Pertinax

I pmd him as well, his endless litany of half-mad e mails brightened my life. No reply as yet.

I personally found the leitmotif of lascivious gluttony and hedonistic excess most satisfying.

What, you are Eric Cartman?

Destroy all Units!

A little further info from Pliny .Romans appear to have appreciated a mature cheese (caseus senescentus) , Pliny mentions caesus bithynus (no Caesar jokes please) which is just such a matured item : " among foreign cheeses Bythynian is very famous , the meadows there are very salty , which you cannot see , but you notice it from the fact that the cheese turns salty by itself". Pliny also declared Gaulish cheeses to be most sought after (little change there then!) , mentioning Nemausum (Nimes) Lesur (La Lozere) and Gabalicus (Gevaudan) , though these can only be recommended when young" NH XI I note that flavouring of new cheeses was achieved with green fir cones and pine kernels (where produced in the Apennines or Dalmatia), and apple wood smoking was very popular.

As long term site users will know Moonlapse continues to strive for a planet dominated by his killer cyborg creations , here we se his evil plans are near fruition: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne...icle1831494.ece no mention of the all terrain gattling mammoth yet.

The investigation is "inconclusive" .. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20070523...ve-6323e80.html I wonder what the relative cost of the original construction of the vessel was in relation to the restoration costs? I assume that the original spec was for a state of the art , high risk vessel with an uncertain lifespan (versus a very high potential return on capital) .What would be the modern equivalent , a space shuttle?

The tea clipper Cutty Sark was damaged by fire: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/c...icle1826734.ece possibly arson, I spent many happy hours around this part of the world and the nearby Maritime Museum when I was younger this is a sad thing to happen. But...this related earlier article summarises some of my feelings about the "heritage industry": http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/c...ticle510312.ece

Here's a useful link for those who are unfamiliar: http://italianfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa022704.htm

I tried some Pecorino Romana (with Bonararda Sangiovese to accompany ), the taste of this most ancient of Roman cheeses is piquante I was moved to find a robust classical dish that uses it to good advantadge.I found this excellent small item in Giacosa's "A Taste of Ancient Rome": Spelt porridge from Lazio: Using pork rind and jowl. Boil approx 3 ounces of pork rind for about 20 minutes, then chop finely.Boil again in a quart and a half of fresh water. Chop the jowl (pigs cheek-very nice and fatty) finely and fry with garlic and herbs to taste. Add chopped onion. Add the rind pieces in water. Now add 10 ounces of spelt flour and cook for a further 20 minutes. Use grated pecorino as a savoury side dish to compliment the pork. That has a ring of tough authenticiity . So id suggest a short cut of pre-cooked pigs cheek with attached rind , diced, quickly re-fried in garlic and onion and stirred into oat or spelt porridge. The pecorino is (IMO) more subtle than parmesan and has a rich tang to it.

The constant social factor is the act of being shriven -rather than shaving oneself which is a very modern activity. To be shaved once a week by a barber/tonsor is suggested as a civilised norm (at least in European cultures) until Gillette cunningly invented the safety razor as a "disposable consumer good". Perhaps this helps us to understand the importance attached to bathhouses at Fort sites, as the civilizing epicentre of depilatory excellence?

Great, what sort of club were you thinking of forming? Cavewomen are hot.

You sneaked that Birthday in didnt you? A belated Happy Birthday

Although depilation seems to have been a desired goal, baldness (then as now) seems to have pricked the vanity of man . I find that Hippocrates suggests a mix of horseradish , beetroot , goat dung to be applied to the scalp.Whilst this confection might stimulate the follicles to pass more blood to the root of the hair I have doubts about the olfactory attractivness of the subject.

Maybe we are not so smart as we think: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/s...icle1790141.ece some disconcerting news.

