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…
Celtic Warriors Limit Roman Power at Hadrian’s Wall
The Roman Empire’s success, like that of many empires, was closely linked with its ability to expand. Rome’s history was borne of conflict, and for…
17 Women to 1 Man – Generations of War May Explain Ancient Mystery
Several millennia ago men were in an unusual position. According to recent studies, genetic diversity–specifically the diversity of the Y-chromosome–virtually collapsed over the course of…
Hadrian’s Wall of Denmark – Dannevirke Defensive Complex
Beginning in the later part of what historians know as the “Nordic Iron Age,” the pagan Danes built massive lines of fortifications along their border…
Ultimately Disgraced – Scipio Africanus was One of Rome’s Greatest Generals
Publius Cornelius Scipio was born around 236 BC, the son of a Roman aristocrat. He grew up amid the privilege of the Roman elite and…
Mysterious Fate of Zenobia: The Palmyra Queen Who Defied Rome
In the third century AD, Palmyra was a stopover for traders traveling across the deserts. This made Palmyra wealthy and earned it the nickname “The…
Spartans – Men Who Were Born To Fight
Spartans were a people from ancient Greece who had two main goals in life: to be the best warriors in the land, and to serve…