Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos

This week (and next) we're looking at hoplites, 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, that swirls around hoplite warfare and the phalanx. … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos →

Fireside Friday, November 7, 2025 (On the Roman Strategy Debate)

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) →

Miscellania: Europa Universalis V Confirmed! (First Impressions)

Something different this week! The folks at Paradox Development Studios were nice enough to give me a review copy of the upcoming Europa Universalis V (releasing Nov. 4) ahead of release so that I could share some thoughts! For the unfamiliar, Europa Universalis is a series of strategy games covering the early modern period (traditionally … Continue reading Miscellania: Europa Universalis V Confirmed! (First Impressions) →

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part V: Life In Cycles

This is the fifth and final part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd,IVe, V) looking at the structures of life for pre-modern peasant farmers and showing how historical modeling can help us explore the experiences of people who rarely leave much evidence of their day-to-day personal lives. I've been stressing … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part V: Life In Cycles →

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVe: The No-Rest Of It

This is the fifth dish of the fourth course of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd,IVe, V) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers, who made up a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. We are trying to grapple here with what has thus been the … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVe: The No-Rest Of It →

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVd: Spinning Plates

This is the fourth thread of the fourth part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd,IVe, V) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers, who make up a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. We're thus probing here was has been, in effect, the modal human … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVd: Spinning Plates →

Fireside Friday, September 19, 2025 (On the Use and Abuse of Malthus)

Hey folks, Fireside this week! Next week we should be back to start looking at the other half of labor in the peasant household, everything that isn't agriculture. Also, here are some cats: Catching that perfectly timed Percy-yawn, while Ollie (below) is doing his best Percy impression with those narrowed eyes. For this week's musing, … Continue reading Fireside Friday, September 19, 2025 (On the Use and Abuse of Malthus) →

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVc: Rent and Extraction

This is the third piece of the fourth part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd,IVe, V) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers – a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. Last time, we started looking at the subsistence of peasant agriculture by considering the … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVc: Rent and Extraction →