I caught the tail end of a programme on BBC4 the other night, about 3 Australian brothers cycling Hannibal’s route from Iberia to Italy. Given that I’m writing a book about that exact thing, I was quite interested. You could have bowled me over with a feather when Danny, one of the Aussies, contacted me about their amazing endeavours. Catch Danny’s blog, and the first four parts of the programme on BBC i-player here.
Sat. 24th July: And the winners are…
24 July 2010 – 01:53
I’m writing this in the middle of the night – it’s one of those not able to sleep ones, thanks to a troublesome hamstring, and the vestiges of the hangover I have from attending the launch party of Harry Sidebottom’s latest book, Lion of the Sun. (Which, incidentally, is a cracking read. Get out there and buy it!) I have all the names on little bits of paper, ready to pick, but I’ve remembered that my wife wants to do the honours, so you’ll have to wait until a more sociable hour to find out who won! Watch this space…
RIGHT, FINALLY GOT IT DONE! The first person’s name out of the bag was Chantal Sukel, of New York state in the USA. The second was John Powell, of Dublin, in Ireland. Congratulations to you both. Chantal wins the denarius and a signed copy of The Road to Rome, and John wins a copy of the book too. Oh yes, the answer to the question! Caesar’s Fifth Legion, which fought so bravely at Thapsus, was often known as ‘Quinta Alaudae’ or the Fifth Larks. They were also sometimes known as Quinta Gallica. More than a hundred of you gave one or other, or both, correct answers. Commiserations, and good luck next year. I’ll do my best to have a Carthaginian coin as a prize then, if they’re not extortionately expensive to buy.
Tues. 20th July: More coins…
20 July 2010 – 19:59
Many of you may already have heard the news about the recent find of no less than 52,000 Roman coins in Somerset (and only about 12 miles/20 km from where I live!). The hoard, the biggest ever found in one place in Britain, has been dated to the 3rd Century AD, and contains many rare coins of the Emperor Carausius. Read about it here. It makes my offer of one paltry denarius in my competition look irrelevant!