teh carthage was a city state based in Northern Africa and the greatest thorn in the side of the Roman Republic, fighting several wars against them. The Romans eventually conquered Carthage and incoporated its territory into their own. Of course, this implies this theme is set in Republican Rome, not Imperial Rome, contrary to indications in previous strips, but we've already established that anachronism is the least of our worries.

The Roman Forum was the administrative, commercial, and religious centre of ancient Rome. As the centre of the greatest empire of the day, it was a stronghold of collected wisdom, intelligent discussion, and skilled rhetoric by the greatest masters of language and thought.

An Internet forum has none of these features.