Pertinax

Forgive me, but I liked this... The supposition is not unreasonable..low walls from retrieved stone, "hurdles" from wood and dung and turf as a covering.

Now here is a lady whose work might appeal to several persons on this forum: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/o...icle1900992.ece

Minimus is great: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Minimus-Pupils-Boo...3731&sr=8-1 He lives at Vindolanda , and his Latin is excellent.The storyline draws the young reader in, any intelligent child with a questing imagination will be drawn like a moth to a flame.

DC can you give a reference for that please? Here is Pliny on Mithriditum: http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin...Ahead%3D%231583

A little item from The Times : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/s...icle1878700.ece

Opium was freely available in many "medicinal" forms in Britain (if you could afford it) ,the actual "enforced trade" was as Miguel says, that suffered by the Chinese. This is an excellent Opium War read: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Opium-Wars...7781&sr=8-2 Odd that we have such a cultural amnesia on this subject. ps: Chloral Hydrate was big in Victorian times btw.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloral_hydrate pps: Rossetti the pre-raphaelite is a famous casualty of "laudunum" ie: opium in tincture http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...ficial%26sa%3DN

Well I suppose this is not unreasonable: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_an...icle1882234.ece I see the drug of choice is opium, freely available from the neighbourhood chemist at that time .

Hmm, Caldrail plus weapons = The Barbarian Horde. Looks like a promising meeting. and heres the music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PyFMwgrqW8

"cute single witch" was a nice touch. A quality piece.

Walnut hulls have an extraordinarily lengthy history as a folk medicine for purging worms (along with wormwood and feverfew herb).As anyone who has experienced a rotten walnut will attest the hint of anthro-cyanide will usually make a person spit the thing across the room. Pharmacologically we have juglone (a napthaquinone) ,eugenol and various fatty acids. Th volatile oil is antifungal in vitro , the juglone is antimicrobial .A particular external use was for herpes sores.The hulls have been used as a hair dye. I cant find any erotic contexts for the plant.In the "doctrine of signatures" medieval scholars took its appearence as mimmicking the brain and therefore it was eaten to "stimulate " said organ. Culpepper mentions "The juice of the green husks, boiled with honey, is also a good gargle for a sore mouth and inflamed throat, and the distilled water of the green husks is good for quinsy and as an application for wounds and internally is a cooling drink in agues." Hence we see the antimicrobial usage.Mithridates included the walnut in his universal antidote recipe. What an odd article.

Please indulge a further question then : (and a possible very bad spelling) the "Rhomphia" /"Romphia"(?) is this a glaive like ceremonial polearm of the "Byzantine" period associated with Varangian.s? Or do I have false memory syndrome.

Some have been found in a military context. I believe the Danes called this type a 'Skeggox'. This I believe means "bearded" ? Does that make sense?

Very nice, I presume youve all seen this as well.. http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/foleo/

Indeed, the last word in luxury was the ability to cultivate sea fish in impounded ponds. Remember Lucullus? "quitted and abandoned public affairs, either because he saw that they were already beyond proper control and diseased, or, as some say, because he had his fill of glory, and felt that the unfortunate issue of his many struggles and toils entitled him to fall back upon a life of ease and luxury...[for] in the life of Lucullus, as in an ancient comedy, one reads in the first part of political measures and military commands, and in the latter part of drinking bouts, and banquets, and what might pass for revel-routs, and torch-races, and all manner of frivolity" He it was who was noted for the most elaborate of fishponds. I do recall that in one of the food threads I mentioned the Patrician who wrote an ode to his Moray eel upon its death, whilst having (in life) gifted it captivating earrings... aah I think this is some of it.. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...mp;hl=moray+eel

This is tricky . as far as I was aware the recorded history of salted codfish (or codling which is the most flavoursome lifestage) is from circa 500CE amongsrt the Basques and some Nordic peoples. AD any clues?

Many thanks, Augustus - perhaps I should adopt this hairstyle again! I apologise by the way for going attrociously off topic in places - thats what happens when you send posts whilst enjoying a glass or two of fine Calvados! Back to topic, what is the 'beaked' axe you refer to, Pertinax? I am familiar with the 'bearded' axe, which appeared thus: The very thing-so would this be agricultural or military or all purpose?

Well, all I said was the real Homer might be a woman. So Viv Nutton suggests Homer might have been "deputy chief of medical staff at the siege of Troy"! I can't wait to read on. Thanks very much for that fascinating review, Pertinax. Perhaps she was Deputy Chief of Medical Staff?

This, if someone will buy it! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-History-Po...2196&sr=8-1

A public thanks to AC and Team Northern Tribes for this .Please do not neglect to pm AC with your intentions regarding this trip!

So the cut of the Japanese longsword and the Huscarls axe are similar, (and a balanced cutting blow can strike profoundly) there again human anatomy hasnt varied for quite a while. I see now clearly the origin of the saying that "William had brought an army of priests" to England. How did you keep the mail rust free? Olive oil?

Apart from the Martial Excellence of your photo ( you are all "moffte fearsomme and warlykee" )and top of the range haute coture, I have to pose the question what then is the best way to use the axe? Is it swung in a butterfly arc as a Huscarl advances? I assume the target area is the collar bone (ideally) or the right wrist of the opponent? Add on spikes are I assume for prising open tricky suits of armour.

I was watching the late Jack Hargreaves speaking about axe blades. Might I ask the Saxon and Medieval specialists what in their opinion is the most effective combat shape for a battleaxe ? Is the beaked axe merely a working tool?

Most evocative Neil! and btw do any of you Southern Types (this is UK not USA) have any thoughts on possible meeting sites ? I am keen to lure Dalby to the shores again with a venue more easily reached via ferry/tunnel from Gaul. No rush to conclude any details but tempus fugit and even if we make suggestions for a considerable way ahead (say linking up to II Augusta on the south coast) please feel free to brainstorm-if we have suggestions I will divide the thread for a "Brittania Superior" Meet.

I am hoping we will have an update soon from the "away team" of AC and NN, just to let followers of the thread know its still very much active .

The fish sauce entry however would hint at a very large scalew trade (no pun intended).