My newest treasure . . .

[indianasmith]

I attended one of the biggest Indian artifact shows in America Saturday  in Temple, TX.
There's always lots of cool stuff there besides table after table of Native American spearheads, axes, etc.
You could buy everything from Megaladon teeth to Wooly Mammoth hair.  One dealer had a ton of old world stuff, and I picked up this Roman legionary's ring.  (link to the Instagram pic I posted of it.)  When I got home I did a little research and found that the XVIII Legion (Augustus) was actually recruited by Octavian BEFORE he became Emperor, in 41 BC, and continued to serve in Rome's armies until it was wiped out in the Battle of Teutenborg Forest in 9 AD after Legate Quintcilius Varus led them into an ambush by the Cheruscii.  Virtually all the men of the 18th were wiped out, and the Legion's number was retired and never used again thereafter.  What a COOL piece of history I lucked into!


https://www.instagram.com/p/Byd7dYsHDBn/

[Svengoolie 3]

What's  it made of, silver?

[bob]

[indianasmith]

What's  it made of, silver?

Yes, pretty high grade silver at that!

[lester1/2jr]

I wouldn't think something like that could be bought for less than like a million billion dollars

[indianasmith]

Lots of cool treasure shows up at these shows. 
The guy I bought it from is a retired historian/archeologist, and he bought up a ton of stuff from local diggers/collectors/antique dealers back in the 60's and 70's when it was still cheap.  He's selling off a lot of his collection now.  I'll admit, when I called him and told him the history on this piece, he laughed and said, "I may have let that one go a little cheap, but I'm glad you like it!!"

[Svengoolie 3]

Since you like roman history I thought ice recommend a book to you: Blood and gold by Anne Rice.

Now this book focuses on the vampire Marius, a roman senator and learned man given the dark gift of immortality and tells how nhe lived thru the height and fall of the roman empire and talks aboutnhw it fell from Marius'  POV.

I can't guarantee you'll like it but since nyou like roman history,  maybe.

[indianasmith]

I've read a good many of Anne Rice's books, but not that one. Her vampires tend to be awfully whiny, IMO.
A really cool vampire series are the original NECROSCOPE books by Brian Lumley.  He eventually got carried away with the sequels, but the first three or four books in the series were amazing!

[Svengoolie 3]

I completely agree with you on Anne rice (I also got tired of them going about how beautiful they were .) but as I recall (been a while)  marius was more mature and didn't  whine as much. He did have some heartache that he admitted to bringing on himself but as I recall he was more about talking about the roman world as he lived it. I can't remember if it deals with the great fire or not now.

It was partly the history of the roman empire a'la Rice, and she has a thing for research. So maybe you'd  like it.

Maybe one of the characters owned that ring you ended up with...