One of my occasional non-fiction purchases arrived in the mail today: Warren Treadgold's 'A History of the Byzantine State and Society.' The Byzantine Empire is my favourite historical state; they were cruel, beautiful, sacred, profane and highly influential. They created the most marvelous architecture and art that the world would see for many ages and they had a freer and more important place for women than virtually any contemporary society of the times.

She's a big 'un.



Discuss your favourite piece of human history, or what you're currently reading.

I'm quite fond of classical antiquity and post-republic Rome. I'll never learn as much as I want to though... so many political affairs, so many cultural events, so many sieges... so much Delenda est Carthago to shout from the rooftops after yelling wirdie γaiðō von Wodenaz from the forests and shagging a group of Egyptian women.

17th century Europe holds a special place in my heart for all of it's siege warfare, line battles, polish hussars, and engineering the modern concept of combined arms strategy. But god damn is all of the fighting sometimes difficult to keep track of.