Re-establish Byzantium?

[Qilue]

Originally posted by Ned


That was a label affixed to the Eastern Roman Empire by some Brit Historian. The label seems to have become fixed in our minds. The people themselves were Romans. Their nation was the Roman Empire or Romania.

Eastern Roman Empire until around AD 450 or so when it became just The Roman Empire since there was no longer a Western Roman Empire.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by molly bloom

Why refound Byzantium anyway? The Byzantine Empire was markedly less tolerant than the Ottoman Empire.

If you want to refound any Classical Civilization it should be Athens of the fifth century. Civilization has been on a downer ever since then.

[Az]

less cynical reply:

Agathon is an elitist *****.

[Bosh]

These days the Greek minority population in Turkey is pretty minimal, so there aren't any Greek populations of any real size to "liberate."

[Traianvs]

Why recapture Istanbul. In a few years time the city will be crushed and destroyed by an earthquake anyway! It's bound to happen anytime now. And nothing much is done by the authorities.

Check out the pauper's houses. Most of them can't handle earhtquakes, and certainly no powerful ones. It's going to be a huge bloodbath!

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Agathon


If you want to refound any Classical Civilization it should be Athens of the fifth century. Civilization has been on a downer ever since then.

I'd prefer Hellenistic Alexandria- a tolerant multi-faith city, with scientists, theorists and inventors of the calibre of Hero of Alexandria, a library unmatched anywhere in the world, at the junction of Africa and Asia, open to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe- and they even had women scientists and mathematicians, and emancipated women- beats Athens, hands down.

5th century Athens- a place where a woman's age was calculated from the day she was married? I wonder how civilized YOUR wife feels it may have been, Aggie?

Let us know when the kantheros stops beating on your head.

[Boris Godunov]

Did he mean 5th century BC or AD? Or did anything happen in the 5th century AD there? Is this the start of a Monty Python sketch?

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Did he mean 5th century BC or AD? Or did anything happen in the 5th century AD there? Is this the start of a Monty Python sketch?

Hmm.

Well, as everyone knows, Emperor Justinian closed down the Academy of Athens in 529 a.d. , as part of a misguided campaign against what was seen as paganism.

Proclos wrote a commentary on Euclid, and an 'Outline of Astronomical Hypotheses' in the 5th century a.d. and taught at the Academy in Athens.

Is that of any help, Boris, or would you like the dead parrot sketch instead, or the recreation of the Battle of Pearl Harbour by the Batley Ladies' Townswomen's Guild?

[Theben]

Tabacconist shop sketch, please.

[Ted Striker]

Ditto

Let's see it.

Use hand puppets if you have to.

[Elok]

Pssht. You want peace and tolerance, go make a cuckoo clock in Switzerland. Instead of being lynched, you'll die of boredom. The Byzantines at least had style going for them.

As to restoring Byzantium, I really don't care. I'd like to see those ugly minarets removed from the Hagia Sophia, but other than that...

[Guynemer]

Would you like to go back to my place, bouncy-bouncy?

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Big Crunch
There isn't a pan-EU foreign policy, so no.

I can't buy into that analysis. There isn't even a pan-USA foreign policy.

[CharlesBHoff]

Originally posted by Agathon


You play the Ottomans? You heathen!

Britain all the way, baby - if only for the pleasure of putting down the American rebellions and putting those tax dodgers in their place.

Did you know the English and Spain have than alli with the Ottomans which benfist all side nicely. Spain was trying to keep French out of Spain and fight the 30 year war in Germany. Spain didnot want Ottomans attacking Spain coast area the Ottomans want Spain to stay out of any war the Ottomans where fighting in the Med sea and Eastern Europe. They both reach agreement.

[Ted Striker]

Travieso