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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 →
a week ago

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More from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households

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 →

a week ago 13 votes
Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism)

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) →

2 weeks ago 15 votes
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part III

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 →

3 weeks ago 15 votes
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part II

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 →

a month ago 22 votes

More in history

London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997

Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden was in the London borough of Brent, as it remains today. It’s when Peter Marshall was walking around the place taking pictures. Bordered by the north-west London -dens of Neasden and Willesden, Harlesden is different. In 1908, the Olympic Games … Continue reading "London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997" The post London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997 appeared first on Flashbak.

15 hours ago 3 votes
The Mad Genius Who Gave Us the Elements

Empedocles: The Eccentric Philosopher

7 hours ago 2 votes
How Gutenberg’s Press Sparked a World-Changing Revolution

The Gutenberg Press revolutionized how information was produced and disseminated, marking a milestone in the history of book production in Europe. Produced in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany, this innovative press combined the movable metal type with a screw press mechanism, making it possible to print books. This offered an alternative […]

2 days ago 3 votes
A Little Intelligence ...

... about Intelligence.

2 days ago 6 votes
The Unique History of Wales (From the Stone Age)

Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England, something that angers most Welsh people due to the turbulent history between the two countries. Wales has a long and fascinating history, all of its own, characterized by consistent struggles, especially with its English neighbor. Although the […]

2 days ago 3 votes