I saw on another Forum where they had a History disscussion thread.
People talked about different things having to do with history and it opened up a good disscussion.

On this thread you can talk about anything Historical, not necasarily Meridian or Mississippi just any kind of history you want to talk about that you find interesting.

I saw in a post about a year ago Mississippi dreaming talked alot about Rome and what it was to be a citezen of Rome, also What the forum in Rome was like and how it operated.
I would love to hear more about that.

Something I find really fascinating is the Dropa Stones

These ancient discs look like Stone Vynil records, and they have yet to figure out what is recorded on them.

Several attempts were made to cipher the Disks and the largest theory has been that they contained hieroglyphs of unknown Origin and after studying them it was decided that they told the story of a space craft that landed near the Chinese border.
Most of the survivors were killed by the local people.
Or so the theory goes.

Russian Research

(This was pasted from A website)

Russian scientists asked to see the discs and several were sent to Moscow for examination. They were scraped free of rock particles which had stuck to them and then put through chemical analysis. To the surprise of the scientists, the disks contained large amounts of cobalt and other metallic substances. What is more, when placed on a special turntable, according to Dr. Vyatcheslav Saizev, who described the experiments in the Soviet magazine Sputnik, they vibrate or "hum" in an unusual rhythm as though an electric charge is passing through them. Or as one scientist suggested, "as if they formed some part of an electrical circuit." At some time, they have clearly been exposed to extraordinarily high voltages. "They seem like ancient hard disks, spinning like the hard disks we have now days. Perhaps if we could read these ancient hard disks, we would find more answers."

On Wikipedia There is a mention that the stones were Man Made and that others like them have been found
throughout China.

Here is an Excerpt from that article.
It is possible that the alleged Dropa Disks are in fact Bi discs, a man-made artifact. Thousands of these have been found throughout China, mostly in the Southeastern Provinces. Bi discs range in size of a few inches to several feet, and are most commonly made of jade or nephrite, with a round or square small central hole, similar to the alleged Dropa Disks. Most Bi discs date to the late Neolithic Period (c. 3000 BC), but are found up to the Shang Dynasty. Bi discs from after the Shang Dynasty are usually more ornate, carved with dragons, snakes and sometimes fish, and were used in ritual ceremonies. Most Neolithic Bi discs were found in gravesites, buried beneath the head or feet of the deceased. It is theorised that this was to assist the deceased's spirit. No Bi discs have been found to contain writing or spiral grooves as described in the Dropa story by authors such as Hartwig Hausdorf.

Anyways I find History Fascinating and I would hope many of you do as well.

Feel free to discuss your theories abour the Dropa Staones or Bring up another Topic from History.

Hopefully this will make for good discussion on here.

RockLobster2402

Sources
Aelius Spartianus
Historians Craft
Pliny Letters
Publius Aelius Hadrian




Roman Baths during the reign of Emperor Hadrian



The public baths were very popular in Ancient Rome, and were a busy, noisy and lively meeting place for the Romans.

Ancient Rome had hundreds of these baths where Roman Citizens could bathe, have their hair cut, exercise in the gymnasium, read at the bath's library, and even grab a snack.

The Ancient Romans would have had to pay an admission charge to enter the baths, but the entry fee to the baths was low so even the poor of Ancient Rome could visit.

The larger public baths, were called thermae, and were owned by the state.

A Roman visiting the baths to bathe, would have had to pass through several baths in succession..... tepid, hot and dry, warm and steamy and a final cold plunge bath in the frigidarium.

Although slaves were not allowed to visit the baths themselves, they were often taken in to the baths by the wealthier Roman Citizens. Slaves could then help their masters or mistresses to enjoy the baths.

Roman men and Roman women would try to visit the baths at least once every day. Only the very biggest of the Public Baths had facilities for men and women. Most of the baths operated seperate hours for Roman men and Roman women.

Children were not allowed to use the baths.

By the way, the Ancient Romans did not use soap! Instead they rubbed oil into their skin and then scraped it off with a metal scraper, called a strigil; this removed the dirt, dead skin and sweat from their bodies and left them clean.

Also, bathhouses also had large public toilets, often with marble seats over channels whose continuous flow of water made them the first “flush toilets.” A shallow channel in front of the seats, with running water, was furnished with sponges attached to sticks for patrons to wipe themselves after using the toilet.

