Chopstix posted:

This is pretty cool. What is the purchasing power of one (gold?) coin? Would a day laborer be unable to afford even one?

Fish of hemp posted:

Which makes me wonder when the inflation was first observed and theorized?

Mr. Nice! posted:

I'm not sure about the first use of word "inflation" in this context, but people were aware of the effects of devaluing currencies across all sorts of ancient cultures. The bank of england has specifically tracked inflation in the pound since the 1700s.

WoodrowSkillson posted:

the concept of inflation is big difference though, I do not have the answer, but the point is the Romans for example knew devaluing their currency was bad, but not that just making more coins was also bad. that leap seems to have taken an absurdly long time

Thermopolium of Asellina posted:

The Thermopolium of Asellina is one of the most complete examples of a thermopolium in Pompeii. Complete jugs and dishes were found on the counter, as well as a kettle filled with water. The ground floor in the Thermopolium of Asellina was used for people to eat and drink, and some stairs led to guest rooms on the second floor.

It had a typical structure consisting of a wide doorway open to the street, a counter with holes where jars were set into it (dolia) for food or wine. It had shrines for the Lares (household gods), Mercury (god of commerce) and Bacchus (god of wine), as these were the most important gods for this occupation. Upstairs, there were guest rooms as well, so this may have also been used as an Inn; however, some think that this may have been a brothel due to the names of many women written on one of the walls of the Thermopolium. Another theory is that these were the slave-girls who worked as barmaids.

Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:

Slings and spears the most underrepresented weapons in popular culture

Jeb Bush 2012 posted:

the original rome: total war has an expansion based on him and paradox's imperator is set in 304 BC (so 19 years after his death)

this is not a recommendation for either of those games, I haven't played either

Arglebargle III posted:

chitoryu12 posted:

some of them were "inns" where the rooms were clearly just meant for prostitutes.

feedmegin posted:

I'm curious how you would tell. Spicy wall frescoes, handcuffs, sex toys and a heart shaped stone bed?

chitoryu12 posted:

One of the most frustrating parts of figuring out the Roman restaurant culture is they had multiple terms (taberna, popina, and thermopolium) but nobody ever clearly determined what each word signified even back then. Some of them were basically wine bars with snacks, some of them sold full meals, some of them were inns that also sold food and drink, some of them were "inns" where the rooms were clearly just meant for prostitutes.

CommonShore posted:

I'd love to know the difference between a "gastropub," "pub," and "tavern." And once you have your answer finalized, we'll reveal that we're discussing it in a particular geographical location different from the one you were assuming.

Dalael posted:

That's because people really underestimate fast moving rocks.

Phobophilia posted:

Slings seem to have fallen out of favor in Western Europe for a variety of reasons. Like a sling bullet can kill the gently caress out of you, but the thrower has to be standing up, needs clearance around you, attracts attention.

Grand Fromage posted:

There are reasons. Slings are harder to use than bows and even if you're good with it, they tend to be less accurate. Bows are quicker to shoot if you're practiced. Also, medieval bows and arrows were deadlier than their ancient equivalent. You can't make specialized armor piercing heads or anything like that with a sling. In the ancient world slings and bows had more of a parity, but there's not a ton of technological improvement you can do to a sling compared to what was done with bows.

mycomancy posted:

Depleted uranium sling ammo?
Carbon nanofiber weave connected to the Internet of Things that records your sling trajectory and speed so you can analyze your firing?

Don Gato posted:

Next edition of Shadowrun going in an interesting direction I see.

CommonShore posted:

I made a sling and threw like 100 rocks out of it and I'm still terrible

CommonShore posted:

I made a sling and threw like 100 rocks out of it and I'm still terrible

cheetah7071 posted:

Caesar at least seemed to think better regions produced better slingers than others. I forget which one, but there was some Mediterranean island he praised as having excellent slingers. This suggests to me that slinging is the kind of skill where practicing often from a young age really does produce better results than trying to learn it as an adult.

Grand Fromage posted:

There are reasons. Slings are harder to use than bows and even if you're good with it, they tend to be less accurate. Bows are quicker to shoot if you're practiced. Also, medieval bows and arrows were deadlier than their ancient equivalent. You can't make specialized armor piercing heads or anything like that with a sling. In the ancient world slings and bows had more of a parity, but there's not a ton of technological improvement you can do to a sling compared to what was done with bows.

mycomancy posted:

Depleted uranium sling ammo?
Carbon nanofiber weave connected to the Internet of Things that records your sling trajectory and speed so you can analyze your firing?

mycomancy posted:

Depleted uranium sling ammo?
Carbon nanofiber weave connected to the Internet of Things that records your sling trajectory and speed so you can analyze your firing?

