Do you have a favourite historical peoples or era? What do you like about them?

Most city dwellers did have access to fresh water piped in by an aqueduct from outside the city. Even in Britain, which was just as about as far from the center of classical civilisation that you could get, the inhabitants of the major cities had access to clean water and adequate sewage disposal. In Wroxeter for example, even though the water supply of the townhouses came from wells in the courtyard, the latrine was flushed by water that was supplied to the entire city by aqueduct and piped down each street. The same aqueduct supplied water was usually piped to public fountains where anyone could get clean water. Roman London, Lincoln and York all had well built sewers and aqueducts and it was not until the end of the 19th century, after a particularly bad cholera epidemic that Lincoln got clean piped water and built sewers. The Roman sewer systen was discovered during the sewer work - still in good condition as were the York sewers when they were investigated by archaeologists. Yes, I'd much sooner have lived in the Roman period than the medieval, clean running water, adequate sewage disposal, hot baths, properly glazed windows (with real glass) and central heating!

Hooray another vote for the good old Romans. I think we unlearned a lot of technology which I suppose was why part of history is called the dark ages. It was the time when people ignored past endeavors and sadly lost old skills.

Some boffins just like to seem mysteriously better informed in my opinion. I would far rather have lived as a Roman than as a tudor . I suppose even in the roman times there were still those who could not take advantage of the modern conveniences of the day just as there are now though.

I think modern man has grown very arrogant in his think that is time is the most knowledgeable. I am sure if everything was set back a thousand years, we would be the clueless ones and have to finally admit that the man of the day was the technologically superior.

Wow you have developed you interest to reach out into your life in other ways. I think that happens a lot. My daughter liked the Egyptians and would spend hours reading about them and then drawing them and looking at pictures. I like the books by Rosemary Sutcliffe which are children s historical novels but quite nicely written. They have excellent line drawings which are rather medieval looking. A bit like stained glass windows. There are stories that Arthur was from Wales and Really called Artos (the bear) and was descended from the remaining romans who didn't go home after the rest were recalled. We went to see the ruins at Tintagel in Cornwall years ago and there is a cave on the cliff called Merlin's cave.Sadly a lot of the area is commercialized,everything that can be is named King Arthur's or Camelots this or that.

Oh yeah they are very intriguing aren't they? I love how they were building those massive structures so long ago. I think no one has actually really hit the nil on the head about how they managed it, it is all speculation. We went to see the Tutankhamen thing in London last year. Some beautiful old things. Really hard to understand how they could make such lovely stuff with such limits to their technology.

Ooh lucky you. I love old buildings. Hubbys father was an Architect and knew quite a lot about oldy worldy buildings. I like all the stuff about the Battle of Hastings too. Lovely to look at pictures of the tapestry about it and pick out the latin . Where I used to work,we did exhibition pictures and panels for quite a lot of different historical venues. So often would see interesting pictures and of course we had to read all the bumph because it mustn't have any spelling mistakes in it.

They sound like much earthier days . Judging by the type of things that Shakespeare comments on. Fancy having the kings Army go around the country and 'recruit' . I like how apprenticeships were arranged in those days. At least the 'juniors' knew that at the end of their learning,they would be considered craftsmen and could get work anywhere. I wonder how much was charged for a Potato when they first were introduced?

They certainly were remarkable. I don't know very much about the ancient Greeks. Apart from their philosophers we don't hear as much about them. I suppose the Romans did actually settle in England and that is why there is a lot more to see of their lives. We have a little museum in town with roman findings from the river area. Our town is built on a river with barracks for the soldiers as a major part of it and there was a roman barrack here long ago.