Re: Sickle-claws, theropod infanticide and Valerian

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

> (4) In order to propose that _C. bauri_ is the "only theropod found in
> sufficient numbers to qualify as a colony, in one location" you have to
> establish that the mass assemblage of _C. bauri_ is the result of a
single,
> sudden catastrophe rather than a gradual cumulation over time.

Even in the former case I, not knowing the taphonomy ;-P , can easily repeat
the old suggestion that several packs, rather than a single huge one, were
swept together at Ghost Ranch or got together in some other way post mortem.

> The Emperor Valerian ruled 253¨C260 A.D. and met a sticky end after being
> captured by the Persians.

Oh yeah. Force labour. The dam which he helped to construct still exists
(least ruins thereof, don't know).

> There were several emperors named Valentinian.  Valentinian I (Roman
emperor
> of the West, 364¨C75), was one of the unsung heroes of antiquity, holding
> the empire together in the face of impossible odds.

Then probably he is meant (who'd write much about the others).

> By the way, officianados of the entire "w" vs "v" vs
> diphthong-before-vowel-sound thing might be interested to know that the
> ancient city of Ilium (Troy) was called "Wilusa" by its overlords in the
> Hittite Empire.

This is a different issue... up to something like Homer's time, Greek had a
w and then, unlike Latin, lost it almost without a trace* (but it lasted
long enough to get a letter... the digamma, F, which by additional
convulsions via Etruscan ended up to be used for its current
pronounciation), and about 1000 years later the pronounciation of beta
changed from b to v. BTW, whether Wilusa is really Ilion or something else
is still discussed and has been for about a century AFAIK.

* Wine is inos in Greek, as in *Gargantuavis philoinos*, isn't it? -- The
Mycenaean kings were called wanax. Compare *Saurophaganax*.