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Ursus

Plebes
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Everything posted by Ursus

  1. Ursus

    What's the last book you read?

    Are you English? Blimey! Poppycock and Codswallop! No. I'm a Yank who counts a few Irish as his ancestors. But I'm completely bored by the tale of an invincible man who can hold off an army all by his lonesome self.
  2. Ursus

    Greek Culture

    Preface The civilization of ancient Greece is hard to define. It runs a stretch of time from the pre-history of some lost Minoan civilization to the incorporation of the Hellenistic East into the Roman Empire (with the Eastern Roman Empire surviving as a different but related entity until 1453). When most of people think of Ancient Greece, they think of the timeline from the end of the Greek Dark Ages to the rise of Alexander the Great
  3. Ursus

    I thought slavery was illegal

    http://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140301823/amazon-agrees-to-collect-state-tax-in-california Cash strapped states going after Amazon for sales tax. Other states like Connecticut are pursuing this, even if Amazon doesn't have any physical presence in their state. I know one of the major draws to me for Amazon was the fact I didn't have to pay any sales tax on books. Once other states catch on and force Amazon to pay taxes, Amazon will be less attractive to consumers.
  4. Ursus

    Ransom

    http://www.npr.org/2011/10/10/135778962/dawn-tripp-on-david-malouf-s-novel-ransom
  5. Ursus

    Steve Jobs RIP

    You could say that about most great men. Including some of the ones we discuss on this forum, such as Augustus. (BtW, you grew up in Pittsburgh? Cool. Ever been to Somerset County?) As far as Steve Jobs, I never owned an Apple product. Outside of the college computer lab back in the 90's, I never used one either.
  6. Ursus

    The Complete Roman Army

    I just read the recently released paperback version of the book, and I have to say it was great. The chapter on the later imperial army was pretty thin, but I guess given the dearth of information on the subject, it's not the author's fault. But everything else was top notch.
  7. Ursus

    Spartacus: Vengeance

    I guess she was too popular to kill off. I mean, it's not like a sword through her pregnant belly would actually kill her, right? T'was but a scratch.
  8. Ursus

    What's the last book you read?

    I just read "The Tain," the national epic of Ireland. Wow, it's bad. If an intellectually precocious yet still emotionally immature adolescent had written a medieval tale of sword and sorcery, it would look a lot like this, I think.
  9. Ursus

    New Roman History Books (October 2011)

    I may get the book on Germanic goddesses. The Viking one looks intriguing, but price would be an issue.
  10. Ursus

    A Post-EU World?

    Yeah, maybe that is partially why China's economy is the world's current success story, and why the Western world is bankrupt through reckless consumption. I have always felt the EU or at least the Eurozone should have been confined to Germany, France and the Benelux countries, at least initially. The expansion into fiscally irresponsible countries threatens the entire project. As long as Germany is willing to bail out southern Europe the charade will continue, but I suspect even the Germans will eventually get tired (after all, those within living memory of WWII are rapidly dying off, and post World War II guilt can't be used indefinitely to tame Germany into submission).
  11. Ursus

    What are reputable online booksellers

    I have heard Abebooks.com is a good place to find used out-of-print books. Is Barnes and Nobles still around?
  12. Ursus

    How did Roman Music sound like?

    That was interesting. I am not sure if I would call it pleasant, however.
  13. Could anyone else really use a beer right now?
  14. A long-studied archaeological site in a mountainous region between Europe and Asia was occupied by early humans as long as 1.85 million years ago, much earlier than the previous estimate of 1.7 million years ago, researchers report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Early human Homo erectus is known to have occupied the site at Dmanisi later. Discovering stone tools and materials from a much earlier date raises the possibility that Homo erectus evolved in Eurasia and might have migrated back to Africa, the researchers said
  15. The Germans most likely would have still invaded. So, a hybrid Germanic-Celtic culture.
  16. The upper class Romans were schooled in Greek letters. They were often tutored by educated Greek slaves, and finished their schooling in Greek cities like Athens and Rhodes. Upper class Roman culture from the late Republic through the Empire does bear an influence of Hellenistic culture. A prime example is Virgil, whose Aeneid was a conscious imitation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. That being said, Roman culture is not synonymous with Greek. Roman literature and philosophy may be influenced by the Greek, but it has its own tone (less abstract, more practical). Roman architecture may be based on Greek, but it has its own stories to tell (the use of arches, concrete). Even some of the religious cults that were imported from the Hellenistic east were to some degree Romanized (the Cults of Isis and Bacchus had to find a Roman niche, for instance). Then the majority of Romans, the Plebians, who were not educated in Greek ways, held to their native culture. Gladiator games and such would be their cultural experiences.
  17. Ursus

    I thought slavery was illegal

    Though the "sweatshop" atmosphere does probably violate several labor laws, in the case of the Amazon warehouse, technically it isn't slavery because people ultimately have a choice whether or not they want to work there. I am displeased to find out Amazon treats its employees so. I'll have to think twice about ordering from there (which puts a damper on the recent Amazon contest among premium members).
  18. Ursus

    Legacy of Mussolini?

    Much the same in the US. Most of the poorest states are in the Old South. But seriously,. when I read that the northern 3rd of Italy accounts for 55% of the Italian economy, I suddenly understand calls for federalism, or outright secession. Hail Padania!
  19. Ursus

    What's the last thing you saw/heard/played etc. ?

    I re-watched Krull. AN 80's movie where Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings. But is it better than Lord of the Rings?
  20. Ursus

    Polytheism versus Monotheism

    As much as I despise Constantine's religious policies, I point out things were becoming dark for Rome long before that. The weaknesses of the Empire were beginning to show themselves around the time of Commodus. And it weren't for Aurelian, the empire as we know it would have ceased to exist in the third century.
  21. Ursus

    What's the last thing you saw/heard/played etc. ?

    I rewatched The Blair Witch. I don't care what anyone says: I liked it. I thought it was original for its day, something different than the tired old formulas from Hollywood. Of course, the sequel sucked.
  22. Ursus

    Spartacus: Gods of the Arena

    I just watched 6 hours of gore, sex and slow motion of special effects. Now, after my brain stops having an epileptic fit, I'll have to form an opinion and write a review.
  23. Ursus

    Greco-Roman statues

    Some great stuff here .... gods and historical figures. http://www.theplatelady.com/mythology.htm
  24. Ursus

    What's the last thing you saw/heard/played etc. ?

    I just watched Troll Hunter
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