Ancient Roman Concrete

[mashman]

Wonder what other things we've forgotten? (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-14/ancient-roman-concrete-is-about-to-revolutionize-modern-architecture)

[Big Dave]

What have the Romans ever done for us?

[Akzle]

What have the Romans ever done for us?

they invented porn...

[Berries]

Gladiators.



Proper gladiators like.

[Laava]

Orgies........

[scissorhands]

Government and Catholics

[McFatty1000]

Running water

[MIXONE]

Sandals...

[Brian d marge]

using nature and our forest , so much has been lost

but the roman did leave us , with

the nose

its been roamin on my face at least for forty + odd years

Stephen

[Akzle]

Government and Catholics

democracy were a greek thing.

So yea, i guess we have a roman government.

[scissorhands]

Wonder what other things we've forgotten? (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-14/ancient-roman-concrete-is-about-to-revolutionize-modern-architecture)

making structures last longer and using less oil is a great idea
it will never happen

[MSTRS]

Paved roads...

[pzkpfw]

Paved roads...

Sure, but they all go to the same damned place.

[mashman]

The aqueduct and sanitation

[mashman]

using nature and our forest , so much has been lost

but the roman did leave us , with

the nose

its been roamin on my face at least for forty + odd years

Stephen

Aye... not the mindless technically incapable morons that people assume having existed 2000 years BT (before technology). I guess that's us ;)


making structures last longer and using less oil is a great idea
it will never happen

:rofl:... so sad but true

[Akzle]

Sure, but they all go to the same damned place.

or, away from it.

[BoristheBiter]

sanitation

now if someone could show India.

[oneofsix]

Ok I have to admit being confused in my ignorance, little knowledge and all that. Portland cement does use lime, lots and lots of lime in its manufacture and yet the article lists lime as a key difference between Roman and portland. Also as the volcanic bit if you consider the rock melting temps the Kilns get to portland must come bloody close to using rock ash = volcanic ash. Perhaps the difference, and thsi is the extreme ignorance bit, is that with portland they burn the lime and mix with gypsum whereas the romans mixed raw lime with volcanic rock ash?

As to what else we lost, according to Discovery we can't make the Bronze as the Spartians used in their armour for the 300. The modern Bronze isn't as strong and would resist Persian arrows as well as the old stuff. Then there is greek fire, the middle ages steel swords that were better the katana and probably a hundred and 1 other things liek how to build a pyramid without aliens.

[Banditbandit]

Latin .. we've forgotten Latin (thank God ...)

[Hitcher]

Latin .. we've forgotten Latin (thank God ...)

Ane we're also fast forgetting grammar.

[nerrrd]

Latin .. we've forgotten Latin (thank God ...)

Hey some of us haven't! I've got a degree in that, thanks very much (actually I have forgotten most of it.)

As for other things the Romans might have given us:

Institutionalised slavery?

Circus animals!

Life of Brian? ("Romani ite domum" - classic!)

[oneofsix]

Ane we're also fast forgetting grammar.

She died many years ago. :nya:

No, grammar is changing along with the language and the rules set out by your teacher don't all apply.

[Banditbandit]

Hey some of us haven't! I've got a degree in that, thanks very much (actually I have forgotten most of it.)



Faark ... that's a really useful qualificiation !!!!

[oneofsix]

Hey some of us haven't! I've got a degree in that, thanks very much (actually I have forgotten most of it.)

As for other things the Romans might have given us:

Institutionalised slavery?

Circus animals!

Life of Brian? ("Romani ite domum" - classic!)

Institutionalised slavery pre-dated the Romans, the Greeks for one had it. Not sure about the circus animals but I think the word Circus was theirs and what would the life of Brian have been without the Romans? :lol:

They also gave us a disdain for vandals and barbarians and therefore the modern usage of the words.

[nerrrd]

Faark ... that's a really useful qualificiation !!!!

Made me the man I am today...so not particularly useful, no.

