Aurelia

I don't normally discuss politics on the internet but I just couldn't let this one pass. This is the latest tirade from our "lovely" President Lula. Now, I'm not exactly a fan of Gordon Brown either but I truly felt sorry for the man this time. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/2...e-bankers-crash

Felix dies natalis or is it natalis laetus tibi?? Anyway, happy birthday! Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Researchers at Bonn University's Egyptian Museum aim to recreate a 3,500-year-old scent, based on desiccated residues found in an ancient flacon that allegedly belonged to Pharaoh Hatshepsut. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/200...b-wsd031309.php Who knows, perhaps a year from now we'll see Fleur d'Egypte, a new fragrance by Hatshepsut, on the shelves of all major department stores around the world.

Didn't Clemens convert to Judaism instead? What's the source on this? I just remember reading somewhere that he was very sympathetic to the Jews and may have converted (unfortunately I don't remember anymore where I saw it). Probably not the most reliable source, whatever it was. Ahem... look at my previous post Just did. You were quicker than me posting your reply. Thanks for the info, at least I don't feel like I was so wide off the mark anymore.

Didn't Clemens convert to Judaism instead? What's the source on this? I just remember reading somewhere that he was very sympathetic to the Jews and may have converted (unfortunately I don't remember anymore where I saw it). Probably not the most reliable source, whatever it was.

I'm surprised to hear you knew Space Invaders as a kid, Kinglan. This is such an old game! I for one, was addicted to Atari when I was a kid: Pacman, River Raid, Enduro, Pitfall... Completely lost interest once Nintendo came round.

Didn't Clemens convert to Judaism instead?

Lol, looks like the Finnish version of Abba. Btw, you seem to have missed . The lyrics are priceless, though, hehe...

Well, I'm actually just assuming that St Albans is cheaper than Bath given that Bath is a spa town and very touristy.

On the contrary, I think the depiction looks rather Roman. I'll bet the kid was inspired by a tour the family took to Pompeii. The Villa of the Penises opened last year and has become the climax of any educated person's itinerary in the once buried city. No, that's a kid steeped in classical studies who had the b*lls to share with passenger and cargo planes alike his appreciation for the "glory that was Rome." Don't you agree that his enthusiasm rose to the occasion? Ow. I think we have another winner. -- Nephele Your right Neph, Ludovicus is definitely hard on the heels of Ursus with that one!! I can almost smell the testosterone flying around here. Just don't get too worked up, boys.

Oh yes, the bit about Caesar is also funny. This one (another lego animation) has nothing to do with Caesar or Romans but it's one of my all-time favourites:

C'mon, not all women are fickle. I think you have just been quite unfortunate to cross paths with some really rude specimens recently. Looking on the bright side, you seem to be popular with the ladies around here - I see mostly girls replying to your posts.

I just couldn't resist posting this here. I'm a big fan of Eddie Izzard, a British stand-up comedian. These skits about Rome are already a bit old (from his "Definite Article" tour, 1996) but they crack me up every time. Here are some of the best moments: Latin and the Romans Romans and letters Romans and the Carthaginians Also available as a

Oh my... probably not a lot to do around there except, erm, well...

Oh yes, I'm sure celtic legends go back a long way, probably as far back as the Iron Age. Like you said, pre-Roman.

Waikiki? Sounds lovely! I'm supposed to fly back to cold and grey northern Europe in a couple of weeks (not looking forward to that) so I'm trying to enjoy the African sun as much as possible.

Yes, seems like the prudent thing to do in these times of crisis.

Hmmm... are you getting a copy?

Hi Legio. You asked for some links. This one seems to confirm that the pilum bends and has some interesting pictures as well: http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEquipment-spear.html Then there is an entry in Wikipedia, which other than some basic info provides a couple of suggestions for further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilum Other links, all of which say more or less the same thing, i.e. that the pilum was supposed to bend: http://www.caerleon.net/history/army/pilum.htm http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Pilum http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/archive/arma/welc...nner/page09.htm

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't headhunting more widespread amongst Celtic tribes in Gaul? Or was it also practised in Britain? I know that there is mention of headhunting in old Irish mythology but I would be interested in finding out whether cutting off and keeping an enemy's head was customary practice throughout the so-called Celtic world. Perhaps ritual cannibalism (if it did indeed exist) was practised by some tribes and not others.

Nah, I'm not really into l33t-speak that much. I much prefer rude emoticons... ( o ) ( o )

Verulamium sounds interesting! It's right next to St Albans, right? I would assume that accommodation in St Albans is cheaper than in Bath. What price range are we looking at? I could look up a few options on the internet.

I wish I could watch this tonight but I think, as usual, people in the US get to see it first. I knew about Druids reportedly practising human sacrifice but was also intrigued about the cannibalism part. I would be ready to accept the idea of eating one's enemies as a way of absorbing their physical and/or spiritual strength (some native American tribes in Central and South America were said to practise ritual cannibalism when Spanish and Portuguese explorers arrived there in the XVI century). Don't know if I believe the theory that cannibalism amongst Celts in Britain around 1 AD was a result of increasing hunger and desperation though.

You could say the same for Europe. The EU is very picky and European and non-European manufacturers need to comply with dozens of safety and environmental regulations before being allowed to sell their cars.

Because the Pope is German and even he needs some excitement in his life.