Eighteenth Century Britain was one of the main cauldrons in which the ideas of the Enlightenment were bubbling, and Gibbon was one of its leading figures.  The enlightened view of the world that was being pioneered then is still with us, shaping how we think to this very day.

Animal Farm was one of the earliest animations of a novel. Disney it isn’t.

I have been beavering away on this project and I have a couple more Gibbon’s lined up now.  I haven’t posted them yet because I want to catch up on the YouTube channel.  I now have a small but highly select group of followers, characterised by impeccable taste, keen judgment, surprising good looks and huge

Would Stonehenge survive a thermonuclear attack? The intense heat of a direct hit would certainly be hot enough to melt solid rock, but Salisbury Plain is not a key military target.  It’s probably far enough out of the way to avoid the most severe consequences. It would be unaffected by the ensuing gale force winds

Like a lot of others, I love Lord of the Rings.  The plot revolves around the incredible lure of the ring.  It is evil but almost irresistible.  Its offers temptation tailored to the particular individual’s desires.  Amazingly Tolkien came up with this notion without the inspiration of the internet. The web offers so many ways

With Caracalla dead, there was only one authority that could make an emperor, the army. Chance had it that most of the troops were gathered in Syria, so it was there and nowhere else that matters would be decided.