Hi grangram
I thoroughly enjoyed reading that. The Romans also trained Apes to rape and attack, and released them into areas to enforce curfews.Re the Bath Museum, we used to visit quite often, when you could drink the dreadful water...not sure if you still can.I absolutely loved the letters the Romans wrote home. One in particular begging his mother in Rome to send him some knitted socks. The ones about how they arrived in some of the coldest, wettest weather and absolutely hated the place, and the two male skeletons in one coffin, casually referred to as 'probably lovers, or maybe twins'. History is only people in all their glory.
I think when you don't nail your colours to one particular mast, unless they are rabid followers, you can enjoy the discussions. I spent a great evening at a dinner with semi-drunk Hasidic Rabbis discussing the Kabala. Had I been Jewish it wouldn't have been allowed. Women simply cannot study it. Apparently males have to pass a test to see if they are fit as it can drive them insane. Then the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Taoists, Catholics about superimposing their religion on Paganism et al. None of them were preachy at all. The conversations usually started when I asked them what something meant, and it went on from there, when I was in their countries, especially the Sufis. None of them ever told me I was a 'sinner'.

Namaste,grangram
Yve