Late Republican Rome

[Siege]

Anthony.

[grumbler]

Either Sulla (sans the whole homosexuality thing) or else Octavian.  And yes, if I were in his position, I'd be just as out of control as he was when he was a young man consolidating power.  As Cersei said, "when you play the game of thrones..."

I don't think Octavian was out of control consolidating power.  I think he was hyper-self-controlled.  His proscriptions were purely for political purposes, and if the political need was to proscribe his own kin, so be it.  His care in preserving mos maiorum when taking absolute power is evidence of that.

[alfred russel]

Herod thought the world would be better off without the baby jesus, and I agree. So I'll cast my lot with him. 

[Eddie Teach]

Medieval morality >>>>>> classical morality. Jesus was great for the world.

[alfred russel]

Medieval morality >>>>>> classical morality. Jesus was great for the world.

I disagree. Very generally speaking, I'd say on the whole life was better in the pre christian roman empire and roman republic than in the medieval period. And I think major cause of the difference in the quality of life was the difference between the religions/philosophies.

[Eddie Teach]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

[PRC]

Quintus Sertorius, because I have a white doe.

[grumbler]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

Tell the First Crusade citizens of Jerusalem that... wait - you can't!

[grumbler]

Quintus Sertorius, because I have a white doe.

It take more than dough to make a citizen of Rome.

[Eddie Teach]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

Tell the First Crusade citizens of Jerusalem that... wait - you can't!

Well, I did say tended, as in there were exceptions, but Jerusalem was stormed so not applicable anyway.

[Razgovory]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

Tell the First Crusade citizens of Jerusalem that... wait - you can't!

Yes, but that doesn't have anything to do what he said.  Those people lived almost an thousand years ago.  You really can't tell them anything.

[jimmy olsen]

I don't think I particularly fall under any of those categories, so I voted for Marius since I like him.

[Martinus]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

Tell the First Crusade citizens of Jerusalem that... wait - you can't!

Well, I did say tended, as in there were exceptions, but Jerusalem was stormed so not applicable anyway.

Actually, yes and no, or you are both right.

The "progress" in morality has been, almost consistently, about extending the boundaries of "us". Christian medieval morality extended this from "Romans" to "Christians" - which is quite a progress, admittedly - but once you were outside of these boundaries (like Muslims or Jews of Jerusalem) you still got yourself slaughtered.

Since then, at least in the West, we have moved beyond, by extending this to "heathen", "atheists", some groups of "deviants" (e.g. blasphemers, gays, single women etc.), other races and, eventually, the whole of humanity. The animal rights movement is essentially, at its core, an attempt to extend the boundaries to animals (or at least mammals and birds).

[Sahib]

Medieval generals tended not to slaughter every man of military age in towns that threw open their gates for them.

What's your evidence of customary slaughter of surrendering towns in classical era?

[Ed Anger]

I don't think I particularly fall under any of those categories, so I voted for Marius since I like him.

fag