Zeke

(Whistles...what have I started?) I am sorry everyone. I am not a Communist or anything but I got to take Gaius's side in this case. I don't support Capitalism but I think its nessissary to some extent to promote economic prosperity. Capitalism takes it too far when it uses slave labour in China to make stuff. Have Americans become so lazy that they can't make their own clothes? Nothing is American anymore. Everything is from the Third World. I bet you in Cuba they make some of their own stuff. They do "honorable" jobs like cutting sugar cane and making cigars. What do Americans do...half of us work as retailers and in service occupations. I feel sorry for Ursus...he has to work in that customor service job if I remember it corretly he doesn't like it very much. America has walked away from our agricultural princeples, once a society moves to far away from its farming past then it begins to crumble. Look at Rome for an example. In my opinion...Agriculture, small bussinesses, and University oriented positions such as Lawyers, Doctors, and Proffesors are the way to go. Corporations, huge retailer stores, mass production factories which pollute Earth's fragile environment...these are all the ways of Capitalism and slavery. If Rome has stayed with its strong agricultural base then it would have survived longer. Yet it sold out to the Latifundas, which made everyone poor and beggining for food in the cities. It sold out to the immigrants who eventually corrupted its empire. All in the name of more soliders, and capitalism. Maybe my theory is wrong...in fact I don't think many of you will agree with me. But the United States and other Capitalist nations are heading down the path of destruction. I will have to work out that idea...and present an essay. -sorry about spelling, Cheers, Zeke

Well from my reading it seems Animism, and totieism were first...latter on ansestors came along and then finnally divine Gods. Am I correct?

True True....but I was refering to EARLY history when the First Cities were formed. By the time you reach the Greek Pantheon, Zeus is the head male diety. But in terms of ANcient, Ancient, History (way back in the day) Female worship was much more predominate. Yes you are right the shift was gradual. But I am saying based upon arelogical evidence and such that in the beginings of civlization the female goddess was more prominant. Then around the rise of the First Civlization...Summeria and Egypt did male gods start to take play. Until by the time of Rome many masculine enities has taken over the celestial drama. Jupiter, Sol, Mithras, Mars were the most known. Juno, Minerva, Isis and Epona though huge...are outclassed by the cult of Sol Ivictius and such. But thats just my observation -Zeke

And that relates to goddess worship how? That was just talking about Polythesiem in general...or the beginings of religion. What was the point of your post Lost Warrior, how does it contribute to the topic? -Senator Zeke

Evacuations of Catyal Huyuk and Jerhrico (The two oldest known cities in the history of civilization.) Show that the predominate religion of these two great centers was polytheism most importanty the worship of a Great Mother Earth type of diety. In Catyal Huyuk altars to this diety were wedged in between the sun dried brick hovels that the local populance lived in. There were also "warrior cults" by the evidence of spearheads and paintings of leopard skins, but they were less important then that of the Earth Mother cult. This raises the theory/question. Almost all the Early Polythestic Religions were based upon this Earth Mother, male dieties were irrelavant and ussually acted as minior consorts to this Great Mother almost all of these male dieties were sky gods or hunting gods ussually associated with hunter/gatheres. Only with the rise of Patriachal Rome and Monthestic Religions did these woman oriented cults fall from favor. What do you suppose were other reasons why early man driffted away Feminine worship to masculine worship? Another point to consider, the Earth Mother cults were associated with ferility and agriculture, while the masculine cults had to do with hutning and gathering and primal urges. With the rise of agriculture one would think that the female cults would also rise. Yet they decline in the latter Roman Empire to be replaced by Mithras and Jesus. What happened. Why did woman get overthrown by men suddenly? Because in early history of civilization woman were placed in higher regard.

Well...look I love Democracy and the whole idea. But from a true historical standpoint one must except that some of the greatest Empires and cultural achievers on the planet have been dictatorships. I admire Rome so much..and I would accually love to live in that time period. But it was a dictatorship by sometimes ruthless emperors. Thats why nowadays I don't like the idea of people using the word Democracy so freely. What is really a Democracy? I believe that almost all the nations on this Earth now are runned by Oligrachies of Rich men. Who ever raises more money is more likely to win an election and rich men have a slight advantage over everyone else. They got to go to college and were all lawyers. While working class people its much harder for them to rise to power. Maybe Andrew Jackson was one of the few who rose to power yet....really how good did he do? I mean he forced a bunch of Indians to move to reservations. I contenst that we as Historians cannot say that Democracy is better. Of coarse everyone likes it, but we must also accept that not every society will be one. Cuba is currently one of those societies and a great example of where a dictatorship can be tolerated as benificial to a great majority of people. North Korea is an example of a dictatorship that is not benificial and has done almost nothing to improve the lives of the populance. So...we can compare and contrast Castro's regime... but I think we need to be neutral and yes I admit I wasn't very neutral in starting this post. But yeah. -Zeke

