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Here is an excellent article about ancient Palmyra by Paul Veyne. This article first came to my attention in Lapham's Quarterly (Winter 2017: Home). This is an outstanding publication that each quarter collects works by mostly famous articles on a single theme. https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/home/oasis-palmyra One can only grieve the destruction of the ancient Palmyrene antiquities and other historic treasures. guy also known as gaius

My inner Scotsman and Italian approve of this message (Scottish group Simple Minds filmed in Verona, Italy):

Reviewing my post from last year, I have now become increasingly convinced that Galen's plague was NOT smallpox as currently believed. There are two features from Galen's clinical description of the plague that still need to be explained: -Lack of blisters typical of smallpox with its near universal scarring and frequent blindness as sequelae. -The typical appearance of "black pustules" consistent with a hemorrhagic fever and not from smallpox. Picture of Ebola: I feel that Galen's plague was almost certainly a form of hemorrhagic fever (such as Ebola). It has been suggested that the hemorrhagic form of the bubonic plague could have also have been a culprit. The bubonic plague, referred to as the "Black death" in Europe (1347-1670), was either a more virulent form of bubonic plague (caused by Yersinia pestis) or actually a rarer, now extinct form of hemorrhagic fever: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15879045 It must be emphasized the reason for the various clinical manifestations of the bubonic plague has also been recently debated: https://www.livescience.com/15937-black-death-plague-debate.html guy also known as gaius

There is a great article in July's BBC History Revealed by Philip Matyszak: "Happy Plants and Laughing Weeds: The hidden history of drug use in antiquity." As usual, Maty has written a well researched and entertaining article on the use and abuse of drugs in the ancient world. The article is chock-full of insights and captivating anecdotes about this little-discussed aspect of the ancient world. "Opium could be purchased as small tablets in specialized stalls in most Roman marketplaces. In the city of Rome itself, Galen recommends a retailer just off the Via Sacra near the Forum." "Galen describes how hemp was used in social gatherings as an aid to 'joy and laughter.'" "There were no traces of food remnants, as is usually the case in ancient kitchens; analysis of the containers found there leaves little doubt that this room was used solely for the preparation of psychotropic pharmaceuticals. In other words, the ancient world had large-scale drug factories 3,000 years ago." This was a great article that I enjoyed thoroughly. I do have two regrets, however. First, I wish I had access to this insightful article a few years back. I had given a lecture on the practice of medicine in the ancient world and this informative article would have been a great resource. Second, delightful articles like this force me to continue my subscription to BBC History Revealed magazine. (I have come to loathe the BBC.) Recommend highly! guy also known as gaius

Yours is a very subtle cultural question that includes the proper way in Ancient Rome to greet strangers or friends, shake hands, make eye contact, etc. I don't have an answer to your question, but I have frequently thought about these often-ignored and subtle cultural aspects. Consider, for example, the difference between North American and Asian (or other cultures): http://www.martrain.org/the-handshake-and-eye-contact-cultural-conundrums/ Numismatist Doug Smith has noted that Ancient Roman coins typically show a light touch of of palms and hands with straight fingers for the possible hand greeting (as opposed to the usual tight hand clasp found in modern Western cultures). This lighter handshake might have been seen as a less aggressive and less confrontational gesture than the "hand crush." https://www.cointalk.com/threads/finally-clasped-hands.321379/ Even today, the handshake is not universal: http://mentalfloss.com/article/54063/what-proper-handshake-etiquette-around-world Of course, there is the frequent movie depiction of the ancient Roman greeting using the forearm grasp, supposedly to reassure that no one has a hidden weapon. I have not found an ancient Roman source for this type of greeting, so it might possibly be a Hollywood creation. https://alison-morton.com/2015/04/22/roman-forearm-handshake-true-gesture-or-hollywood-codswallop/ guy also known as gaius

I guess the definition of "insane" is both imprecise and unspecific. Caligula certainly showed signs of psychopathology, however. Quick review of traits of psychopaths: https://www.learning-mind.com/hare-psychopathy-checklist/ Sure, we will never know exactly why Caligula acted the way he did. Childhood psychological trauma? Childhood disease? Traumatic brain injury? An unknown hereditary organic brain disease? A hereditary propensity for a personality disorder? Too much TV and social media? My guess is that his aberrant behavior was probably a result of many of these different factors. That said, as I get older, I've come to appreciate the delicate health of our brains. I have long suspected that the behavior of England's Henry VIII was more than the result of cold calculations. I accept the notion that Henry probably suffered an early brain trauma from jousting that changed the course of history. https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/henry-viii-brain-injury-caused-by-jousting-to-blame-for-erratic-behaviour-and-possible-impotence/ guy also known as gaius

Interesting article and video: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/06/oldest-evidence-marijuana-use-discovered-2500-year-old-cemetery-peaks-western-china guy also known as gaius

I agree with the idea of giving a book that deals with science in Ancient Rome The problem with that idea, however, is the fact that most scientists (especially physicians) of Ancient Rome were of Greek descent and wrote in Greek (and not in Latin). One book that I own (but have not read, yet) is "The Genesis of Science: The Story of Greek Imagination." Although the book does deal with mostly scientists from ancient Greece, it does include information about Greeks living in the Ancient Roman Empire. Another possible book would be one about Eratosthenes who made a fairly accurate estimate about the size of the earth in 240 BCE. I have no book recommendation for that topic, however. Good luck, guy also known as gaius

Battle of Blenheim (1704). The defeat of the French by the England / Scotland (Duke of Marlborough) and the Austrians (Prince Eugene of Savoy) changed the course of modern European history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blenheim This battle essentially ended France's delusions of European hegemony. The English victory solidified the young constitutional monarchy under Queen Anne.

Another interesting video on the Roman-Romano-Egyptian-Indian trade route: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archives_de_Nicanor guy also known as gaius

A somewhat silly, but also informative episode about food in ancient Rome from the series "Supersizers":

Interesting. Did you use a substitute for garum, the ancient fermented fish sauce? I have read that a Vietnamese fish sauce is similar as well as the Italian Colatura di alici (anchovy sauce). (Neither sound too appetizing, however.) https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/26/garum-sauce-colatura-di-alici-italy-fish guy also known as gaius

I have nothing to add on the subject other than to say that the BBC series "I, Claudius" cemented the Livia conspiracy into the minds of modern students since it was first released in 1976. (The novel was printed in 1934.) I recommend the television series highly if for no other reason than to give a framework for the complicated lines of succession. Perhaps Adrian Goldworthy's book "Augustus: First Emperor of Rome" would shed some light on this subject. I have the book at home but I'm looking for the time to read it. guy also known as gaius