I am grieved to hear about Pratchett; wasn't aware that he had passed on until I read it here. He had been in failing health though, from what I heard. His work is hard to categorize; it's set in the… (View Post)

If you want to go really way back, throw in the Iliad and the Odyssey also. (View Post)

Cyropaedia, while also a discussion of government, is additionally a half fictionalized biography of Cyrus the Great; yes, it's a better read. Also, we understand that Plato and Aristotle had definit… (View Post)

I don't recall exactly what Aristotle's criteria were for who should and who shouldn't vote; it's been 45 years since I had to wade through all that. Put the way you stated, it does seem a bit humoro… (View Post)

It's called a pilum; plural is pila. Javelins are lighter, being designed for distance; pila were hurled at close range, seconds before melee contact with the enemy line. Given enough time, an enemy … (View Post)