The Off Topic Topic

[The Minsky Moment]

There's really two questions here.

First, did people from Africa travel around the Roman Empire?  Clearly they did - for example Apuleius travelled all over the place during this period though probably not Britain. Clodius Albinus was born in Africa and commanded legions in Britain during the period - although his name could suggest he was light-skinned   The bigger point though is that significant movement was very possible in the Empire and Britain may have been the kind of place where an ambitious person from somewhere else could make a name.

Second, what "race" were Africans during the Roman period - there is basically no useful answer to that question because the Romans didn't have the same concept.

[CountDeMoney]

Clodius Albinus was born in Africa and commanded legions in Britain during the period - although his name could suggest he was light-skinned  

Maximus Crackus Barrellus

[Ed Anger]

Biggus Dickus.

Anyways, I've always found Mary Beard to be a tedious old biddy. But I have no opinion on this issue.

[CountDeMoney]

But I have no opinion on this issue.

You're so full of shit. 

[Ed Anger]

No u are.

[The Brain]

Reminds me of Black Hawk Down, where one of the more prominent Somali lieutenants is played by a guy of obvious West African descent. They all look the same, right?

[Ed Anger]

Reminds me of Black Hawk Down, where one of the more prominent Somali lieutenants is played by a guy of obvious West African descent. They all look the same, right?

Yes

[The Brain]

Is he a patrician?

Unless Britain was an Imperial province (?) he would have to be to be governor.

Elaborate.

[Habbaku]

#TheSitvation

[Jacob]

Photographs of veterans of Napoleon's army: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/07/30/the-only-surviving-images-of-veterans-of-the-napoleonic-wars-now-in-hd-color/

[Admiral Yi]

Very cool pics.

Wonder how a dude from a line regiment ended up in a bear skin hat.

[grumbler]

Wonder how a dude from a line regiment ended up in a bear skin hat.

The elite companies of line regiments often wore the busby (a fur cap without the plate that the bearskin cap had).  They were supposed to transition to shakos with plumes in something like 1804, but those busbies (and bearskins for the line grenadiers) lasted a long time, and many still had them at Waterloo.  No one willingly gave up a busby or bearskin for a shako, and the army didn't try very hard t make them, because colonels liked to see their men wearing them.  They were almost never left on the battlefield, so new grenadiers or elite cavalry company men would buy the ones worn by the dead or discharged elites from the regiment, who would send the proceeds to the next of kin of the dead or discharged soldier.

If you are interested in this stuff and have never read https://www.amazon.com/Swords-Around-Throne-John-Elting/dp/0306807572, you are in for a treat!

[derspiess]

Yes, when the time comes I'll be sure to remind the Gilead security forces of my Irish Catholic Preferred Member Status.

Hey, man, you're an American, and therefore automatically better and more important than any non-American, regardless of race, creed, gender, national origin, gender orientation, political ideology, or disability status;  so you've got nothing to complain about.

Correction: Seedy used to be American. Now he's nothing. Hell, he's almost European.

[Josquius]

I bet he thinks the Romans were white.  Which is silly, since they were Italian.  #TheSitvation

More than that. Modern Italians have a lot of Germanic blood in them.
I've read that historically they were much darker, Sicilia uber alles

[Eddie Teach]

Yes, when the time comes I'll be sure to remind the Gilead security forces of my Irish Catholic Preferred Member Status.

You can't really call America a "Christian nation" anymore unless you count the Catholics.