Gladius Hispaniensis

Interesting article. Thanks for posting. This might be a little off topic, but if the Norse invaders integrated so thoroughly into English society before 1066 does that mean that Harold Godwineson's army at Hastings had a substantial Nordic element in it? If so that is truly ironic because that would mean they were fighting their own cousins, in a sense, in that battle.

I just finished reading "The Spartans" by Paul Cartledge.

That's an interesting list of books Ludovicus. I'd love to get my hands on them. What I would like even more is a book that examines the reasons and the roots of the West's misconceptions about the Islamic world. Outside of a few scholarly circles, people still tend to regard Muslim history with a stereotype that doesn't need repeating. Admittedly the actions of a few idiots out there hasn't helped at all but I'm sure the answer is much more complex and it would be really nice if someone did a study on this issue.

Thanks for that article. I posted it on my Facebook profile. It's high time people started to have multidimensional views on any given issue.

That was my initial impression. Either way, the feats of physical strength and courage described in that book are quite incredible in some cases. That's why I find it so easy to laugh when I see these gang-bangers hanging out at street corners scaring old ladies with their Tupac shirts and low-slung pants.

Ave Going through Flavius Josephus Judaic Wars, one comes across a curious statement. The writer describes the horrific civil violence that was unleashed in the Holy Land and in Alexandria before Roman troops stepped in and portrays the two main communities involved, the Jews and the Greeks. He says that while the latter had an edge in numbers and wealth, the former had the advantage of greater physical strength and courage. I don't doubt the courage of the Jewish rebels, but given the Greek penchant for physical fitness and athleticism (which had no parallel among Palestinian Jews) I must take the "physical strength" part with a pinch of salt. I highly doubt the veracity of the statement and I wonder at why he would have said something like that. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks.

I am now reading Michael Grant's "Herod the Great". Looks promising.

Currently reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I'm rather new to Russian Literature so I hope I like it.

It would be interesting to do a study of the local vernacular in the area of modern day Turkey that was inhabited by the Galatians just to see if there are traces of the original Celtic that was spoken back then. That would be so fascinating.

"Soldier Sahibs" by Charles Allen. Good book about the men who made the North West Frontier of India during the British Raj. I wonder if anyone is interested in Indian history here.

That sounds interesting. Thanks for the posing Doc. Hopefully someone catches the lecture on YouTube.

Oh I knew that. I was referring specifically to swords. The above examples are of the Gladius Hispaniensis and the later Spatha. I was looking more for specimens that predated the Second Punic War.

Ave I am quite aware that the famous Gladius Hispaniensis was not in use in the Roman Army until the Second Punic War when the Romans adopted it from the Iberian tribes but what did they use before that? If it isn't too much trouble would someone bother downloading a picture of such a weapon? Thanks in advance.

Just got started on "The Punic Wars" by Nigel Bagnall

Currently reading Shakespeare's "King Lear" Oh well.

I am getting sick and tired of bloody fools promoting this African/Nubian image of Cleopatra. When is this nonsense going to end? These are monsters that breed in the fetid swamps of historical ignorance and this is a real wake up call for the people that make up our school curriculi - we need to devote more effort and treasure to the study of history. Much, much more. Cleopatra, Hannibal, Rameses the Great - when are these Afro-centric idiots going to stop with their stupidity? Who is next on their list, I wonder, Scipio Africanus?

So I suppose I would be right in assuming that Englishmen from the southern and western part of the Isles have less Norse blood than northerners? I imagine this would also be reflected in surnames - although this might be a little harder to pinpoint.

That was an interesting article.

Ave The physical presence of Norse people in Britain has been well documented - from the establishment of Danelaw to the crushing of Harald Hardrada's Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge. And from what I remember, the Scandinavian presence had made itself especially felt in the northern part of England. I'm wondering if anyone can post some links regarding the influence of the Scandinavians on the English language. I understand there are still some Norse words in Northern English vernacular. I would especially be interested in Nordic sounding place names or surnames. Thanks in advance.

Ought to agreee with CC on this one; the execution of defeated leaders after a triumph seems to have been regular practice, and Pompeius was certainly bloodthirsty when required. In fact, Imperial historians tended to consider both CJ Caesar and Cn Pompeius Magnus too soft for their taste. It certainly was regular practice. It just wasn't something Pompey indulged in. I can't remember if I read that in Goldsworthy, Heather, or Holland though. He was horrible in other ways, just like the rest of them, but this was his one saving grace. In fact, here is part of Appian's description of a Pompeian triumph: "His chariot was followed by the officers who had shared the campaigns with him, some on horseback and others on foot. When he arrived at the Capitol he did not put any of the prisoners to death as had been the custom at other triumphs, but sent them all home at the public expense, except the kings. Of these Aristobulus alone was shortly put to death and Tigranes somewhat later. Such was the character of Pompey's triumph."

Ave Asclepiades Pompey had one saving grace IMO. He did not have prominent enemy captives ritually strangled at the end of a triumph. Other than that I completely agree with what you stated.

Well, there is no denying Caesar's gratuitous overkill but look at the source of the "claimed point of contention". The Senate, Marcus Porcius Cato and the rest. Should we not ingest the proverbial grain of salt? I'd like to know what made other Roman warlords such sweethearts. Caesar was not alone in practicing "gratuitous overkill".

I must say that I really enjoyed "Sense and Sensibility". Ms Austen has won my unqualified admiration. I'm reading a book called "How Wars are Won" by Bevin Alexander. In spite of the presumptious title the book is a good read for those into military history, although some of the author's conclusions are debatable.

Salve and best wishes, my learned friend. Hope to see you here for a very very long time.

I am now reading Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". I hope I enjoy this one as much as "Pride and Prejudice".