Some excellent titles mentioned already, (especially Eagle of the Ninth), The Atlas of the Roman World sits by my right foot as we speak an indispensable work. My suggestions are: Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas http://www.amazon.co.uk/Around-Roman-Table...7087&sr=8-2 witty, erudite and eye-poppingly entertaining. One might perhaps say this epitomises the "decadent" Rome of hollywood , but the book is a sensual rollercoaster ride.And the recipes are great. On the Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman Dixon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Militar...7261&sr=8-1 a modern era analysis, but universal applicability. For the thoughtful student of War. Rubicon by Tom Holland http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rubicon-Triumph-Tr...7476&sr=8-1 OK its an easy call , but this is an excellent popular approach to the late Republican era. May I be indulged and give three further titles for "younger " readers?

Its a quote from Culpepper, I couldnt help but think of Mr M Jackson and his cosmetic escapades.I suspect te "late" context is so one appears to be a "careful housewife" unblackened by the sun (ie: not given to manual work outdoors).Ivy btw is strongly anti-mucilaginous (anti slime) and had a folk context as an asthmatic remedy (mucus on the trachea). The ability to dissolve protein is foremost here (hair being mostly such). Given that depilation has such a prolonged history (and indeed seems to be a most serious factor in cultural and religious milieu) I am vexed that I cannot presently find references to any formulae. This link is quite interesting: http://www.euromonitor.com/Cosmetics_and_toiletries_in_Iran but the depilation is mechanical -though I have to suggest that if one has leisure to heat and oil the skin (and possibly use resin/beeswax) the process might be less painful. Heres formic acid and lemon -now this makes (painful ) sense: http://www.amyantiaging.com/chemical-Depilatories.html

As you might imagine I was hoping the linguists might furnish a clue as to what this toxic mix might include. Ivy gum extract mixed with goats fat is the best suggestion I have garnered so far.Ivy extract was a medieval sunburn "remover" .

I couldnt resist adding this artefact: http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acatalog/Ma...Razor.html#a518 mammoth bone! Apeman shaving. I see that "psilothron" and "acidi" (sp?) are mentioned as strong depilatory creams/ungents for those too horrified of the iron blade and tweezer, could any of our linguists suggest the nature of the first item (the second seems to hint at caustic exfoliation)?

Publicus Ticinus Maenas is fashionably credited with bringing professional "Sicilian" barbers to Rome circa 300BCE, at which time an iron razor was used kept sharp by whetstone and water. It appears that oil and hot water were not adjuncts to a shave in those early days.It is suggested that Gaius of the Jullii ,known as Caeser, set the trend for depilation by tweezer ie: the removal of individual facial hairs one by one. I have just taken delivery of a razor by Merkur of Solingen , namely a straight (cut throat) razor. In the past I have enjoyed being shaved by skillful Neapolitans armed likewise .Having just practised with plenty of shaving soap and hot water I can assure all members that Iaido is a safer pursuit. I would be interested to hear if members have referential material .Suetonius regales us with tales of the screaming clients of nostril pluckers, but I wonder do we have more depilatory history?

Alas , no-one seems to have a surviving copy of the BBC original. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397778/

I will very shortly be reviewing V Nutton's "Ancient Medicine" , this book answers the question you have posed.The key point is the Roman assimilation and massive expansion of the technical vocabulary of (predominantly) greek medicine into "Roman World " medicine ie: that medicine that is the recognisable currency of the Augustinian expansion.

BBC 2 screened a show of this name last night. It was another "Timewatch" one off regarding the analysis of confirmed Gladiatorial remains from Ephesus . A team from Vienna University were analysing the possible wounds, surgery evidence and cause of death for approximately 60 sets of remains. It was fairly lightweight , but once again conjectured that at the apex of the profession quality fighting men were a scarce resource not to be wasted . The evidence of neat surgical work on mended limbs was noteworthy , the design of late-period weapons to look fearsome and draw blood , but be less fatal in usage was interesting.The scissor adaptation of a scything arm guard and a gladius looked horrific , but was actually less effective than conventional arms.Likewise the "quad" dagger/"trident" spread impact damage and was less penetrative than a trident. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6614479.stm

The British Museum makes a (very likely to be ignored) show of how we are all friends http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle1742504.ece and have common cultural values.

Here is some more Herodian tabloid journalism: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1770