Pertinax

I think that the quote of DC is in the chapter 68 of the life of Augustus (Suetonius). Ah yes , thank you ..this is a reference to depilation using the hot walnut hull. So I have to ask is the walnut shell especially sharp? Given what we have previously discussed elsewhere about visiting the Tonsorii for a shave , perhaps the shells have some virtue ((easily manipulated ) that we are unaware of?

The contemporary assumptions are puzzling, "breaking the male mould " is the modern feminist deconstruction . One could argue that as she assumed the beard and symbols of power she was a savvy political operator from a caste which assumed divine right to rule , not a very late industrial feminist concept. Fat? Then I suggest she may have been viewed as awesomely wealthy and powerful, because precious few others would have even "love handles" to boast of.Bad teeth..for a population with an average lifespan of around 36 (if I recall my morbidity profile) being alive at 50 is impressive. However the "medical" evidence seems to support some good new ideas for the tourist trade, say "Dworkin Hatshepshut themed Nile Cruises for those casting off the shackles of Male oppression in a warm and scenic environment"

Indeed. external taxation is the "slight matter" that slips under the radar ..I suggest that this is the huge disparity in this inaccurate comparison. Just returning to Pompey , sometime ago ( maybe a couple of years actually) MPC aptly described Pompey as a "feral monster" in terms of overweaning ambition and acquisitive gluttony , Al Gore is a bureaucratic pygmy in geo-political comparison.

Pompey as Al Gore? I think not.

A couple of oblique references to other foods are worth noting, because there is a certain correspondence between their usage and certain sexual problems.Martial, I recall , suggests shallots and spring onions for the older man with flagging libido -the chemistry here is not illogical. The onion family are the best source of quercetin a useful flavinoid (or particularly flavanin) which is particularly useful in helping the diseased or inflammed prostate, also they tend (along with rutin ) to keep arteries pliable in general.So the advice whilst unlikely to promote an immediate arousal, would, if used diligently improve the general health of the reproductive organs. Wiki is quite good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercetin Also Pliny does mention a ghastly mix of pomegranate and( bull's?) testes , now I understand the "sympathetic" part of this (as im sure everyone reading this will) , but the pomegranate is tremendously alkaline and cleansing ...a jaded voluptuary could do worse than fast a little and imbibe plenty of pomegranate juice . Oysters of course are rich in zinc, zinc is a key to sperm motility therefore I certainly commend oysters to all as a nuptial feast..alas if one is ingesting too much iron this will be of no avail and one can carry on in this vein (no pun!) the key is of course balanced diet with healthy range of minerals and good cardio health. A comely companion with prominent curves and witty chat helps best I find. The collision of wishful thinking, actual therapeutic value and sympathetic elements are an indivisible mix..but witness this little gem from 20th C rural Germany "In parts of Germany, even today, some people think that eating an apple that has been soaked in the perspiration of their intended lover's armpit is a sure means of seduction." Well ok you could argue that a hint of hormonal excitement might get through , but id prefer my apple cooked.

I dont think I need to add anything to The Augusta's post..I agree with her deconstruction. The collegia sub plot is a dismal waste of time.The Agrippa /Octavia cliched inferminomoment was hammy. Agrippa was as wet as a haddock's bathing costume.

...and the Circumvesuviana is , in my opinion, a very good way to navigate the area (though the ferries from Napoli are most enjoyable if you have a little more time): http://www.answers.com/topic/circumvesuviana I fondly hope a UN UNRV meet might take this train...

Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!

well, take a look at this: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle1996433.ece

The Medieval "Doctrine of Signatures" (ie: a plant/seed/root resembling a part of the body being "sympathetic " to that part) would have us believe that the whorled and convoluted surface of the brain is mimicked by the nut and is therefore signified a s a "brain medicine" . So full circle in doctrine again.

And talking beer I raise a glass of this to our recent recruits: http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/mostpopular....uirrel_beer.php its NOT actually made of squirrels .Tastes good

Phew , my equine persona is of sufficient Patrician status.

So what we need now is detailed forensics given that her death was long said to have been untimely.On the other hand her funerary temple is (as you say in the Americas ) kick-ass.

Castellammare is a bit of a curate's egg as regards the towns around the Bay of Naples, when you go there it has a feeling of being a plain working town trapped in a magnificent setting.If they can get a tourist trade going , good luck to them , but they will need some hefty infrastructure to make the place "cutesy" enough for tourists.Maladict is right on the nail.

I was relying more on the possible meaning "persrevering"

Although I find that the stubborn mule happens to be called Pertinax , I hope this site will be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/romanmysteries/index.shtml play the game and see if you can recover my namesake!

I would not like to attempt extracting the anti-nag head at all. Would you be aiming to drop this arrow at an angle so that it was tending to plunge downward into the flesh of the animal?

The 14c is the large headed unit at the bottom of the shot? Very nice presentation btw.

I shall write more fully soon, but my immediate observation is that without Ciaran Hinds stage presence I found the new series strangely lacking in immediate personal focus. In some ways I think this reflects well on the casting , (I was similarly struck by the "weight" of Kenneth Cranham as Pompey , less so by Johnson hamming it up as MPC as a slightly pantominish villain-though I think he did his best with the script). The unfocussed "Jewish" sub plot seems to be a distraction , I hope we get some intellectual reward in this plot strand. When the first series showed I was delighted to see anything Romanophiliac , so I was happy to see Pullo and Vorrenus as useful continuity devices ..they seemed to give a witty counterpoint to the lofty "real" history. In this series I fear a divergence toward the soap opera (in terms of "our" heroes) . Full marks for costumery and sets though, everything is sufficiently grubby .The problem is I see "The Sopranos" in costume moreand more..

Perhaps AD can enlighten us regarding the folk usage of the word "corn" , maybe we have a straightforward adoption of the commonly understood word for "staple" for that staple indigenous to a given place?

The "corn dole" is unequivocally a grain dole. I wonder if the etymology is driven by the relative importance of the staple in the native economy? The term "cash" for example is , I believe , a reference to a denomination of Chinese coin which was obselete by the start of the 20th C CE , but reatained a huge weight of cultural significance thereafter.Did the Native American peoples use maize as their foremost (grown) vegetable staple?

What groups are those? Joe JG - pm the image to me and I will place it in the gallery, then we can link back to this thread for discussion purposes.

It will be interesting to see if some of this series has been excised to give the Brits more sex and violence but less politics.

JG , this link is showing "private no permission", can you update it?

Im not voting yet as I was trying to determine the "strategic" reach of the "small" campaigns in relation to the global situation. Fieldhouse made the Soviets freeze in their tracks when they understood the abilities of the UK armed forces to strike on the other side of the planet...I had thought of Giap , but then considered the casualties suffered to achieve the victory ( that is now lost anyway as Vietnam wishes to "be like Japan").Dayan ..well that victory has shaped politics for the last forty years . Im still pondering.Just thinking aloud.