Pertinax

If I said I had would anyone be surprised?

again from re-enactment, id say also, that he was fairly busy pointing and ordering with a pilum/staff so he needed to be uncluttered on his right hand side.

PPs last sentence is exactly how I felt as well.

As I have mused elsewhere before, there is evidece (if I'm not mistaken) that Iberians would sheath their Falcatas that way... Considering what a Falcata was good for, that would ahve been a very scary unsheathing motion. Yes indeed , head and shoulder protection would be de rigeur. I suppose the secondary consideration after first contact would be the time required to repeat the cutting motion whilst a surviving opponent sought to stab . Reach alone versus the Naginata is an incredibly difficult proposition, using a falcata to cut high (vertically) or low (horizontal across shins) would I think tend to break an infantry group's stride-unless light infantry/slingers could be of avail.

Good point FV -the "lack of effort" was what struck me , and it seems to require very little space.

this may not translate transatlantically as it is from transylvania, but no transvestites are involved televisually. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdh4Ezcpf6A why! its the Damned!

Sir Kenneth Clark (Civilisation) suggested that the Celtic attitude to gold was heavily informed by its use as a craft medium, ie: though they knew its value in the mundane physical world they put vast creative energy into crafts and weaponwork using it. In deed he suggests that the more amorphous the particular tribal group was ,in terms of physical manifestations of culture ie: the less materialistic or "visible" , the greater the energy put into working gold. The argument was extrapolated into the Celtic socities of the Dark Ages , suggesting that the quality of craftsmanship peaked at the very time when all other types of cultural expression ( buildings, books, learning ) were at a nadir. episode two ,if I remember, in this great work. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B...2620765-5794332

Watching the LEG III re-enactors recently I couldnt see any problem drawing from the right, the motion was fluid and uninterupted.Either drawing or sheathing, the Gladius was repeatedly drawn and returned within a moment.I think the length of the blade is critical , the Gladius is really quite a short weapon and if made even to a reasonable standard should balance in the hand easily. The Spatha is an entirely different creature, with a different purpose , (neatly cleaving a head from the back of a horse), and a different set of physics. The abdominal draw is nice and "snug" , if I can use such a term in this context, but I suggest it depends what other clutter you have about your person -the Legionary was truly heavy with offensive and defensive gear. I personally like the oriental "over the right shoulder" draw from a weapon sheathed to the rear of the wearer, the blade moves out with the flow of the arm-if you are a cutting specialist that is. This would of course be a problem to the chap behind you if you were exuberant.

In Britain he was described as "the Coolest Man in America" -in competition with Samuel L Jackson, C Montgomery Burns (my personal nomination) ,and Dean Martin this seems quite an ask.

I think a strategic point that is often overlooked is that the Gallic and British tribes were interrelated , indeed a gallic chieftain could (and did at one stage ) claim overlordship of a british tribe.Given the quality of cross channel waterborne traffic from the Belgic area , any colonising power would have had to look over its shoulder at Britain as a fllaking extension of Gaul.

Oh no , we appear to be speaking Punic.

A haircut , a gun and a meal? No cocktails!

He did a similar job on the "Crusades" , which I will now search for on the same database, basically suggesting they were a bloody shambles from start to finish. Nothing new there then.

Yes, I think the "Noble Savage" term is exactly apposite here , we have a foe that is admirable to the extent of having a certain moral integrity but is also emotionally immature. The eulogy cuts both ways , the foe is great and proud but "feminine" and unRoman. The speech does I think hint at the way Victorian "muscular Christians" looked down upon "base motives" in exploration and conquest.

AAh molto di espressioni giocosii! im rusty-dont laugh!

I suggest that Augustus was very busy consolidating power and that the British Kings were "chips in the bank", which could perhaps be cashed in one day. Certainly the way in which British monarchs defined their legitimacy by reference to Roman standards of polity and ethics (never mind conspicuous consumption) tells us that Rome was the arbiter of "corectness" even if remote and non-interfering.Tacitus and Strabo certainly look a little more even handed in the quoted passages, the difficulty is of course that GJCs account is like an account of a British Victorian punitive expedition dealing with recalcitrant , cunning natives. If you admire GJC for his combination of wit,style,bravery and brass neck (as I do ) then I think you can "re-translate" in your own head, to a degree ,allowing of a more undoctored/spun mental vision of the Gallic Wars. Ive said before , remember the initial "invasion" (expedition) had the prestige (and technical difficulty) of the first moon landing in its own day. To even land and wave a gladius about was an act of prestigious bravado that reflected on the Roman world as a whole.So, if you were part showman , part usurper what more daring task need be done? Conquest was perhaps not really on his mind at all-merely a "demonstrandum".

You mean I cant say Trolley Dolly to an Air Hostess any more?

Should've responded earlier but Homage to Catalonia is one of Orwell's great books and one of the best war memoirs ever written I think. Too bad it gets lost in the shadow of 1984 and Animal Farm like his other writings. Im glad you said that as I think it is superior to both . Are you (I assume) familiar also with this title: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...5Fencoding=UTF8 by Laurie Lee from the same conflict .

Before I attempt a fuller reply I have to comment that the "duty from commerce" phrase is the most significant , in my opinion, in the quotation. Had not the prestige of such an outrageous conquest at the ends of the Earth indeed "across the Ocean" been so significant I am mindful to suggest that Rome could have slowly effected assimilation of the Southern Tribes by trade alone.The Brythonic upper classes seemed to care not one jot what level of custom tax was imposed upon them. My forthcoming review of the Roman Navy in Britain particularly mentions the inappropriate nature of anchoring techniques used in the Med, and the lessons learnt from GJC's loss of ships.Remember however the Romans were nothing if not combat engineers par excellence , a Legion could knock a serviceable Liburnian together with reasonable speed. Tacitus is I think nicely balanced here, the same could be applied to Gaius' sea shell escapades as a dry run for the Claudian invasion. more to follow..

presently I can only find a reference to African weapons of this type having an inside cutting edge (C.Spring "African Hilt Weapons" ).

making up words! shame shame . perhaps the word incalescence is a source of difficulty? meaning as all know a type of mental overheating and intellectual "excitement" . Aggled-fye fye-an old Englisshe usage meaning excited and distressed , i'll warrant you most particularly from the New Forest area of course .Pantechnicon of course means a collection and coming together of items , a great "hugeness" of ebullient philology.Cymbocephalic-pish-an easy word meaning a constriction of the skull, perhaps caused by excessive scrutiny of books and librams. The word "that" I shall ponder most fondlye... as we all know Lord Blackadder did mention to Dr Johnson that he was peridiscombobulated......

Well thats very much to his credit, Anyone who will take the time to speak and make an effort to be approachable is worthy of considerable commendation.