[Akzle]

Ok I have to admit being confused in my ignorance, little knowledge and all that. Portland cement does use lime, lots and lots of lime in its manufacture and yet the article lists lime as a key difference between Roman and portland. Also as the volcanic bit if you consider the rock melting temps the Kilns get to portland must come bloody close to using rock ash = volcanic ash. Perhaps the difference, and thsi is the extreme ignorance bit, is that with portland they burn the lime and mix with gypsum whereas the romans mixed raw lime with volcanic rock ash?

As to what else we lost, according to Discovery we can't make the Bronze as the Spartians used in their armour for the 300. The modern Bronze isn't as strong and would resist Persian arrows as well as the old stuff. Then there is greek fire, the middle ages steel swords that were better the katana and probably a hundred and 1 other things liek how to build a pyramid without aliens.

no. A katana will cut through any of the old white swords...

[Paul in NZ]

no. A katana will cut through any of the old white swords...

No - swords were being made in europe that were equally as good as the Japanese swords... Reinvention of the knightly arts by the victorians (and others) and confusion caused by ceremonial 'bearing swords' is partly to blame....

http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?105673-Debunking-European-Sword-Myths

[gwigs]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qc7HmhrgTuQ?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Bloody Romans...

[mashman]

now if someone could show India.

Yeah, that'll be the fault of the English. Please feel free to write a letter to HRH.

[BoristheBiter]

Yeah, that'll be the fault of the English.

why, pray tell, is it the fault of the English?

[Hitcher]

No, grammar is changing along with the language and the rules set out by your teacher don't all apply.

Really? Name one.

[mashman]

why, pray tell, is it the fault of the English?

Wasn't India pwned by the English once upon a time? At least the Romans gave us something in return for occupation.

[oneofsix]

Really? Name one.

what's the point? You will just harp back to your "rules" whislt teh rest of the world quitely changes the way it uses; apostrophes, commas, pluralisation, colons, and who now days even knows how to use semi-colons. :girlfight:

[Brian d marge]

Really? Name one.

:)

c U L8R

Stephen

[Big Dave]

Really? Name one.

The law of practicality and the minuscule keypad.

[scissorhands]

wtf? https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ115md3VWZwLhoaIA5OfhmuDK_JYe5m _-RmhSTnw0tN7bysrSYMA

[BoristheBiter]

Wasn't India pwned by the English once upon a time? At least the Romans gave us something in return for occupation.

But the sewage system has been around since the pharaoh's.

[MSTRS]

what's the point? You will just harp back to your "rules" whislt teh rest of the world quitely changes the way it uses; apostrophes, commas, pluralisation, colons, and who now days even knows how to use semi-colons. :girlfight:

... or spelling. Or ?
:dodge:

[oneofsix]

... or spelling. Or ?
:dodge:

wat? witchcraft you say? :laugh: and don't forget typing, always a good excuse especially when they put 3 or more letters on the same key :whistle:

[Big Dave]

The point of diminishing carriage return.

[oneofsix]

The point of diminishing carriage return.

What's a carriage return? Actually what is a carriage, apart from a horse drawn vehicle, and why should it be returned? Where do you want it returned to? Also how come its return is getting smaller? how does that work? :Pokey: :whistle:

The Romans didn't invent this carriage thing did they?

[MSTRS]

The Romans didn't invent this carriage thing did they?

IMPERIAL Rome may have...

[oneofsix]

IMPERIAL Rome may have...

thought they would have been too busy playing with their Golfballs

[Smifffy]

Candles!!

Blinds!!

Antix!!

