Pertinax

Brunanburgh AD 937 is my suggestion http://brunanburgh937.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/ The Battle of Britain should win, but do you mean pitched battle?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1841769...0393422?ie=UTF8 straightforward Amazon purchase , and a very informative read, on such everyday things as feed and tack.

But seriously...I am intrigued by Domitian's immersion in the judiciary and his (apparently) favourable conduct. His personal behaviour seems to suggest elements of obssesive-compulsive disorder (as we now call it) , certainly his sexual escapades and the Cult of his person (for which Christians suffered most particularly) hint at this. I , most tentatively suggest , that this fastidiousness (and micro management) is the "positive" flip side of his destructive compulsions.

Thank you, I'm still recovering from the heebie-jeebies engendered by my defense of the principate, but I'm recuperating with a strong dose of Polybius. (I'll bet Pertinax didn't know about that ancient remedy!) If youd have said a dose of Polypody, I would have rushed to your mansio to help you expel some large and tenacious tapeworms. Polybius on the other hand I can only suggest an emetic of Peter Green: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0500277...8&s=gateway Polypody: "An oil is extracted from the rhizome of this Fern, which, as far back as the times of Theophrastus and Dioscorides, was known as a valuable vermifuge, and its use has in modern times been widely revived".

LEG II AVG have done some hard outdoor campaigning work in Wales (fording icy streams with your gear on a scutum) , including living outdoors in a Contubernium in sub-zero temperatures. I havent seen anyone take on the Batavii amphibious ops role, my shortie review here hints at my own interest in them : http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...mp;hl=batavians they seemed to have been a valued presence for combined ops or general work near waterway communications.

Indeed,the book i referenced was referring to the early Republic soldier's.Soldiers who were still wearing the Pectorale breast guard. Dont you think the Legionnaries feet are vulnerable?if i cant get my spear into his ankles because of the Greaves i think a nice leaf bladed Spear could slice through his caligae and take two or three toes off . L As long as your are confident that you wont get a gladius in your armpit! If your using a spear you will have the basic "timing" problem of the longsword , ie: handling the longer weapon will always mean the Legionary will have time to take a couple of prods at your ribs whilst you re-balance your weapon. I did ,as an aside to the HBO Rome notes ive put on thread, hear Ray Stevenson say that out of all the gear they used (all as authentic as possible) the one thing that was a real irritant was the Caligae. Ok I know Westerners wil have soft feet nowadays , but its interesting to note the aside-he said they were wet, always full of grit and just generally irritating to wear.So time for some earlly Saxon re-enactment id say.

As you will see , GO , my dear fellow , the first part of your post has been given to serious debate previously. As to tack , here is a small article that you might find interesting.I suspect that a horned saddle is actually just fine-as long as you dont want to use a kontos as your primary weapon. http://www.legiiavg.org.uk/articles/cavalry_tack.html

Just the thing here , at least as regards helmets and some suggestions regarding "standardisation". http://www.legiiavg.org.uk/articles/articl...ic_helmets.html

I have ordered the "Apicius" , that won't surprise anyone. I hope AD approves of my purchase.

So would the term "congregational/monotheistic" be useful?

this face, from this thread: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...amp;#entry40274

The difficulty in Britain is the considerable changes in sea level since the Roman occupation, York (Eborascvm) is a good example, the original dock facilities are buried under a great deal of sediment; but a lot of that change actually occured during the Roman occupation .As regards coastal defences the use of timber( as an expedient) would likely mean a shortish lifespan for a facility, just as few ships from this time are preserved.

I think we can only guess about "standardisation" , (the scutum is mighty fine is it not?): http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...=si&img=965 this image shows off the scutii and the protective leather coverings. There seems to be a general uniformity of arms and basic protective kit, but subtle personal variations , everyone seems to have different pattern gladii (the balance of a particular sword might suit an individual ), helmets differ slightly, (as has been said elsewhere good helmets would be re-cycled ) and belt furniture seems to be totally individual. A trooper must have had to conform to a discipline of presentability and appropriate arms, but where is the starting point? If you are a recruit from the backwoods the Legion will have to initially give you your basic gear, thereafter I assume a man might accumulate trophies and spoils (and "upgrades") from the fallen.

Check my review of the Classis Brittanica-by ship is the answer! And fast. http://www.unrv.com/book-review/roman-britain-roman-navy.php a neglected arm of the service.

Greaves are definitely not standard kit . Certainly as far as re-enaction goes only your top rankers can afford this type of protection. I know we have them as standard Hopliati kit , but this is the elite of the heavy infantry at that time-as a mass produced item I have yet to be convinced as to their use, one must also bear in mind flexibility and weight -anyone whos been in a serious scrap will tell you, protection is great, but speed and flexiblity are lifesavers. The question must be asked -how many enemies have the falxe? Not many, versatility is a virtue against specialisitaion .

What is this topic about? :fish:

For the "formal " meet I suggest late April , next year . For an informal get together I envisage early september. You are not alone ! I think we will get together, in the not too distant future-but Italy must be our goal.

I had best define my terms, the sea is a mile away, but in those days that stretch of sea would have been "Ocean" , that is not ""our sea " (mediterraneous) but the wild illimitless unknown.

Cohort why not write a little more on this book, as a "mini review"?

Or paste a link to the site.

You are right on target. Resolution is poor, nay?

OK , well try this : 1. seek out the UK 2. find Manchester, and from there move NW toward Lancaster. 3. From Lancaster move West across the estuary of the Lune and Leven (Morecambe Bay) toward Barrow ( a large town). 4.moving back eastward from Barrow you should pick up Ulverston as one of the few sizeable towns. Failing that I will make a note to take some detailed shots of the locality and post them here.