Pertinax

That blade is I assume supposed to be a saex? I cant make out the shape.

May I humbly suggest home grown sage as an add on to both these exquisite recipes, and possibly sechuzan pepper if you prefer a less robust pepper with a sweeter tang. Nice work chaps.

Total simplicity may be better , the full play of the wrist and hand can be used with a simple grip, add anything to the wrist in the way of strapping that places pressure on the "blood return valve" mechanism of that area ( especially with extra leverage) and you have a more complex balancing act to perform. Dont forget these people trained with very heavy practise shields to perfect handling in all situations. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...=si&img=849 does this image help? Its a heavy crop from a more detailed shot-look at all the gear this chap is carrying, the right sided draw looks like a good clutter free option! Next re-enactment is coming up soon , I will ask the people at the event their experiences regarding shield handling.

The Assyrians , I might add, produced several noteworthy military innovations: the foremost being the introduction of the jackboot to allow campaigning "out of season" -a radical and decisive concept at that time and place and combat medicine as an intergrated arm of the services - most important to have trained and experienced men healed and returned to service .

"ers" as an ending to words in Britain is , in essence, a diminutive expressing fondness and intimacy (not of the greek kind I hasten to add) with other major related variants EG: if you are in a football or cricket team you may well be named as follows: Beckham-Becks, Gascoigne-Gazza, Agnew-Aggers, Atherton-Athers, Trescothick-Tresco, Flintoff-doessnt count because hes called Freddy after Fred Flintstone, I recall the Pakistan fast bowler Tahir Naquash being called Naqqers by the test match commentary team..

Another snippet for your information: "Roman Britain" by Plantagenet Somerset Fry. This is the third book with this title I have read, the others are by Salway the OUP heavyweight mainstream academic standard, and the recent slick and informative publication by De La Bedoyere . the Gazetteer takes up over half of a reasonably substantial book , the "history " is essentially an quality resume of Romano -British history written by an eloquent and stylish journalist http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...5550885-0966207 in essence it is an extended essay , chatty and informative. The Gazetteer is invaluable for British Romanophiles, it is accurate and exhaustive .This is exactly what I hoped to have in the car glove compartment (along with the OS map ) to pin down elusive sites, for example I have been unable to pin down "old penrith " (Voreda) an unexcavated site which I now realise I have driven past a dozen times . A useful practical text.

Perhaps the interview should be obligatory reading for anyone starting a "Rome is USA thread". I agree with PP , a good read in itself, but the list is everything and anything.

Interesting follicular details I see, I myself favoured a sort of protuberant Morrissey-esque quiff like structure with a more cleanly and closely tonsured cranium. Oh Horror-I see in my msn blog ("lawks a mercy" -in ancient predigital album) that this very haircut is on display .

red ochre is the dye source I believe .does anyone have information on the economics of supply? I suggest that as an earth based pigment it might not be too pricey, but I do seem to recall that "congo red" was the main natural in victorian days before synthetics arrived .The other source of red dye available for use in paints was of course cattle blood-a lot of alleged "rose madder" is blood and lime admixed.

Not at all trashy, alas all my Girlfriends have had correctly spelt tattoos and their own teeth.

Sheppard Frere "Britannia " is quite good http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0712650...glance&n=266239 I was reading the Julio-Claudian Invasion section and Icenii revolt yesterday and it would be worth a look.