Running is a wonderful, life-enhancing activity that ultimately boils down to putting one foot in front of the other. After 20+ years of putting one foot in front of the other, I confess an occasional need to introduce gimmicks in order to maintain my interest. I call my latest gimmick "2001 in 2001." Here's how it works: each mile represents a year, beginning with year 0. As I go along, I will try to learn a little bit about what was going on in the world during that time period; it's a chance to learn some history (always my weak subject,) and to provide some grist to think about on those inevitable days when there is nobody to run with and it's hard to get out the front door. If all goes well, I'll run my 2001'st mile on December 31st. Today, e.g, we begin the reign of Diocletian (284-305.) The problem is that we are fast entering the period known as the Fall of the Roman Empire. The Dark Ages are upon us! It may be hard to find information to think about during the long dreary miles ahead. Actually, the problem is not lack of information, but a surfeit of information. The libraries are full of dusty volumes on medieval history, but where does a beginner start? Can anyone recommend a good general reference on the time period from 300 AD to 700 AD? What I'd really like is a timeline, similar to several I found on the web (See, e.g, http://www.smokeylake.com/Christy/ultimate.htm, which covers 1600-present.) -- ************************************************************************ Terry R. McConnell Mathematics/304B Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-1150 trmcconn@syr.edu http://barnyard.syr.edu/~tmc Question Authority? ************************************************************************