Gilbert du Motier, better known as Marquis de Lafayette, had the world at his feet. He was wealthy and had a deep family history in French nobility and military. He could have done just about anything with his life. Instead of resting on his laurels and enjoying the privileges his life had to offer, […]

Discussions of warfare in ancient Greece and Rome usually revolve around open field battles with dense formations of infantry clashing, supported by cavalry and missile troops. But many ancient conflicts were resolved through sieges, with enemy armies attempting to breach a city’s wall while starving those barricaded inside. Sieges required special tactics and weapons, […]

At first glance, it seems like a simple sketch: a nude male figure within a circle and a square. But Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is anything but ordinary. Those familiar lines form a fascinating blueprint of Renaissance ideals, revealing layers of artistic and scientific genius that were centuries ahead of their time.   […]

Of all the knightly orders born of the Crusades, none are as well known or as heavily mythologized as the Knights Templar. From Dan Brown conspiracy thriller novels like The Da Vinci Code to the best-selling Assassin’s Creed video game franchise, the Knights Templar have long been a mainstay of pop culture and historical […]