What is Your Favorite Period of History and Why?

[SuburbanFarmer]

You say that like it is a bad thing.

Get thee behind me Satan...

Whatever, bruh.

When you admit that Cromwell is the Abraham Lincoln of the UK, we can talk about history.

...if Abe had fought the civil war during the Renaissance?

[Montegriffo]

Late Neolithic early bronze age Europe.
The time of stone circle building and the beginnings of an agricultural society.

Your circles aren't the only thing that are stoned, wake n' baker.

Just got home via the man after finishing another film job.
Sat here sampling his wares and am more baked than lunchtime's bread and butter pudding...

[DBTrek]

The foundation of my knowledge on Oliver Cromwell

[Montegriffo]

Cromwell was a psychopathic butcher and a tyrant.

Is that the medieval version of "racist, bigot, and homophobe"?

Great to have you back DB, I've missed your warm words of encouragement.

[DBTrek]

Thanks, but don't get too attached, the re-education camp is only letting me out for the faith-neutral winter holiday season.
Then it's back to the data mine.

[Montegriffo]

The foundation of my knowledge on Oliver Cromwell

About sums it up.

There's a story from the time of the Thatcher govt (I think) where some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to hang up a huge portrait of Cromwell in the entrance hall of the foreign office. Champion of parliament and all that...
The first time an Irish delegation arrived for meeting with the foreign minister they took one step into the building, saw the large image of Cromwell looking down at them, turned around and walked straight out again.
They had to quickly take it down to avoid an international incident.

[Montegriffo]

Thanks, but don't get too attached, the re-education camp is only letting me out for the faith-neutral winter holiday season.
Then it's back to the data mine.

I'm not working again till halfway through January. I've got till then to spend all the lovely dosh I've been earning.

[Hastur]

Have you read William McNeil's the Pursuit of Power?

No. Looks good. I spent an Audible credit on it now.

Its a bit like that Gwynne Dyer War book Dan Carlin used to mention and cite a lot. Its a bit dated, but pretty cool if you are into military history. He wrote this really interesting book years ago called Plagues and Peoples which basically charts all of human history through the lense of diseases, viruses etc and how we reacted to them. He goes so far to argue that plagues in different regions of India created the caste system, and discusses how the modern sewer system came about in England. Its a sort of "big picture" take on history the same way the Pursuit of Power is.

Thanks for this tip. What a great book. Now I have to look at his other works.