Though I havn't posted in 9 months I would simply like to send my best wishes to the Dictator of Cuba. Yes he is a dictator and yes he does abuse his power yet overal he has done great things for the Cuban People. He is sick as the momment and has just undergone surgery let us hope El Presidente of Republica de Cuba gets well soon! Because without Castro Cuba would be screwed. Besides..don't we long to see him come up on stage and make a fool of himself talking about the glorious revolution...you must have some smpathy for the man and you must admire him for he has stayed in power for 47 years a great accomplishment! I would smirk to see him come back fighting. Senator Zeke, the main Polythestic Represenative who doesn't have a voice at the momment.

ummm.....Is this exacly like the REAL stockmarket cause I seriously want to figure out what it all means so that someday I can do it in real life. Zeke

What do you think will be the fate of the EU in the next oh lets say.....50 years what are some problems and issues facing it and would you personally ever consider living there.

Alexander was a preety horrible movie.....I think they were more intrested in bisexualism then anything else. And they cut larges amounts of the good history out of the movie. I mean without the seige of Tyre its like.....WHat?!?!??! You need to have the seige of Tyre. Just wanted to add a comment. Zeke

You know who is also coo....the X Men! My favorite X man was Gambit. Zeke

Two words: Very Limmited. Much like the ealier empire of Rome the Senate searved as a puppet goverment for the real power: The Emperor. It was basically a country club for the rich. Zeke

Happy new year everyone......just to let you all know I here in Hawaii will celeberating New Year Last. The only nation after us that celbrates the latest new year is either Guam or Tahiti...So yes happy new year everyone! May the Gods make 2006 a year of peace and prosperity. Zeke

Whats your favorite Superhero? Mine is Spiderman because he is unqiue among the Superheros.....he just doesn't save the day and always win, he has problems and teenage emotions. Spiderman has always fasisinated me. How about you what is your favorite Superhero? Zeke

I like Starwars and War of the Worlds, havn't seen Batman because it didn't look to good in my mind. Never been a Batman fanatic. Zeke

Sorry to get off topic myself but did you know in the old days the South African Goverment taught that if you went with a Virign, you could get rid of AIDS! How retarded is that?

Feudalism might have come to exist more in the East with the Church's developement there. The Gallic Empire would realy on wealthy land owners not exacly fiefs. And yes Flavius what would the Vikings have done about this new situation, surely the land would have been more united and the Viking threat wouldn't have been as strong. Zeke

True, I am not saying help everyone though. Not to sound like a jerk or a Capitalist, but if we feed the Africans they can work in our factories that we build in their countries hence we can get all our junk thats makes our lives as Americans more convient.

I think the idea of owning land, having a family name and worshiping the ansestors helps spur on conservative traddition and can spur on the economy with competativness. The Romans were very proud of their family name and I think this had something to do with their success. Sorry is this was a tab bit vauge. Zeke

Well....I would have to say free grain might have worked then if all the farms were compacted into the Latifunda system and a law had been passed saying that the Senators that owned those lands had to grown grain with slaves as a "civil service" for the people. Like nowadays in modern America.....98% of our grain is wasted. If the farmers grew it for free and distrubted it to us and the third world countires we wouldn't have this problem of starvation in places like Mali and Chad......but no were greedy and money counts more then people's lifes sadly. I guess this also mattered in ancient Rome. Zeke

I think the world might have decended into chaos faster then it did. There would be such a wierd mixture of Roman, German and Eastern things that today's history would look very different. Though I do think honestly that Paganism was begining to wane at the time of Aurelian...though it was still strong, the Eastern cults had more influenece and eventually Christianity would have prospered in North Africa, Egypt and Syria. The Gallic Empire would have been a conservative version of the old Roman ways and it would be much easier to defend seeing how small it's territory was. So I think the Gallic Empire would have been the successor empire to Rome. That might have been cool. Zeke

Gladiator......who became interested in Rome by watching that movie? I think my first intrest in Rome came along with that movie. In your opinion do you think it is a good movie? If you don't think its a good movie tell us why not. I think it also got alot of other people thinking about the idea of Rome. Comments? Zeke

The Economy of the Byzantine Empire was much like Rome, it's major drive was that of large agricultural estates which were mostly located in Asia Minior which was the main breadbasket of the Empire for most of its existance. Most other activies involving small scale manufacturing occured in the cities, and much like their ealirer western counterparts slaves were indeed part of Byzantine culture correct? I also know the silk trade was a very big issue. How did the undermining of this simple economy effect the Byzantines in the Long run? Does anyone have anything else to add about their economy?? Zeke

*I don't know if this belongs in the Legion Forum* But I believe people gossiped that Caeser went with Octavian when he was a boy....never heard anything about incest though. Zeke

True but if they hadn't have done it people would have starved so yeah...what can you do, let the people starve? Zeke