I found your blog by clicking a link from the Westeros forums (yes, I have developed Procrastination into an art ) and now I’m curious about all those Roman-related paintings and info you post. I’m a bit of a Roman geek (or is that nerd?) myself.

Re. the post about Gibbon below, here’s a blog you might find interesting:
http://historybooksreview.blogspot.com/search/label/Gibbon

And if you look for Belisarius in fiction, I may have a book for you. I usually blog about history and my travels, but do the occasional review as well, and so I’ll be lazy and just link to it, hoping my comment will get throug despite the links.

http://lostfort.blogspot.com/2010/03/felix-dahn-struggle-for-rome.html

Thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy the mix of Roman and Medieval stuff intersperced with some landscape and geology and whatever else strikes my fancy.

Roman inspired Fantasy – how cool. While I love me the good ol’ Medieaval stuff if it’s done well, I’d really like to see different settings in Fantasy more. Though my own take on the Romans is plain historical fiction despitel the traps and pitfalls it sets for a writer.

Oh definitely. Rome has changed a lot during the long time of its existence, and in the second half you get this vast empire to play in. Or you can pick the senate and all those wonderful intrigues that top most Royal councils.

My interestet lies primarily in the Roman Empire at the fringes, Germania, northern Briiannia (Caldeonia) …. the places where the Romans clashed most vividly with other cultures. I like to explore both sides, the Roman attempt to secure borders and spread their civilisation (and to get taxes, ore and whatnot, of course) as well as the lure and the danger of Roman civlisation for the tribes and people in those lands, the loss of identity that often came with it. And the battles that were fought – I like me a good battle.

I’m even quite fascinated by Byzantium – especially the age of Justinian/Theodora/Belisarius. But yes, where Rome meets other nations, the different flavours of the region are very interesting indeed.