Ancient Military History

⚔️ The Anatomy of a Barbarian's Defeat 🩸

​"But the Galatians are not worried about such open gashes; sometimes indeed they cut further into the skin to open the and imagine, thus that they are fighting with greater glory. On the other hand, when the point of an arrow or sling shot has buried itself in the flesh, leaving a wound slight in appearance,  but causing acute pain, and  when it does not come out as they search for a way to extract the missile, these same men become maddened and ashamed at being destroyed by so small an affliction; and they throw themselves prostrate on the ground."
Livy, # # .21

​The Dying Sculpture Detail: Notice how despite having a sizable gash on the ribs, this Galatian tends to his leg wounds. In this case, one can rightly wonder if a sling lead bullet made him a casualty more than the cut on his torso.

​🛡️ More where that came from at .military.history !

Ever wondered what a Roman legionary or senator actually tasted? 🏛️

​I’m hosting an intimate, 15-guest Roman Food Night right here in Berlin (near Wittenbergplatz). We’ll be serving a curated, multi-course meal featuring authentic ancient recipes— including Garum—paired with historical wines like Mulsum.

​This is a passionate passion project and a fundraiser to seed our new living history and reenactment group. Since most of you follow from around the world, if you happen to be local or passing through Berlin, I’d love to share a table and talk history with you in person and geek out!

​🎟️ Strictly limited to 15 spots. > 👉 Link is live:

https://buytickets.at/romanfoodnightberlin/2231235

Hope to see you!

🛡️ THE ASPIS — READING A HOPLITE'S SHIELD 🛡️

The Greek aspis (ἀσπίς) being 90cm-diameter circle of concave bronze was perfect as a surface for art. The emblem painted on it ("episemon") could help identify city-state or region:

- Athens used the owl of Athena.
- Sparta bore the Lambda (Λ) of Lacedaemon though this appears to have been a later adoption, attested more clearly in the 5th–4th century BC.
- Syracuse and Sicily used the triskelion, possibly because of the shape of the island
- Thebes used the club of Herakles
- Coastal states like Eretria used the octopus, reflecting naval identity.
- The bull invoked raw power and virility and was associated with several Boeotian city-states.

But the episemon was often personal, and not necessarily standardized by geography or unit:

- The scorpion (like above) and serpent signaled cunning and lethal precision. Perhaps like an ancient "Don't Tread on Me".
- The could horse denoted aristocratic status — cavalry lineage painted onto infantry kit.
- The Gorgoneion (Medusa's head) was apotropaic : meant to ward off evil and unsettle enemies.
- The griffin represented divine vigilance.

🖼️Art: 1) from his Heroes of Bronze

2) The panel of a black-figure belly amphora, signed by "Exekias" as potter

📖 Sources: Thucydides; Plutarch, Moralia; archaeological record of vase painting and shield dedications at Olympia.

⚔️ The legion is recruiting!

This summer, .mma and .military.history are joining forces to bring Roman military history to life — for kids aged 8–12, right here in Berlin.

Roman Legion Camp is a 5-day immersive experience where young recruits will:

🛡️ Build their own gladius, scutum, cingulum, and helmets from scratch
⚔️ Learn to fight with foam weapons and drill in formation
🏛️ Study real Roman history, tactics and culture

📅 July 20–24, 2026
⏰ 10:00–14:00 daily
📍 Kairos MMA · Schwedterstraße 36a · (close to Mauerpark)
💶 €99 for the week — founding price
🔔 Registration opens May 18th
Only 16 spots available

Drop a ⚔️ in the comments if you know a kid that is ready!

⚔️ The Spartan Phalanx: Built of Equals ⚔️

Most people know Sparta for its hoplites. Fewer know *how* those hoplites were organized into one of the most efficient (and granular) military structures of the classical Greek World.

The smallest unit was the **Enomotia** — literally the "sworn band" — 36 men drawn up in three files of twelve, commanded by an Enomotarch. Two enomotiai formed a **Pentekostys** of 72 men under a Pentekonter, and two pentekostyes formed a **Lochos** of 144 men under a Lochagos.

Four of these lochoi made a **Mora**, the largest tactical unit, commanded by a Polemarch. Six morai formed the full Spartan citizen army.

🧠The deeper point is that it was probably their training in tactical flexibility and manoeuvres, more than physical toughness, that gave Spartan hoplites their real edge on the battlefield as military historian J.F. Lazenby argues in The Spartan Army. We'll talk about the Laconian Counter-march in another post.

For more, you can also read: Xenophon, *Constitution of the Lacedaemonians* & *Hellenica*; Thucydides, *History of the Peloponnesian War* (4.38, 5.68)

---

AncientWarfare GreekHistory Mora Phalanx Lacedaemon HistoryOfWar AncientHistory WarfareHistory Antiquity

⚔️ Boudicca's Revolt Part 2: The Battle of Watling Street ⚔️

With 3 cities sacked and 80,000 dead, the governor Suetonius Paulinus finally gathered three legions (15,000 men) and faced the much larger host of at Watling Street. Tacitus relates Paulinus' (very practical) speech:

"Ignore that clamor. There are more women than men amongst them. They are not soldiers. They're hardly armed at all. We have defeated them before and when they see our weapons and our fury, they shall break. Fight as one: Hurl your pila and advance. Flatten them with the and finish them with the sword. Think not of plunder. Seek victory and all is yours."

Paulinus chose his position wisely: his army was surrounded by forest and slightly elevated.

The Britons, much more numerous and confident of winning, attacked head-on.

The quickly devolved into a massacre. The Britons were slaughtered by the much better armed and disciplined Romans. They were also unable to flee because they were so sure of victory they had placed carts filled with their families in their rear. The Romans, for their part, did not spare man, woman, or child (though modern historians think Tacitus was exaggerating the number of casualties below).

"The glory of that day was splendid, at the height of the victories of the past: some historians speak of just under eighty thousand Britons killed against about four hundred of our fallen and a slightly higher number of wounded."

- , Annals, XIV, 37

Following the defeat, Boudica took her own life with poison.

🖌️: Peter Dennis

🛡️Learn more about Ancient Military History?

⚔️Follow .military.history ⚔️

🔥 Boudicca Revolt Part 1: Righteous Indignation 🛡️

Prasutagus, King of Icene, died in 60 AD, naming his two daughters AND the emperor (who at this time was ) as his co-heirs. The Romans retaliated to the idea of "co-heirs" by plundering the lands of the Iceni and ra**ng the daughters of the late king.

Boudicca, widow of Prastagus, outraged and out for revenge, fomented a revolt not only amongst the Iceni but also her neighbors, including the Trinovantes.

The queen then took swift revenge and plundered the Roman colonies, Camulodunum (modern Colchester), followed by, Londinium (modern London), and after a very brief battle, Verulamium.

" ...eighty thousand of the Romans and of their allies perished, and the island was lost to Rome. Moreover, all this ruin was brought upon the Romans by a woman... the person who was thought worthy to be their leader and who directed the conduct of the entire , was , a Briton woman of the royal family and possessed of greater intelligence than often belongs to ....In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; and she wore a tunic of diverse colours over which a thick mantle was fastened with a brooch."

Cassius Dio, History of Rome (LXII.1-2)

🖌️: Charles Hamilton Smith
🖌️: Carlo Segretario

🛡️Learn more about Ancient Military History🛡️

⚔️.military.history⚔️