Probably quite a lot of bum, in the Roman navy. (View Post)

What did the medievals ever do for us? 1. The invention of Just War theory. An idea that would have seemed outlandish to Caesar. 2. The abolition of domestic slavery. Propose that to an ancient, and … (View Post)

That requires one to have a very romanticised view of the Roman Empire. Which Gibbon had, but then he imagined that the Roman upper crust were all enlightened sceptics like he was. In reality, the Ro… (View Post)

It does sound like lobotomisation, a pseudo-scientific procedure that should never have been performed. (View Post)

And a wonderful live boiling scene. I was standing on the bridge in the Japanese Garden, at Batsford Arboretum a few weeks ago, imagining how much Lord Yabusighe would enjoy himself there, composing … (View Post)