h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bran -

Have you read the book, How the Irish Saved Civilization? If not you might be interested in it. Great book, at least for the lay person.

Courtesy

No I haven't but have been meaning to. Thanks for the suggestion. The title intrigued me - very Irish! Though not having read it I can still see what they might be arguing. In some sense after the fall of Rome, they did save literacy and learning.

I have just had my History of the Celts entry approved. Yay(!).
Cheers
Bran.

The book would be aptly titled "How the Celts saved Civilization" it does start with the fall of Rome. As a lay person and Irish (at least part Irish) I found it entertaining and insightful.

I read your History of Celts - excellent!!! Congrats.

Courtesy

Thanks! If you're into Irish history, I picked up a "popular" book a couple of years ago called "Ireland: A history" by Robert Kee. Poo-pooed a bit by the academics, as he is a journalist, but I found it very readable, though best for more early modern and modern history than medieval.
I read your site - courtesy is very underrated!!
Cheers
Bran the Courteous.

Thanks for the book. I will definitely check it out. (I'm a closet history buff)

I agree that courtesy is underrated, however, I am going to start a Courtesy revolution

Courtesy the Cheerful

Your history of the celts is admirable, however in Livy it seems as if the ransom in 390 was never actually paid, they were in the process of collecting and weighing it as Camillus arrived and sort of broke up the party, and if I remember the introduction correctly archaeological evidence seems to indicate 386 as the correct year.
Sorry if I'm nit picking here, I'm no real historian and I'm well aware that Livy and other Roman historians were nationalists and may have invented some honorable end to the tragic parts of Rome's history. (Like claiming that Lars Porsenna of Clusium never captured Rome, for instance...)Still I get somewhat confused. Happy to have found h2g2 though so that such questions can be discussed and maybe answered by you, mustapha, didia and others in the know. Up until now modern history has been the most interresting to me, especially WWII that hit my part of Norway severely, I grew up on the stories from the old people of Finnmark. (Kirkenes was the only place in the world to be bombed nearly as much as Malta, so many bombs for a small town of 9000 inhabitants? London didn't get half the attention....) But lately I have found more and more of the pagan latin writers and haven't been able to stop reading them, they're worse than heroin although not as expensive. Seems a good hobby though, think I'll keep it.... Beats working at the railroads...although that's not too bad either. (dont you just hate people who cant quit talking? I do so I will...

I think you're right about the ranson not being paid, now that I think about it, but as it is from a classical source, this nationalistic bias might ccome into play as you suggest. The dates that far back are also very suspect, despite them being more reliable than for other societies.

It's great to have a classicist like yourself involved. You have made some excellent points in other entries I've read. I think we are developing a damn fine historical community on H2G2 - Long Live Us!!

Hi, today I'm in the mood to contradict myself......
Suetonius writes about an interresting discrepancy between sources.
In his biography of Tiberius he starts by recounting the glories of Tiberius ancestors. He says:

"The first Drusus gained this honorable surname by killing an enemy chieftain called Drausus in single combat, and it became hereditary. He is also said to have brought back from Gaul, where he was governor of praetorian rank, the gold which his ancestors had paid to the senonians in ransom for captured Rome; this contradicts the tradition that the treasure had already been redeemed by the dictator Camillus."

One of them is probably right, but who? Seems your text is as correct as mine and the real truth may never come to light.

Was wondering if you might know someplace on the net where I could buy a silver torc for a friend's wedding present?

A number of my Celtic links have gone ass-up recently, but one that might be of interest or at least link you to other things is:

http://www.aon-celtic.com/

See of that leads to anything. You could also do a search on Celtic art or Celtic jewellery.

Cheers
Bran.