The Roman baths have always fascinated me. They were an important part of Roman culture. After the fall of Rome, it was many centuries before running water and flush toilets became the norm for city dwellers but we moderns have never re-intoduced the public baths. Pity.(Pate)

I visited Pompeii once and was awestruck by the Romans' mastery of engineering. They had "city water" I guess you'd call it, evidenced by the pipes running along the streets, some of which were visible due to erosion of the pavement stones. Matter of fact our word "plumbing" comes from their use of lead pipes.

Wow, thanks Pate.

I did not know that they had different temperatured Baths, from Hot to cold. I did Know they used oil for washing.

I had a teacher that said one reason Rome was around for so long was flush toilets, it helped keep down the spread of disease.

Also they had water that flowed under their houses and heated the floors, so they were the first to have indoor heat without open fire.
I lived in Mexico for 6 years and they have public baths there.
Not like what was described in Rome but in Monterrey they have public bathhouses, also in mexico city, I was told that there are alot fewer of them around now but that years ago there were loads of them because not everyone could afford them at home.

Roman Engineering

The Romans put a great deal of effort into engineering. Roman engineering led to the building of some remarkable engineering feats that have survived to this day throughout western Europe - be they roads, theatres, baths or Hadrian's Wall. Engineering was used as a way of improving the lifestyle of the Romans even on day-to-day issues such as a frequent water supply.

The Romans used the ideas of the Ancient Greeks to implement their own engineering plans. The whole issue of supplying Rome with water was solved using a system of 640 kilometers of aqueducts. The aqueduct at Segovia in Spain is 60 meters high in places. The fact that it has survived so long and in its current condition is testament to the engineering skills of the Romans. Another classic example of Rome's engineering skill has the be the numerous Roman roads that still exist all over western Europe.

In England, the baths at Bath are not only indicative of the building skills that the Romans had but also their use of a natural resource for their own benefit. The Romans also built lighthouses, temples, palaces etc. many of which still exist today. Hadrian's Wall is 117 kilometers long and in places is 6 meters high and 3 meters thick. Built in an inhospitable part of England where soldiers would have suffered from the wind and cold, the Wall contained toilets, washrooms and forts that could hold up to 1000 men.

The fact that parts are now in a poor state of repair has nothing to do with poor building. Over the years, local farmers have helped themselves to the well cut stones that make up the Wall for their own farms and as a result it has suffered accordingly.

The Romans used basic building tools that had been around for years to complete their building work. The movement of large building blocks was done by the use of levers and pulleys. These were powered by slaves - there was a plentiful supply of these in Rome.

I've ofen wondered why the Romans could build roads that lasted for nearly twenty centuries when we can't build a road that lasts three years. (Pate)

quote:

I've ofen wondered why the Romans could build roads that lasted for nearly twenty centuries when we can't build a road that lasts three years. (Pate)

Cause they did not have 100,000 lbs trucks traveling their roads.

quote:

Originally posted by Pate:
I've ofen wondered why the Romans could build roads that lasted for nearly twenty centuries when we can't build a road that lasts three years. (Pate)

I actually drove a car on one of those ancient roads. It was used as part of a city street on the outskirts of a town. It was all there intact but talk about bone-rattling!

quote:

Originally posted by Pate:
Sources
Aelius Spartianus
Historians Craft
Pliny Letters
Publius Aelius Hadrian




Roman Baths during the reign of Emperor Hadrian



The public baths were very popular in Ancient Rome, and were a busy, noisy and lively meeting place for the Romans.

Ancient Rome had hundreds of these baths where Roman Citizens could bathe, have their hair cut, exercise in the gymnasium, read at the bath's library, and even grab a snack.

The Ancient Romans would have had to pay an admission charge to enter the baths, but the entry fee to the baths was low so even the poor of Ancient Rome could visit.

The larger public baths, were called thermae, and were owned by the state.

A Roman visiting the baths to bathe, would have had to pass through several baths in succession..... tepid, hot and dry, warm and steamy and a final cold plunge bath in the frigidarium.

Although slaves were not allowed to visit the baths themselves, they were often taken in to the baths by the wealthier Roman Citizens. Slaves could then help their masters or mistresses to enjoy the baths.

Roman men and Roman women would try to visit the baths at least once every day. Only the very biggest of the Public Baths had facilities for men and women. Most of the baths operated seperate hours for Roman men and Roman women.

Children were not allowed to use the baths.

By the way, the Ancient Romans did not use soap! Instead they rubbed oil into their skin and then scraped it off with a metal scraper, called a strigil; this removed the dirt, dead skin and sweat from their bodies and left them clean.

