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04/09/2026

Caesar at Alesia be like

03/09/2026

In this month: Siege of in 52 BC, in which Caesar was able to finally defeat Gallic resistance to .

This is perhaps the most famous siege of ancient , and shows a thoroughness and preparedness that, I think, has no rival.

Following a cavalry victory at the Vingeanne River, Caesar pursued Vercingetorix to the oppidum of Alesia and arrived around late July. Seeing the position on a high plateau, Caesar immediately chose a blockade over a direct assault. Trapped inside the hill fort were ~80,000 Gauls under Vercingetorix.

A massive relief host under Commius and Vercassivellaunos reached Alesia roughly 4 to 5 weeks into the siege (late August / early September). Estimated to have between 100,000 and 250,000 men, the host marched to crush the Romans. Perhaps outnumbered nearly 6 to 1, Caesar didn't retreat or abandon the siege.

Instead, ~50,000 Roman legionaries then had two massive lines of fortification:

1. The original Circumvallation (18 km facing inward) built to starve Alesia out.

2. Contravallation (21 km facing outward) to block the incoming relief army.

In total, over 35 KM of walls, moats, redoubts, and stakes surrounded the city. Caesar trapped the enemy inside while holding off a tidal wave from the outside. After a 4 days of sallying from the defenders and a simultaneous attacks from without, the Gauls were not able to dislodge the Romans. Vercingetorix capitulated on the morning of the 5th day.

Incredible.

Art by Peter Dennis
Map by Reddit user trbanaban

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04/08/2026

Yesterday I posted about Cannae... but it turns out August 2nd was a double feature for legendary tactical gaslighting 🚩

Alongside Hannibal’s masterpiece, it’s also the anniversary of Chaeronea (338 BC). Two totally different commanders, two different eras and theaters, but same basic theme: make the enemy infantry think they're winning before punishing their overextension.

1️⃣ Chaeronea: Philip II feigned a retreat (according to Polyaenus) to draw the Athenians out of order, opening a giant hole for an 18-year-old Alexander the Great to punch through with his Companion Cavalry.

2️⃣ 122 years later, Cannae: See previous post. TLDR; The Romans shoved themselves into a giant Carthaginian/Celtic/Iberian/Numidian embrace.

Moral of the story: If an ancient general starts giving you free ground on August 2nd... Don't get too excited.

Illustration by Johnny Shumate
Map from Wikipedia Commons
Picture of the Lion of from Brittanica Online

21/07/2026

2,381 years ago today, a kid was born who looked at the entire known world and said: "Mine."

Happy Birthday to Alexander III (the Great)! The original workaholic/alcoholic who conquered from Greece to the Indus, named ~70 cities after himself (and one after his horse), and never lost a single battle.

(Swipe right to see him getting a spa day from a literal Nymph as a baby. Talk about high standards.) 🛀✨

🏛️ History of the Second Mosaic (which I had not seen before!)

What it is: A 4th-century AD Roman floor mosaic depicting "The First Bath of Alexander".

Where it's from: Discovered in a Roman villa in Baalbek, Lebanon, now housed in the National Museum of Beirut.

What’s happening: The Greek inscription reads ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ (Alexander) and ΝΥΜΦΗ (Nymph). Ancient propaganda insisted Alexander was divine, so naturally, a regular midwife wasn't going to do. He needed a water deity to wash him in a golden baby basin.

A Churchy Twist: This exact mosaic composition, newborn being bathed in a raised basin by an attendant, was so popular in the ancient Mediterranean that early Christian artists copied the design line for line for a standard depictions of the Nativity of Jesus

🖼️Illustration by: Joan Francesc Oliveras

06/07/2026

We know a little bit more now, but here are some facts to point out to your if/when you watch this flick

04/07/2026

I don't like the costumes but they might have vibed their way to gold 🏆

22/06/2026

On this day in 217 BCE, the largest Hellenistic in history was fought. Roughly 145,000 soldiers and 200 war elephants clashed at the Battle of Raphia.

Ptolemy IV pulled off a massive upset against Antiochus III, partially because he recruited 20,000 native Egyptians into his phalanx.

Prior to this, Hellenistic kings (like the Ptolemies and Seleucids) relied primarily on Greek settlers, mercenaries, and soldiers to form their phalanxes. This was viewed as a way to maintain ruling-class dominance and ensure military loyalty.

This set into motion a general recruiting strategy across the Hellenistic world, in which phalanxes would swell their ranks with natives and would get ever larger.

21/06/2026

⚔️ 2,700-YEAR-OLD BRONZE AGE SWORD FOUND IN POLAND! 🇵🇱

History rises from the dirt! A local amateur detectorist was out hunting in a forest near Gdańsk when his metal detector went off. He expected another bottle cap or soda can, but he dug anyway and found this masterpiece stuck vertically in the ground.

Some quick facts:

⚔️ The Timeline: The Polish Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments officially dated it to around 900–700 BCE.

⚔️The Typology: This is an Antenna Sword, so-called for the distinct spiral ornaments that traditionally sit on the hilt. Swipe to see an artist's rendition in the next slide!

⚔️ The Value: Back in 700 BCE, owning a weapon like this was also a status symbol. It would have been unimaginably expensive. Including labor, perhaps worth an entire herd of cows.

⚔️ Why? It might have been ritually offered, as since it was found vertically, it was probably placed there on purpose.

🟢 It survived millennia beautifully preserved beneath a striking green patina. I didn't know this, but a controlled layer of corrosion actually seals the metal underneath from further damage.

⚔️This bronze beauty predates the iron-wielding La Tène culture, marking the spectacular final chapter of the Bronze Age before iron took over Europe.

Now, the is heading to a museum where it will be conserved and put on display for the world to see 🙌🏽

Slide 1: Notes from Poland
Slide 2: 🖼️ Roman Zawadzki

19/06/2026

Herodotus and Livy making up a 45-minute cinematic monologue for a general they never met

14/06/2026

Scutarius is building an Imperial scutum from scratch!

An authentic Imperial was made by gluing and curving several thin wooden slats in a crosswise fashion. Essentially ancient plywood.

For this build, he took a logical modern shortcut to save time and material costs: laminating two sheets of 3mm plywood to hit that final 6mm thickness.

The real challenge? The curve. Getting that deep curvature without breaking the can be tough. To protect against the massive compression forces on the backside of the curved surface, their tact is to:

* Soak the sheets thoroughly in hot water.
* Clamp them down tightly with straps/staves against a salvaged barrel
* Let it dry completely over a couple of days so the wood retains the curve

Once the two curved sheets are glued together, the whole structure is locked in place. Since this is an experimental build using modern plywood, they are sticking with modern PVA glue rather than diving into historically accurate casein or hide glue.

If you have some timber offcuts and a few ratchet straps, this might be a genuinely achievable summer project. Feline supervisor optional 🐈

Check out Scutarius for all his builds!

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