What did the Romans ever do for us? Bedbugs.

[Duncan Head]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/03/incredibly-rare-discovery-reveals-bedbugs-came-to-britain-with-the-romans

[Ian61]

That would please John Cleese.

[Imperial Dave]

Splitters!

[Ian61]

This probably let's the French off the hook. 

To be fair there are two things happening here both start with the fact that in the western world we nearly eliminated most of the smaller insectoid pests that bedevilled our ancestors. We now eschew the very chemical insecticides that gave us that freedom - but the pests are finding their way back and some are coming back more tolerant of those very chemicals when we suddenly feel the need to reach for them. The itchy side of history is one that I am glad not to have had to experience, it remains to be seen if the future will remain itch free!

[Keraunos]

I was intrigued to see from the Pendraken website that someone recently played a game with the ruleset 'Lice Free or Die'.  In the light of this bedbug discovery, perhaps we will see an adaptation of these rules for Ancient Britons trying to fend off unsanitary Romans?

[Ian61]

Very good.

I had to check on that typo, I initially saw 'Dice Free or Die'!? Even knowing the proclivities of some of our colleagues against dice I thought this a bit extreme - it is of course meant to be, 'Live Free or Die' which I gather are American War of Independence rules, which would help explain my initial puzzlement.

[Imperial Dave]

 

[Erpingham]

British colonialism can be blamed for many things, but introducing lice to America is surely not one of them.