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This is the first post in a series discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. Prior to the industrial revolution, peasant farmers of varying types made up the overwhelming majority of people in settled societies (the sort with cities and writing). And when … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households →
As is traditional here, I am taking advantage of the Fourth of July this week to write something about the United States, this time a brief discussion of the nature of civil-military relations in the United States. Civil-military relations (typically shortened to ‘civ-mil’ or sometimes CMR) is, simply put, the relationship between the broader civil … Continue reading Collections: The American Civil-Military Relationship →
Fireside this week! Originally, I was thinking I’d talk about the ‘future of classics’ question in this space, but I think that deserves a full post (in connection with this week’s book recommendation and the next fireside’s book recommendation), so instead this week I want to talk a little about foreign policy realism, what it … Continue reading Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism) →
This week at long last we come to the clash of men and horses as we finish our three-part (I, II, III) look at the iconic opening battle scene from the film Gladiator (2000). Last time, we brought the sequence up through the infantry advance, observing that the tactics of the Roman arrow barrage and … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part III →
This week we’re continuing our three-part (I) look at one of film’s most famous Roman battle sequences, the iconic opening battle from Gladiator (2000). I had planned this to be in two parts, but even though this sequence is relatively short, it provides an awful lot to talk about. As noted last week, this iconic … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part II →
More in history
“I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi, who shows us dragons and other monsters in his Monstrorum Historia Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia is a huge 13-volume encyclopaedia of life on Earth. The books cover different subjects: quadrupeds, fish, sea life, birds, serpents, plants … Continue reading "Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters" The post Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters appeared first on Flashbak.
Rising at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Hagia Sophia is more than a marvel of architecture. For over 1,500 years, Istanbul’s international treasure has witnessed the rise and fall of empires and the shifting tides of faith. How did a singular structure survive centuries of political and religious upheaval? The secret to Hagia […]
On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal JamesHoare Tue, 07/15/2025 - 08:09
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories. Although its immediate impact was limited by enforcement challenges, its symbolic power redefined the nation’s purpose and the very cause of the war. The Proclamation not only provided hope for millions but also set […]
