Byzantine humor (or: Battle of the Johns)

> On Sat, 20 Feb 1999, John M. Atkinson wrote:

> Hey, I think of myself as a Domestic of the Scholae, a simple soldier

Um... mainly because the post is not funny?:) On the other hand, you're
probably refering to "Lest Darkness Fall", right?

JohnA said
> Hey, I think of myself as a Domestic of the Scholae, a simple soldier

John, you're underestimating my age. Bear in mind that a lot of the
Byzantine history I know, I read 15-20 years ago.

> Um... mainly because the post is not funny? :)

Here's a hint--this is an actual quote from an historical Byzantine
person who reasonably well known.

For those of you who are interested in this sort of thing, Harry Turtledove
has written a number of books (The Misplaced Legion series and a couple of
others) based on Byzantium plus magic.

> Chen-Song Qin wrote:

> Um... mainly because the post is not funny? :)

No.

The joke is that the Domestic of the Scholae is, by virtue of being stationed
in the City an experienced intriguer, a polished rhetoritician, and all the
other thing not included in the phrase "simple soldier."

And that by making a joke that obscure, one is in effect engaging in the
behaviors that one is claiming to be incapable of engaging in.

> Laserlight wrote:

> >> [1]Five points for anyone who explains why this post is