Pertinax

As I have expounded elsewhere, woad wasnt just to scare the neighbours whilst coveting his ass or maidservant... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1774

The whole thing is sectional and it would be possible to do either , but , I suggest from my own experience that leaving the front permanently tied and the rear as the "usual" fastening is sensible: a buddy fastening the knots with free hands is more likely to tie secure knots. One would not have the time or luxury to disassemble the whole thing in the field , so "ready use" must be important . http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...=si&img=998 all these men actually fastened these Lorica from the rear.

Not I hope , a dead albatross in your chimney stack?

Aha! I see the kilt clad cozenage of the cacophanous cachinnating camsterean capripede of Brooklyn!

I just alighted on this thread and have to suggest that Robin Lane Fox's "Classical World" (which I must now hurry to review) is a most useful work on the core issue of this thread. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141021...ay&v=glance

I just ordered the DVD from Amazon and am looking forward to it. Especially the commentary you cited above. I've been trying to get into the pre-Christian "Roman mindset" for a while now. And while I think I come closer to it than many people by virtue of studies in paganism, it's still difficult at times. It's really quite amazing how much cultural conditioning and baggage surrounds us, the weight (often dead weight) of history bearing down upon us as it were. Most interesting is the TOTAL lack of body-shame, gettting or being naked did not deprive a person of rank of any dignity (though rules of appropriate conduct still applied ), so , for example, we see Mark Antony happily chatting to Vorenus whilst being cleaned by his body slave in the courtyard of his house ( or rather the one he stole from Pompey).

Laurel contains quite a dose of cyanogenic glycoside . Chewing the seeds can lead to poisoning , the cherry laurel is the one divisive to cattle/ruminants , using the leaves instead of bay (they are similar) would cause vomiting.The principle is the same as eating the bitter kernel of almonds-cyanide.

Sorry, that may have sounded a bit facetious, but I am curious to know. Not at all, no offence taken

Yes , and here is their favoured Deity-I had this filed away because I thought they were such a remote and unusual group. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?&a...=si&img=973 Very nice. Does their deity have a name? Astarte, Astaroth ,Astarte Syriaca,Ishtar, Astartu- conflated with Venus.I understand that linguists suggest a strong connection between the names Astarte and Aphrodite.

Yes , and here is their favoured Deity-I had this filed away because I thought they were such a remote and unusual group. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?&a...=si&img=973

Unbelievable! I had hoped to see this group today, but other commitments got in the way. I swapped e mails with them only yesterday, and I didnt know about this specialisation . Well done WW. The Syrians are attested at Banna-quite an odd detachment in this locality.

This type of horseman / light infantry pairing is not uncommon, the Egyptians used "chariot runners" for very similar purposes-the constant theme though is of horseborne units trying to outsmart or negate each other ( as Spurius rightly tells us) in relation to "drawing out" infantry . I understand the cataphractus to be a later dominate "innovation", though the Clibanaphoroii and Cataphractoii would have been met as enemies in Parthia ,Sassanid Persia and versus the Sarmatiae. As I have already suggested, Rome's response to such a possible innovation would be to hire them at once!

If you trawl the Roman Britain in Maps site, check the dedications at Glannaventa, Vircovicium, Vindolanda and Banna-if I remember you will find Batavian items, you will also find that the Batavian commander at Vindolanda is the central charachter in this work: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0521659...8&s=gateway

Yannqui Si! Fidel No! Those who have democracy think it is a toy, idiots.

This is a little like the adoption of accents, in movement between perceived social groups then? Intonation/rythmn and timbre are adopted to achieve a "willingness to communicate" within that group. So the linguistic survival is based on a desire to assimilate a set of social mores? Hence no Hunish dialcts in central France.

Not quite CSI Miami nay?

I knew Longbow would deliver on that one!