[Akzle]

No - swords were being made in europe that were equally as good as the Japanese swords... Reinvention of the knightly arts by the victorians (and others) and confusion caused by ceremonial 'bearing swords' is partly to blame....

http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?105673-Debunking-European-Sword-Myths

sorry to disapoint, but after skim reading that page: it's full of shit.

i didn't start out by saying that english swords were crap. as that "artilce" leans heavily on.
(scottish braod swords, howe'er, WERE crap)

katana had a very fine manufacturing process, often involving 10, 20, 30 thousands folds. the average enlgish sword was made with 4000, if you were a king, and probably about 50 for the regular army. (exaggerate, but take my point)
the difference in metallurgy and tempering process also comes in: japs had different steel, fired with different coal, in ovens made with different refractory content. DIFFERENT, not better.

what they did make use of, how e'er was tempering, which the engrish neglected somewhat, enlgish tempering involved chucking the thing in the in the furnace till it were hot, then chucking it in water, then griding it on a stone wheel.
anyone who knows anyhing about tempering metal will see the problems of this, if you don't, you now have homework.

the back of a katana blade was wrapped in clay before quenching. this gives the mune (remember they are reflexively curved) awesome springyness, and also awesome flexibility, while the front edge was cooled to be a very hard steel, obviously good for cutting shit.

those two things alone make them better knives. add a blood groove and a very specific and and quite lethal weilding style, and yeah. the katana will fuck your shit up.

[oneofsix]

sorry to disapoint, but after skim reading that page: it's full of shit.



You don't disappoint, your reply is totally in line with expectations.
:girlfight:

[Paul in NZ]

those two things alone make them better knives. add a blood groove and a very specific and and quite lethal weilding style, and yeah. the katana will fuck your shit up.

Hell yeah - must be awesome being a ninja eh?

[swtfa]

Sandals...

and socks (soccus)

[nerrrd]

and socks (soccus)

Fourth declension? I would have said second, so: socci ('socks' can't be a collective noun 'cos one of them always gets lost).

I crack myself up (sigh).

[avgas]

Ane we're also fast forgetting grammar.
Nah we just put her in a home.
It's "Also" not "And". Never And, sometimes and.
Unless you referring to Commander And, defender of Global Warming.

[Smifffy]

Nah we just put her in a home.
It's "Also" not "And". Never And, sometimes and.
Unless you referring to Commander And, defender of Global Warming.

And then what?

[Akzle]

Hell yeah - must be awesome being a ninja eh?
i fucken wish. i really do.

but then again i like guns,, and they're a bit easier...

Nah we just put her in a home.
It's "Also" not "And". Never And, sometimes and.
Unless you referring to Commander And, defender of Global Warming.
your mean.

[nerrrd]

And then what?

Et tu, Smifffe?

[Smifffy]

Et tu, Smifffe?

Sic semper tyrannis!

[oneofsix]

i fucken wish. i really do.

but then again i like guns,, and they're a bit easier...

your mean.

The Katana was only one of many of the ninja's weapons, in fact a criticism of the Ninja was that they didn't stand and fight with the Katana but instead preferred to use their weapons of stealth unlike the Samurai.

That said the Ninja is more interesting. :2thumbsup

As to the European long sword here is another view of it;
http://petermorwood.tumblr.com/post/50600469357/the-katana-myth-again

I think he is a bit harsh on those that like the Katana but suspect this is through frustration, he would go down well on KB ;)

[Akzle]

The Katana was only one of many of the ninja's weapons, in fact a criticism of the Ninja was that they didn't stand and fight with the Katana but instead preferred to use their weapons of stealth unlike the Samurai.

That said the Ninja is more interesting. :2thumbsup

As to the European long sword here is another view of it;
http://petermorwood.tumblr.com/post/50600469357/the-katana-myth-again

I think he is a bit harsh on those that like the Katana but suspect this is through frustration, he would go down well on KB ;)

unfortunately my political stance (IDGAF) wouldn't allow me to be a samurai.

you had to be pretty special to get katanad by a samurai, too, if they could kill you without their sword, they would.

i'd fucking suck at nanchaku, but shiruken, rope, poison and sneakyness i can handle.

[Berries]

Sic semper tyrannis!
Nah. The dinosaurs were well before the Romans.

[Smifffy]

Nah. The dinosaurs were well before the Romans.

Died out cos they couldn't do push ups.

[granstar]

Kids don't fly kites any more ...http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~et3m-tkkw/history-table.html

[SPman]

The Greeks gave us love - the Romans gave us love between a man and a woman......