Ancient Warfare Blog

Themes for Volume XIV

This entry was posted on November 6, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

Yesterday I forwarded the publication plan to our distributor. It consists of a fairly punishing schedule with a new issue every 7.5 weeks. Obviously, this... Read more

Podcast episode 93: Experimental archaeology and reenactment

This entry was posted on October 11, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

In this episode, the team discusses the benefits, downsides, biases and other features of experimental and archaeology. Does it help us understand how ancient soldiers... Read more

Ancients wargaming - attempt 328

This entry was posted on October 9, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

I'm not exactly sure why, but my optimistically announced reboot of ancients wargaming seems to have taken the 'failboat' into the sunset. I could blame Guy for running from one wargaming project to another. Read more

Podcast episode 92: geography in warfare

This entry was posted on September 19, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

Ancient Warfare podcast episodes this month are, apparently, like those proverbial buses: none for a while and then two come together. In the latest episode... Read more

Podcast episode 91: Tropes!

This entry was posted on September 11, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

A huge number of tropes about the ancient world float around in our collective consciences. This episode, the full podcast team, Myke Cole, Murray Dahm... Read more

An ode to helmets

This entry was posted on August 28, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

Negau helmet, now in Berlin I'm not an archaeologist - trained as a historian instead - but somehow my thoughts easily turn to material culture... Read more

Tombstone details

This entry was posted on August 14, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

Caius Romanius, now in the Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum, Mainz. (c) Livius.org We've discussed Roman military tombstones before. Their quantity and often formulaic text make them an... Read more

Podcast episode 90: Hired help from overseas

This entry was posted on July 22, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

Pyrrhus is endlessly fascinating, but the Epirote warlord was not the first to cross the Adriatic on request of Tarentum. Join the Ancient Warfare podcast... Read more

The Imperial Gallic I helmet

This entry was posted on July 16, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

At the end of the Imperial Gallic series of helmet types (a.k.a. Weisenau-type, in the continental style), there's a small set of copper-alloy helmets. H.Russell... Read more

Convoluted names

This entry was posted on July 2, 2019 by Jasper Oorthuys.

(warning: serious chance of "Well, actually..." pedantry ahead) Gladiator, warts and all, is one of my favourite movies. I probably owe it a debt of... Read more