I grew up in a small town in Ohio. In my junior year of college, I came to Spain to study Spanish and discovered what seemed to me a lost world—a lost paradise. After a stint as a high-school teacher in Pittsburgh and more studies, mostly language and literature, in the U.S. and Switzerland, I came back here for good. I publish in my blogs The Best Artists , Grandes pintores y escultores , and Great Names in History.
Fernando’s Stoneyard is about where and how I learned to carve my first figures in marble.
Al autor, norteamericano y alguna vez profesor de instituto de su país, el destino, o quizás un ángel benévolo, le llevó a España, donde, además de la enseñanza, se las arregló para poder practicar la escultura y la pintura. Escribe aquí sobre la historia en Great Names in History; y sobre el arte y los artistas en Grandes pintores y escultores y The Best Artists .
Great Names in History 
Harold G. Diab
how is the author called
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DD7: Thanks a lot.
I love your blog. There is so much helpful and interesting information on here. Keep it up, 100.
Karen: There are many sources for those posts. Most come from the classics like Plutarch, Livy, Suetonius, the Plinys, and so on. Polybius was pure gold. Caesar’s own writings and of course Cicero’s letters set you down right there in old Rome while the big events are going on.. A few of the curiosities come from Carcopino’s Daily Life in Ancient Rome. Maybe I should start footnoting every one of the posts with my source. But please remember: this is a blog–for the facts you must go to Wikipedia. Ask me the source of any particular post and I’ll answer right back. Thanks.
Hello , I’m a sixth grader and I just happened to be scrolling about in your ” Rome ” section . Would you mind giving me the cited information about your page ? I seem to not be able to find it . Well , reply asap when you get the chance , Thank you !
Kendee: I can’t tell you how many ships the Romans used for the Claudian invasion but check out Caesar’s fleet in Book 5, chapters 1 to 23 of his Gallic War. That was his first real invasion of Britain (the first time was a scouting operation). He says that in preparation for the invasion his men in Northern Gaul built 600 transport vessels and 28 warships during the winter.
In early July, 54 BC, he set out with five legions and “the same number of cavalry as he had left on the mainland”, i.e. 2000 with his legate Labienus to defend the mainland. So figure 2000 cavalry. His legions were short of the 6000 nominal figure but there must have been at least 5000 in each.
He says in all there were 800 ships in the fleet that reached Britain but some belonged to traders and other individuals who weren’t soldiers.
I’m interested in the Claudian invasion of Britain in AD43. How many ships would have been needed to transport the 40,000 troops across the Channel and where would the ships have come from?
Francisco Barrios: Muchísimas gracias, amigo. Espero que no te defraude con la siguiente.
Un saludo.
Oh, here’s your “About”. I just asked about you on your Art Blog. What an exciting life you’ve had! I’ll pass on links to your history and art blogs to my fellow homeschoolers on our e-loop here in the Midwest. Both will make a stimulating addition to their curriculums, I’m sure. You deserve to be in the top ten on WordPress! Gloris
http://www.gloriadelia.wordpress.com
Hola. Te escribo desde Colombia, Suramérica. ¡Excelente blog! Lo encontré por azar. Espero la próxima entrada.
Un saludo,
Francisco Barrios
Silverseason: Thank you. So much of Spain’s history is still lying about on the surface, so to speak, so you will turn into a mad historian when you come here and go running to castles, palaces, and ruins of all kinds to find out about them and summon up their ghosts. The landscapes (all kinds) will intoxicate you here too. You won’t regret a long stay, be sure of that, no matter which part of the country you land in.
I enjoyed your post on Greece.
I have just found your blog and it interests me a great deal. I have been to Spain but not (yet) traveled very widely there. I was also intoxicated by the landscape and related history in the south of France and in Greece. http://silverseason.wordpress.com/courses-and-presentations/glimpses-of-greece/
It has to do with seeing the world as it is now and feeling the connections back through the ages.
Thanks, Andrew. I was over at your blog and read about the storks. I didn’t know they didn’t make it as far north as England. They are indeed nice to have as neighbors here. You’ve probably heard the saying “por San Blas la cigüeña verás”. St. Baise’s feast day is in February. But as you say, many couples stay here all winter now. It will be interesting to read what you thought of each of those unique cities you visited. Alcalá de Henares, Cervantes’s birthplace, is full of storks.
Great website, very enjoyable. I am learning to love Spain and have written about my travels in my blog. I have just returned from a trip to Castile and visited Cuenca, Segobriga, Belmonte, Toledo, Avila and Segovia. I will be publishing that soon. It was wonderful.
I’m enjoying sampling your posts here — full of all sorts of things I never knew and thoughts I never had, even though I love history. I’ll add your blog to my blogroll, if you don’t mind (not that that will generate a flood of visitors!).
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Gracias, guapísima.
Claro, señor Marques: ¡Viva España!
Thanks very much, Man of Roma. I hope I can continue to write posts that interest you. Spaniards always feel at home in Italy. It’s just as you say–some Mediterranean brotherhood. A Yankee like me feels awe and sometimes a little envy for both countries.
Italy is a beautiful country, but what about Spain? It is so fascinating and full of vigour! Now that I know your blog better, I added it to my blogroll. You write extremely well and the information you provide is very good. Please continue.
Regards
Man of Roma
Thanks, Man of Roma. I’m looking forward to reading your posts. I have the same regrets about time in Italy, though it seems I have never stopped reading about her. I even did an Assimil course in Italian once in preparation for a good stay there. In my mind I’ve turned her into a fairy-tale country.
Hi, very interesting blog. I found it by hazard. I am a Roman since many generations and I am a history-addicted person. I love many countries, and now that I am almost 60 I am getting closer to my roots, id est to Latin civilization. My blog is about our ancient Western roots. I regret I could not dedicate more time to wonderful Spain.
All the best
Man of Roma
Thanks, Miki. Shall we toast to Her? ¡Viva España!
Such a wonderful homage to Spain! And you are so right!
Well, this is interesting. Not many people in my Middle Eastern country read, either. Why don’t you think they are reading much in Spain? I am surprised.
Eileen
Thanks, Eileen. All that enthusiasm scares me a little–I wouldn’t want to let you down. I like the idea of writing about this country. I thought about doing this blog in Spanish but the fact is, not many Spaniards read. And then, writing in Spanish would take me longer each day. And I had resolved to cut down. You see what became of that resolution. By the way, I always read and enjoy your posts too.
I’m so excited that you’ve started this new blog! I like your other blog, but am very interested in the things you are talking about here. It’s nice to hear a little bit about yourself here, and how you came to love Spain. I’m looking forward to being a regular reader.
Eileen
Dedicated Elementary Teacher Overseas (in the Middle East)
elementaryteacher.wordpress.com