FuturePastNow posted:

Next, a trebuchet on the moon.

feedmegin posted:

I'm curious how you would tell. Spicy wall frescoes, handcuffs, sex toys and a heart shaped stone bed?

Schadenboner posted:

This is all true but the single largest cause was probably the Halfling Great Families all moving south through the Pyrenees then across the Straits of Gibraltar in the mid-350s?

Sri.Theo posted:

I don't know if this is a bit outside of the relevant period but after Rome left Britain is there any writing indicating their governance was missed, or that it was a good thing Britain was conquered by the Romans? Or maybe from other medieval European kingdoms?

I know that lots of later European kingdoms claimed decent from Rome but I'm interested specifically in the act of being conquered - the Franks couldn't have been Roman unless they were defeated first!

quote:

5. For when the rulers of Rome had obtained the empire of the world, subdued all the neighbouring nations and islands towards the east, and strengthened their renown by the first peace which they made with the Parthians, who border on India, there was a general cessation from war throughout the whole world; the fierce flame which they kindled could not be extinguished or checked by the Western Ocean, but passing beyond the sea, imposed submission upon our island without resistance, and entirely reduced to obedience its unwarlike but faithless people, not so much by fire, and sword and warlike engines, like other nations, but threats alone, and menaces of judgments frowning on their countenance, whilst terror penetrated to their hearts.

6. When afterwards they returned to Rome, for want of pay, as is said, and had no suspicion of an approaching rebellion, that deceitful lioness (Boadicea) put to death the rulers who had been left among them, to unfold more fully and to confirm the enterprises of the Romans. When the report of these things reached the senate, and they with a speedy army made haste to take vengeance on the crafty foxes, as they called them, there was no bold navy on the sea to fight bravely for the country; by land there was no marshalled army, no right wing of battle, nor other preparation for resistance; but their backs were their shields against their vanquishers, and they presented their necks to their swords, whilst chill terror ran through every limb, and they stretched out their hands to be bound, like women; so that it has become a proverb far and wide, that the Britons are neither brave in war nor faithful in time of peace.

7. The Romans, therefore, having slain many of the rebels, and reserved others for slaves, that the land might not be entirely reduced to desolation, left the island, destitute as it was of wine and oil, and returned to Italy, leaving behind them taskmasters, to scourge the shoulders of the natives, to reduce their necks to the yoke, and their soil to the vassalage of a Roman province; to chastise the crafty race, not with warlike weapons, but with rods, and if necessary to gird upon their sides the naked sword, so that it was no longer thought to be Britain, but a Roman island; and all their money, whether of copper, gold, or silver, was stamped with Caesar's image.

feedmegin posted:

I'm curious how you would tell. Spicy wall frescoes, handcuffs, sex toys and a heart shaped stone bed?

Dalael posted:

If you click this link (Not a rick roll), it'll bring you straight to the Lupanar one of the most famous brothel in pompeii. This is a pretty nice 4k video so you can clearly see the details of the frescos. There is no mistaking this building for anything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUYJ8LbF1Ys&t=5643s

skasion posted:

The Britons complained a couple of times in the 5th century to the Roman government about how they had been abandoned and were more or less told to shift for themselves. At the time, some of them clearly missed the tax-funded army, at least, if not any other element of the state.

In the mid 6th century Gildas writes with an interesting ambiguity about the Roman past:

quote:

When the Roman garrison of Britain was withdrawn in 410, the various British states were left self-governing. Evidence for a continuing Roman influence after the departure of the Roman legions is provided by an inscribed stone from Gwynedd dated between the late 5th century and mid 6th century commemorating a certain Cantiorix who was described as a citizen (cives) of Gwynedd and a cousin of Maglos the magistrate (magistratus).[31] There was considerable Irish colonisation in Dyfed in south-west Wales, where there are many stones with Ogham inscriptions.[32] Wales had become Christian, and the "age of the saints" (approximately 500–700) was marked by the establishment of monastic settlements throughout the country, by religious leaders such as Saint David, Illtud and Teilo.[33]

quote:

The exact origins and extent of the early kingdoms are speculative. The conjectured minor kings of the sixth century held small areas within a radius of perhaps 24 km (15 mi), probably near the coast.