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This week’s post is intended to answer a question which came up in response to the last post looking at the most common type of Mediterranean spear, which to put it simply is: what is up with the odd Roman heavy infantry kit built around a sword and two javelins (albeit two javelins of an … Continue reading Collections: Roman Infantry Tactics: Why the Pilum and not a Spear? →
a year ago

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More from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry

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 →

a week ago 7 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 week ago 14 votes
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part I

This week, we’re going to take a close look at arguably the most famous and recognizable Roman battle sequence in film: the iconic opening battle from Gladiator (2000). Despite being a relatively short sequence (about ten minutes), there’s actually enough to talk about here that we’re going to split it over two weeks, talking about … Continue reading Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part I →

2 weeks ago 11 votes
Fireside Friday, May 30, 2025 (On Professional Military Education)

Hey all, we’re doing a Fireside this week! For this week’s musing, I thought it might be worthwhile – this being a frequent space for military history – to offer a brief outline of professional military education (PME) in the United States, which is to say the various stages by which US officers are academically … Continue reading Fireside Friday, May 30, 2025 (On Professional Military Education) →

3 weeks ago 13 votes
Collections: The Logistics of Road War in the Wasteland

This week, we’re doing another ‘silly’ topic, but this being me, it is a silly logistics topic, because – as the saying goes – amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics. So we’re going to be professionally silly this week and talk about the logistics of vehicle warfare in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting, in part because … Continue reading Collections: The Logistics of Road War in the Wasteland →

a month ago 19 votes

More in history

Vintage Posters for The Royal Court Theatre

Founded by the English Stage Company (ESC in 1956, London’s Royal Court Theatre focuses on contemporary theatre. The building on Sloane Square has put on plays since its completion in 1888. The venue truly arrived when on 8 May 1956, John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger opened – a play that marks the beginning of … Continue reading "Vintage Posters for The Royal Court Theatre" The post Vintage Posters for The Royal Court Theatre appeared first on Flashbak.

14 hours ago 2 votes
The 3 Most Infamous Praetorian Plots That (Un)Made Roman Emperors

The Praetorian Guards were the personal bodyguard of the Roman Emperors from the reign of Augustus through to the rise of Constantine. From the first century CE to the early fourth, these soldiers had an unrivaled proximity to imperial politics. This made them incredibly important but also incredibly dangerous. From their barracks in the […]

12 hours ago 1 votes
England’s Prison Population Problems

England’s Prison Population Problems JamesHoare Thu, 06/26/2025 - 08:58

yesterday 1 votes
9 Myths About the Greek God Hephaestus

Hephaestus, the god of smithing and fire, was counted among the twelve Olympian gods. He does not feature as prominently in Greek myths as the rest of his family, but he is credited with creating all the divine tools used by gods and heroes, from Zeus’ aegis to the armor of Achilles. Hephaestus was […]

yesterday 1 votes
On The Shortness of Life

Seneca’s Advice for Dealing with Death

2 days ago 2 votes