guy

The first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history aims to return the Roman monument to its former splendor: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304518704579521583112244014 guy also known as gaius

The race is tightening up: http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/referendum-race-on-knife-edge-as-no-support-slides-1-3382125 guy also known as gaius

Some people will find any excuse to show pictures of attractive members of the opposite sex. I, however, post this for information purposes only. Here's Angelina Jolie's attempt at Latin: 'Quod me nutrit me destruit' in English is 'What nourishes me destroys me.' I'm not sure whether she is referring to love, food, relationships, etc Christopher Marlowe (English dramatist 1564-1593) also had this bit of Latin on his portrait (upper left corner). Me thinks he probably understood Latin better than Lady Angelina. guy also known as gaius

Not my kind of movie, but it will hopefully renew interest in the Roman Empire / Han dynasty comparison. Being Romanocentric, I am reminded by my Asian friends that these two empires were near contemporaries, both had around 55 million inhabitants, both had a developed infrastructure, and both had a sophisticated bureaucracy. Surprisingly, although both empires encompassed extensive territories, they were isolated from each other. Although some of the comparisons are a stretch, it's always good to examine history from other perspectives. guy also known as gaius

I believe it is in the walls of the Corinth Canal which Nero had tried unsuccessfully to build. guy also known as gaius

Thank you. (Above is a plaque to Nero AD 68 in Corinth. It seems Nero had retained his popularity in the East despite his growing unpopularity, at least among the elites, in the West.) guy

Although I'm able to post images in my original (first) opening posts, I am unable to post images in replies to others' posts. guy also known as gaius

This is from Haley Elizabeth Garwood's novel "Zenobia." This is from Chapter one. On top of the chapter: 252 A.D. The Syrian Desert Here's the exact quote: guy also known as gaius

That's probably the most straightforward way. I saw how one author set the story by something like "it is now 420 years after the death of her savior from Nazareth who was crucified for being a traitor." Your way is better since it is more precise and there were certainly more than one traitor who was crucified at that time. Plus, most people don't know that Christ died sometime around AD 32-36. guy also known as gaius

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10754378/Mummies-in-the-CT-scanner-disease-beauty-tips-and-jewellery-exposed.html guy also known as gaius

Good luck on your novel. Sounds exciting. How will you reference the date of the setting in the book? guy also known as gaius

I'll let Adam Smith render his opinion. From "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" or better known as simply "The Wealth of Nations": Be it fifty years, a hundred years, or possibly a thousand years, even the US will lose that drive and cohesiveness that has made it a successful state. When I speak to younger folks, however, and they insist that all Western success (and not only the U.S.) is based only on white privilege along with the exploitation and destruction of other cultures, I feel less optimistic about the future. guy also known as gaius

I partially agree with the Treasure Act of 1996 of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act,_1996 later expanded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Antiquities_Scheme According to these laws: Scotland has its own law (of course), the Scots Common law. I don't know how this law handles things. guy also known as guy

As I do my Spring cleaning of some old links on the computer, I decided to leave some of the research I did on the Frome hoard here: Here's Dave Crisp describing his finding the hoard: Here's an interesting video with pictures taken from the hoard. Here's an article by Sam Moorhead, one the researchers of the hoard (and one of the authors of the book reviewed above): http://www2.britishmuseumshoponline.org/?p=310 guy also known as gaius

Here's a follow-up about the Frome Hoard, now in the Somerset museum. guy also known as gaius

The preauction estimate of $30,000-$40,000 seemed high. That said, I think the hoard is priceless for its historical and research value. I think it would be a great addition for any museum. guy also known as gaius

Surprisingly, this small hoard went for only $17,625.00. Hopefully, some museum or other group bought these coins and will allow them to be on public display. At least, if the coins are examined individually, they will be closely studied and cataloged. By careful examination, it possibly can be determined (by the date of the coins) whether they were slowly accumulated over the years (for safe keeping or as an offering to the gods) or were they quickly and haphazardly dumped together (because of an impending attack or natural disaster, for example). The Frome hoard is an example of the successful study of a Roman coin hoard: http://www.unrv.com/book-review/the-frome-hoard.php guy also known as gaius

Do we have any regulars from Scotland on this site? guy also known as gaius

I can't click on any of the images. guy also known as gaius

I guess Scotland is voting later this year for independence. What a silly vote. Scotland is almost a second world nation that would sink back into poverty if they achieved their complete independence. (I blame the loss of Scotland's intellectual drive and innovation, as well as their lack of motivation for economic growth, on Scotland's allowing itself to be seduced by the baubles and trinkets from London...but that's another story.) Long past are the intellectual giants of the Scottish enlightenment such as Adam Smith (economics), David Hume (philosphy), James Hutton (founder of modern geology), Adam Ferguson (founder of sociology), James Watt (Mr. steam engine), etc. The greatness of the medical school in Edinburgh (where the American signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Rush went for medical education) is long forgotten, only to be replaced by physicians who now try to blow up an airport. I would vote "yes" on Britain, but "no" on the monarchy. Of course, this opinion has made me the target of a lot of hate on a couple web sites. Here's a video from the WSJ from someone promoting Scottish independence. Good grief. http://live.wsj.com/video/opinion-alan-cumming-free-the-scots/29527D4C-72B1-42FD-8647-E5031A3CFA04.html#!29527D4C-72B1-42FD-8647-E5031A3CFA04 (Click on the link "Alan Cumming: Free the Scots" to see the video) Sorry for my insane rant, but there's a reason why my relatives left Scotland more than 200 years ago. guy also known as gaius

I appreciate the work people are doing. That said, the gallery section of our individual profile doesn't seem to be working. This is the message I get when trying to click on an image on my own gallery: "Sorry, but that does not appear to be a valid image. If you arrived at this screen by following a link on this site, please notify a system administrator" Thank you in advance, guy also known as gaius

I do a lot of my research in Las Vegas for just that reason: I hope to make new ancient discoveries: guy also known as gaius

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/05/newser-ancient-romans-giraffe/4327395/ http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/how-did-people-in-ancient-pompeii-end-up-eating-giraffes/282795/

This video and others in the series have been very helpful for me: guy also known as gaius