ANST - My reply to your rant...and a good rant it was!

[Christopher D. Baran]

	At first I saw this post and couldn't quite bring myself to reply to it as, well everyone knows, Romans were the height of history in almost every possible way.  But, after thinking a bit I felt I couldn't let this opportunity go to waste and comment on something that is actually one of my soap box issues.  

(Dragging noise as Romanius pulls out his soap box)

	You see, research can really lead someone to any conclusion they want if they are a) Trying to prove a particular point or b) not willing to accept certain sources as valid.  In the field of history, there are many contradictory sources on just about any subject you wish to research.  Look at any battle in the ancient world.  You have at least two accounts, the winners and the losers.  The winners were "graced by God" and the losers were "destined to fail since they supported an unworthy cause".  A prime example of this would be El Cid.  If you don't know the history behind El Cid read up on it and THEN watch the MGM movie version.  The movie version represents how El Cid was viewed in the past (oh say 20 - 30 years ago).  I believe this was what the other person replying to your post who cited the holocaust theory etc. was trying to say. The "truth" is tough to get at in history (even recent history) for the reasons I've mentioned above as well as the fact that written records were rare in the past and surviving copies are even more rare.  
	Just because someone has a Ph.D.. doesn't mean they are not out to prove a personal point through research or that they are out and out wrong.  While you were just watching a TV show, I encourage anyone doing research to investigate the full body of information before drawing an opinion on "historical fact".  Actually this thread ties in nicely with the A&S thread nicely on this last point.  Do your research before presenting an A&S entry.  More often that not people learn more from discovering their fallacies on a subject than confirming what they believe they already know.


Centurion Romanius

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