A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A look at history and popular culture
Hey folks! This week is Thanksgiving in the United States and I've opted to take advantage of the break in teaching to focus down on getting some chapter revisions done, so we'll be back to hoplites next week. In the meantime, if you are looking for things to read or watch, I have a few … Continue reading Gap Week, November 28, 2025 (Thanksgiving)
This is the second part of what looks like it'll be end up as a four part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, Intermission, IVa, IVb) discussing the debates surrounding ancient Greek hoplites, the heavy infantry of the Archaic (800-480) and Classical (480-323) periods. Last week, we outlined the contours of the debate: the major points … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part II: Hoplite Equipment, Hoplight or Hopheavy?
This week we're beginning a series looking at hoplites (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, Intermission, IVa, IVb), the heavy infantry of the ancient Greek poleis in the (early? mid? late?) Archaic and Classical periods, into the Hellenistic. In particular, I want to outline the major debate, which I have alluded to quite a few times here, … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos
Hey folks! Fireside this week. I had wanted to have my post on the hoplite debate (the othismos over othismos) ready for this week, but it's not quite done, so I am shifting that to next week. So instead this week I want to outline another debate in ancient military history, the 'Roman strategy debate.' … Continue reading Fireside Friday, November 7, 2025 (On the Roman Strategy Debate)