Braveheart: Fact or Fiction? The Real William Wallace
The Scottish infantrymen, armed with pikes and spears, managed to successfully defend against an English cavalry charge. The name William Wallace, once known only by…
More to The Ill-fated Mongol Invasions of Japan Than Just a “Divine Wind”
Most people know of the kamikaze pilots of WWII who deliberately piloted their planes into Allied ships during the latter stages of the war. Many…
Counting Arrows: How the Persian Empire Counted Its Dead
In an era before dog tags or modern military bureaucracy, ancient and medieval powers needed to get creative in how they kept track of their…
The Mystery of the Lost Legion: One of the Most Experienced Legions Vanished
What could have happened to the 9th Legion? How could it simply disappear? The fate of the 9th has been the subject of debate for…
Amazonian Warriors of the Ancient Worlds
Women warriors of the ancient world Warfare has traditionally been a man’s world. The reasons for this varies historically and culturally but, regardless of time…
How a Mathematician Stopped the Roman Army: The Siege of Syracuse
A Desperate Effort When a small group of Roman soldiers made their way quietly to the walls of Syracuse in 212 BCE, they were looking…
WW2 “Sweetheart Grips” Surprisingly Few People Know About Them
The personalization of equipment goes back for centuries. The Greeks often had to supply their own armor so they usually added ridged elements that simulated…
Holding Back the “Savages” – Roman Engineering of Hadrian’s Wall
The Romans built many enormous and impressive structures – castles, arenas, coliseums – that even today offer mute testimony to the ingenuity and brilliance of…
How War Built An Empire: Conflicts Ensured Rome’s Future Growth
It’s a terrible reality that war can be useful for a country. It spurs economic growth and helps a nation expand its territory. The military…
Cruel and Unusual? Fact and Fiction About Punishment in Ancient Rome
There are numerous tales of cruel and unusual punishments in ancient Rome. One of the tales in Livy’s History tells of how Tarpeia was punished…
Guarded by 7,000 Warriors – Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
Qin Shihuangdi died in 210 BCE. He was the first ruler to unite China. He also built an extensive network of roads, standardized the currency,…
Hannibal’s Revenge: Elephant General of Carthage
The Origin of an Oath Rome and Carthage were two large and rich states that in the 3rd century BC dominated the Central and Western…