolves

I couldnt help but notice that depictions of gladiatorial combat do not always contain images of athletic and muscular types, indeed I notice a tendency toward a stocky rotundity. I assume that like boxers fitness is good but a reserve layer of subcutaneous fat was even more important to take a sword blow and recover. My personal experience is also that when I was at my heaviest ,(but with good cardio vascular fitness) I was more comfortable in a Kendo bout. After I was unwell and lost weight (in the wake of a contest) I never felt quite as strong again.

monosodium glutamate the flavour enhancer is the key it was identified as the active ingredient by a Japanese scientist-we have cantonese restaurants with a similar sauce for Sea Bass and Lobster.

Favonius ive just remembered that there is an indirect reference to sulphur as a known cleanser-remember when Ulysses slays the suitors the house is purged with sulphur, so its medicinal properties were understood ,however there is no mention of sulphur in the context of Roman usage, though I cant believe they would have lost sight of its use as so many physicians/combat medics were Greek.

http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/garum.htm ah Fratres, I have a link so you can now make your own Garum.Rest assured I will be trying this recipe.This is a site after my own heart.

Honey was at the centre of Egyptian rational medicine, early works on Egypt are rather grim reading as very low life expectancy, infant mortality and drought seem to overwhelm the physician; there seemed to be more leaning to the irrational medical notions. The impetus behind development ,once again, seems to have been a concerted drive to keep healthy troops in the field .Most of the works I have read were concerned with wound salves, cuts, infections , crush wounds , head injuries and also crocodile bites.

There is reference to the earlier egyptian method of onion (quercitin) and honey with verdigris as a wound dressing (quite rational , a strong enzyme and a bacteria suffocating paste). Inflamed wounds -willow (we still use it today, salycilic acid an excellent painkiller)..Dressings as such are not included in the text, its more biased toward medics instrument kits and general anasthesia.I have a bad feeling that I might have to try and prepare a small paper on this very area you are asking about. and I also add: a dried scab lightly covered was considerd the best dressing!

As an aside to the review I was intrigued to see that Cruse identified Helminth invasion ( sundry ameobic/protozoan/worm infestation of a human host ) as a neglected area of population study in Roman disease dynamics.I would have to add that it is grievously neglected nowadays, one of the most active areas of self help in disease is making sure adults and children are parasite free . Many alleged cases of ADD and hyperactivity are caused by 1: the presence of helminths (often from dirty water alone, though widened foreign travel contributes) combined with2: excessive use of dairy products -namely from cow's milk in the very young- something the Roman's would not have countenanced. The Parasite Menace by Weintraub is an interesting if rather sensational read (it is very up-front "American " in tone if you are British).The basic science is good though. I will now leave my soap box after that small rant.

part 2 commences... Cruse gives us a brief history of the supply of Rome itself with water and what a great undertaking this was and how rapidly the city outgrew each of these schemes.The item which struck me most forcibly was that the Romans were quite aware that putrid matter must be kept away from clean water but that germ theory was not mooted in any form given that internal wcs were often close by to the kitchen and we are reminded of the collection and use of urine on a wide scale for fulling( and the olfactory problems that arose) .The provision of vast comunal latrines is also described in quite sufficient detail. The Baths as a cultural and hygenic force are explored and their elevation to a central role in the community; and the description from the younger Seneca of the poseurs (grunting away loudly whilst weight lifting-very bourgeoise) , nostril pluckers, sausage vendors, and fat wheezy old men in the baths is gruesomely modern. I think it is in the description of possible valetudinarii (hospitals) that the strength of the author's rigorousness comes through, the essence of this being: we know of the hospital from primary sources, we see many ruins and have many finds of medical instruments but what we have long considered to be "standard pattern" wards may be general purpose building constructed for a whole range of logistical uses . It is also a possibility that many of the Soldiery carried medical equipment as well as those dedicated to medicine (frequently Greek) in the field .From these two strands of thought it is then a reasonable conclusion to look harder at our conventional wisdom in all matters relating to built environment. The section on diseases and operations (rather vividly illustrated in HBOs Rome when Titus Pullo has his head wound treated) makes the reader think :are we any more advanced or knowing in certain areas of medicine ? what have we perhaps forgotten? Its very easy to be self congratulatory and say that our surgical skills are greatly advanced but the rate of Iatrogenic deaths (admitted) is vast. We do have great advantadges in some fields but sophisticated instruments abound in Rome for many purposes (if in or visiting the UK I reccommend the Pitt-Rivers Museum Oxford if you wish to examine ancient/folk surgical tools) and one has a constant sense of feeling within touching distance of the Roman healer. The book is not a light read, it is scholarly but not dry, lucid but very dense. This is not a work for those who like the blood and thunder of campaigns but it does give pause for reflection on the very serious matter of "what happens next?" when a combatant is wounded or a citizen has dreadful toothache. I doubt that it could be read cover to cover but I nevertheless endorse it strongly for scholarship and sincerity of purpose. Authors who think clearly are worthy of praise. Flavius - yes this book is excellently illustrated ,in fact ive been a bit remiss not to say that the photos and illustrations are top notch