Also, bathhouses also had large public toilets, often with marble seats over channels whose continuous flow of water made them the first “flush toilets.” A shallow channel in front of the seats, with running water, was furnished with sponges attached to sticks for patrons to wipe themselves after using the toilet.

The Roman baths have always fascinated me. They were an important part of Roman culture. After the fall of Rome, it was many centuries before running water and flush toilets became the norm for city dwellers but we moderns have never re-intoduced the public baths. Pity.(Pate)

Hi! My name is Lavicus. My job is to collect those sponges. No one will shake hands with me. I don't know why.

I guess them ole boys didn't grow any corn. But what happened if the sponge was thin or the sticks too long? The mind boggles,

Lavicus ? …Anulus Lavicus Feteo ? Wow! What a small known world it is ! Don’t you recognize me from the old neighborhood ? It’s Vomitus ! Prendus Vomitus Puteo. I work next door at the Vomitorium. I’ll gladly shake your hand !

Hey Pate : I’ve heard that public baths are still popular in San Francisco

Many people tend to think of Roman buildings as stonework while their most impressive structures were actually concrete. The fact that the largest non-reinforced concrete dome in the world (on the Pantheon, with a diameter of 143 feet) is still standing after almost 2000 years is a testimony to their skills.
They had several formulations, some of which are still unknown, and each was used under different circumstances. This, added to an astounding knowledge of the stresses of a structure, gave them the ability to build nearly anything they wanted.

Ancient Olympic boxers


Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport. Boxers fought without rounds until one man was knocked out, or admitted he had been beaten. Unlike the modern sport, there was no rule against hitting an opponent when he was down.

There were no weight classes within the mens' and boys' divisions; opponents for a match were chosen randomly.

Instead of gloves, ancient boxers wrapped leather thongs (himantes) around their hands and wrists which left their fingers free.

Plato makes fun of boxers' faces, calling them the "folk with the battered ears." Plato, Gorgias 515e.

No gloves! No cup! Oh, my!! Surely you had to worry about a shot to the dangling participle?

Or maybe grab and tug.

Roman army officers

General: Each military campaign was assigned one general (dux), though there was not a single commander-in-chief until imperial times because a number of campaigns could be conducted simultaneously in different geographic areas. Generals were always aristocrats of the senatorial class, usually consuls or ex-consuls, since they had to hold at least praetorian rank in order to be granted imperium (the right to command an army) by the Senate; during the Empire, the emperor was the sole commander-in-chief, though he frequently delegated the actual command duties to generals who were his close associates, often relatives by birth or marriage. Generals and other officers wore Greek style armor over the military tunic—a molded leather breastplate that imitated the musculature of the chest and fringed strips of leather over the thighs and shoulders. Extant depictions of generals (like this relief of the emperor Trajan addressing his troops) do not show generals wearing helmets, but they may of course have worn them in battle. The item of clothing that visually distinguished a general from all other officers was his purple cloak (this was a military style cloak, called a lacerna, that was fastened by a large brooch on one shoulder).

Legates and Military Tribunes: Generals commanded many legions, but each legion had its own commander (at least after the time of Augustus), called the legionary legate (legatus), who was also of senatorial rank. Under each legionary legate were six military tribunes (tribuni militares), who carried out administrative duties. Young upper-class Roman men used this position as a stepping-stone to a political career, so the tribunes often did not have much military experience or ability.

Centurions: Chief among the officers who were not of equestrian or senatorial rank were the centurions (centuriones), each of whom commanded an eighty-man century. The centurions were professional soldiers, responsible for maintaining discipline in their units and for supervising the fighting on the field. In other words, they were the officers who kept the army running (and fighting) smoothly. The armor of the centurions was similar to that of other officers, with the exception of their helmets, which were topped with a transverse crest that extended from side to side instead of front to back, the shin protectors ( greaves) they wore on their legs, and the vinewood staff they carried to discipline soldiers. This tombstone, put up for the centurion Marcus Caelius by his brother even though his body was never found, shows the vinewood staff and the numerous medallions (phalerae) won in battle by Caelius. Under each centurion was a standard bearer, a deputy (optio) who took command of the century if the centurion was killed or wounded, and the tesserarius, who was in charge of the sentries.

Historical fact or myth, I heard that Britons drive on the left side of the road as the result of occupying Roman soldiers marching on the left side of the road--because their swords were worn on the right side, they could easier draw their swords from the left hand side of the road and be better ready to face an enemy ambush.

That mkes sense, as when driving one's Mini-Cooper on a British road, one never knows when he may have to draw his sword to fend off wild heathen attackers.