Pertinax

by way of light relief we are having a look at the opening scenes of the DVD. I prophesy disaster! I liked the kettenrads leading Titus' chariot into the arena.What is general opinion on this movie?

Pre -Hadrianic till maybe about 150 AD many places were still "turf and timber" . Check the gallery for my tile shot from Luguvallum.In this area we only have stone and slate evidence from 150 onwards. http://spaces.msn.com/triclinium/

Quite a trip to Luguvallum (Carlisle). I stayed in Stanwix , that is the suburb just North of the River Eden Bridge. Stanwix being the possible former tribal capital of the Great( but troublesome) Lady Cartiamandua , client monarch of the Romans , inconstant bedfellow of Venuntius the King. background is here: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3575 my location here: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...=si&img=714 AS you can see almost adjacent to the first of the Hadrianic Wall (proper ) forts at Uxelodunum as given on this map, but now known as Petriana.To the West we have the turf/coastal defence system of the Solway area running down to Alavanna , to the East the central section of Vindolanda and Vircovicium.( Scroll down the blog for previous reports). Physical remains are negligible, though everytime the ground is touched in Carlisle a wealth of items emerges. I will be posting some gallery items relating to ballistic projectiles and coinage The Castle in Carlisle is a building with a long medieval-near modern history,David of Scotland ordered it built in 1130 , Mary Queen of Scots was held here, The Jacobites took the Castle then suffered seige and defeat themselves in 1745, the Border (Reiver) conflicts flared constantly around this area and latterly this was and is an infantry barracks with regimental museum. http://spaces.msn.com/triclinium/ my external blog has a "Carlisle Citadel " gallery (roughly set out so far) showing sundry views and items from a catholic time period (annotation will follow when eyesight permits).Roman items will appear in the gallery here. I visited Tullie House museum but photography is not allowed , however I am hoping to obtain permission to shoot the specialised medical equipment in the collection-particularly the specialised eye surgery tools . Tullie is very good but I still think Vindolanda is the best collection I have seen so far never mind the actual fort area. http://www.aldinghamhouse.co.uk/ and that is where to stay if visiting the area. Soon also there wil be three major Roman re-enactment weekends, Bana , Bremetenacum and Skipton: I have already booked the hotel for the first of these in two weeks time. Arthurian Legend. edit: now the other thing that emerged from this trip was regarding Arthur (King of the Britons, Defeater of the Saxons!), at the hotel I read a long document posted from the Isle of Man by an eccentric scholar.Essentially he identified Stanwix and the site of Aldingham as a sub-Roman stronghold (not at all unreasonable if you check the topography).Further more he suggested Arthur as son of the King of Dalradia (Dumfries) , ally of Urens (northern Cumbria), with Merlin coming from modern Eskdailmuir, fatally wounded at the battle of Camelann. Camelann being by my calculations somewhere north of the Wall near Bana . The time frame is 570-595 ish. Arthur was then laid to reast on a barge and his body taken to the Isle of Man, that then being part of Dalradia. Now virtually every County feels it has an Arthurian claim but I like this tale as it hints at a cavalry mounted sub-Roman Briton (I usually suggest Arthur might have been a Sarmatian/Briton " born in the camp" to a high ranking Auxilliary ) . So I offer you one more possible thread...

probably tiles made in the Chester "factory" ( with a Leg XX stamp)but local stone was always used ( more likely Hadrianic period onwards) for work if it could be obtained nearby

There was also this offering not too long ago which I considered quite good Pompeii: The Last Day nicely claustrophaubic.

What was the quote regarding Armenia and Britain? Their conquest was not for a purpose but to display the prestige of Roman arms, and that they would "be fitting embellishments to the omniscience of the Empire" . Only as Rome garrisonned Britain did it come to have a "national" identity and to develop a coherent economic productive infrastructure.

Yes the Terry Jones aka Mrs Cohen mother of Brian. An interesting small review in todays Sunday Times mentions Celtic roadbuilding technology, (oak planks on birch runners) .Jones often tries to do some useful lateral thinking so this might be a provoking and entertaining read. Terry Jones' Barbarians will be released soon.

A 90 minute "Hannibal" is being made by the BBC in Bulgaria. http://www.sidcity.net/gallery/displayimag...?album=91&pos=1 I understand the lead actor is some star trek person.Plenty of production shots on this link.

This is probably a good place to ask if anyone has ever been able to get hold of any sort of copy of the "Eagle of the Ninth" TV series from many years ago?

this link has the mp3 files for Total War http://www.stackbabber.com/Rome%20Total%20War/

just had short down time here , UK 16:20- 16:40-thought it best to mention .

I have square eyes from becoming engrossed in this DVD. Sejanus and Caligula are the next two subjects,Ralph Bates as Caligula is loathsome, and this is achieved with a minimun of porno-pyrotechnics as in the later eponymous film. Tiberius gathers all my sympathy as man overwhelmed by a job that requires charm above any other factor , such as integrity and intelligence -and he has no charm at all. His story as seen here is "tragic" in a real sense. Sejanus and Macro are portrayed as intelligent opportunists , Germanicus and Drusus as good looking lightweight and boorish dullard respectivley. Vitellus (the Syrian Governor) is the steely,shrewd political animal sans pareil(Gerald Harper).Freddie Jones holds the narrative together as the shambling, intelligent survivor of a moral shipwreck. Very, very good. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?act=mo...&cmd=si&img=706 If you wish to see a range of screenshots from the series go to my album "Roma Victor! " on my blog. http://spaces.msn.com/triclinium/