The M3 Lee – Ugliest Tank of WWII?

One might argue that the seemingly ugly, flawed and difficult-to-control M3 and its variants deserved a better treatment from its adversaries. After all, it was neither designed to be superior to the Sherman nor built to any degree of perfection, and was merely planned as an urgent combination of heavy armour and mobility with a minimal production time in […]

The Twelve Olympians

It seems apparent that the Ancient Greeks were very fond of the number twelve. Upon multiple occassions, primarily during myths and religious tales, the number twelve has been used in relation to gods, animals, etc. The Twelve Olympians were the most important deities of Greek religion and owned their name because they lived – supposedly […]

Apollo, Greece’s Most Loved God

As god of the sun, music, health, knowledge, agriculture and much more, Apollo was an ideal mix of the perfect Ancient Greek morals, intellect and physical appearance. He appears with the same name in both Greek and Roman religion.

Why was Tarentum so important?

Tarentum, recognised as the strongest capital of Magna Graecia in the South, was founded by Palanthus of Sparta in 706 BC. Featuring an excellent harbour, it was a huge commercial centre and connected Rome and Etruria to Greece.

Awesome History Gear For Lovers Of The Past!

It’s my birthday today, and I realised it would be a great time to write another episode of “Reviewing History Products”. Shoutout to James at History Gear for sending these amazing products to The Augustus to review!

Roman Coins “Pecunia”

The archaeological find you see above is called an “aureus” and is one of the most valuable and high-quality coins that were issued, minting and distributed during the late Roman Republic and Empire, up until the about the 4th century.

Medieval Weapons – The Quarterstaff [Ep5]

The Quarterstaff became extremely popular in Medieval Europe, notably England, and was used as an informal, close-combat weapon.

Five Reasons Why The Spanish Armada Would Never Have Made It

In July, 1588, Philip II of Spain sent out an enormous fleet of 130 ships organised into a crescent formation. They were to head for England to launch an invasion against the Protestant Queen, but would Philip really have achieved his ambitions… or was it doomed to fail all along?

Charles Walter Simpson, 1885-1971

Charles Walter Simpson was a semi-famous painter living in the 20th century, who became known for his colourful depictions of animals, notably horses and birds hunting scenes and landscapes.

Why Napoleon Was Not As Short As You Think

From 1803 to 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte, known also as “Little Boney” conducted his Imperial wars in Europe, hugely expanding French territory and humiliatingly defeating his enemies. Two hundred years later, we still remember him as a rampaging little kid, who couldn’t back down after being exiled to the island of Elba.

Medieval Weapons – The Mace [Ep4]

Maces, or as they were otherwise known, bludgeons, became extremely popular in the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe, where the poorer soldiers could arm themselves cheaply with an easy-to-produce weapon with deadly potential.

Alexander and the Gordian Knot – A Violent Solution

One of the best known stories of the Macedonian King Alexander’s reign, is the tale of the striking of the Gordian knot, a tightly twisted and bound bundle of rope connected to a wagon. Not only is it a nice story, it is also a possibly example of Alexander’s mentality and attitude towards solving problems, […]

An Outstanding Victory – Battle of Gaugamela, 331BC

With no defeats in his campaign, Alexander was prepared to turn his army and march to Babylon, where he hoped he could take over the city and be crowned King of the Persian Empire. But before he could do so, Darius III sent a letter asking for his wife and children to be given back. […]

How did Alexander the Great overcome Tyre?

It was necessary that Alexander and his army eliminate all Persian naval threats in the Aegean and Levant before continuing inland on their campaign. If the Persian leaders realised that Greece was only defended by 13,000 men, there would be a large risk of invasion. Tyre, on the Levantine coast, was expertly defended, well garrisoned […]

“On Ancient Warfare” – Book Review

“On Ancient Warfare”, in my opinion, should be used as a general reference book on the topics of fighting in antiquity, rather than a cover-to-cover read. Thank you to Pen and Sword who sent these books out to review. This is the third episode of Reviewing History Products.

First Defeat of Darius – Battle of Issus, 333BC

With Memnon of Rhodes’ forces destroyed at the first major battle of the Persian invasion by the Macedonians, Alexander led his blood-thirsty army – which had little need for any recovery time – along Anatolia’s Aegean Coast, bribing, frightening and besieging the ports into submission. Consequently, he had diminished Persian naval dominance around the Greek […]

First Clash – Battle at the Granicus, 334 BC

After crossing the Hellespont from homeland Greece to Asia Minor – the Western half of the mighty Persian Empire – with an army of approximately forty-thousand men, Alexander gathered his men and headed for the Aegean coast and Persian naval bases. It was extremely important that he captured or took out these coastal cities otherwise […]

Five (More) Commonly Asked History Questions

1. Did the Romans really control a quarter of the world? No, they didn’t. They conquered the majority of Europe, a slice along the North of Africa and mostly dominated the east. This map shows the extent of the Roman Empire in the year 117AD, at around the height of its landmass and power. It […]

Top 10 Rules Of The Knights Templar

1. Always Obey Orders The sheer fighting skill and discipline of the Templars depended on complete obedience to instructions, and it was the duty of any of these Knights to carry out the commander’s orders to the best of his ability. No matter the circumstance, the Templars would always have to act like fighting machines […]

The Invention Of The Automobile – Who Made The First Car?

For centuries, humans had believed that there would be a way to move quicker and more easily without the use of animals such as horses or donkeys. They knew that mechanics and scientific innovation would lead to the invention of a carriage which was powered by nature and working parts rather than biological life. But […]

A brief history of Christmas through the ages…

In the oldest, darkest of Ancient Times, there existed a period of great celebration stretching from around late December to the first days of January, known to the pagans and druids of the cold and icy North.

What was medieval farming like?

How did they follow the seasons? What tools did they use? How long did they work? How much were they payed?

Drawing a sword from your back? Nonsense.

We’ve seen it all, in movies, books, exaggerated but unhistoric illustrations and oftentimes our imaginations. But the question is, did swordsmen ever really pull a sword from a back scabbard, and how practical would it have been to carry your weapon out of your view – and potentially out of your reach?

In what ways could you be executed in Medieval Times?

The 13 unlucky ways you could be put to death for your crimes in the Dark Ages. These include medieval ways of public and private execution, and certainly some of the most painful and brutal methods in history.

Titus Livius’ History of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch4]

It’s getting a little bit more interesting here; we’re almost at the founding of Rome. Here is the brief summary of chapter 4…

The crossbow – Medieval weapons #3

The crossbow was able to release heavier, thicker bolts with more puncturing potential from a stored source of energy.

Use these tips to boost your history research efficiency

Studying? Working on a project? Or are you a blogger like me researching for your next post? Using the correct research techniques is the best way to save yourself time and effort when studying. Here are my favourite ten tips for tripling the efficiency of your learning and finding what you need to know quicker. […]

The longsword – Medieval weapons #2

The longsword was also known as the Bastardsword and became popular in Europe between 1100 and 1400.

Meet the Romans – What did they eat? [Ep2]

The food of Ancient Rome is often called the “most rounded and balanced diet of the ancient world”. And if you know the variety of different meats, vegetables and cheeses they ate, it’s not hard to see why. Although it is debatable whether they were better fed than their surrounding Mediterranean neighbours, we can be […]

Meet the Romans – On the march [Ep1]

During the Imperial Period, the Romans constructed hundreds of thousands of miles of paved and unpaved roads to connect provinces, towns and ports and enable widespread military mobilization within and outside the Empire’s borders.

The Longbow – Medieval Weapons #1

The longbow, a devastatingly powerful long range weapon, was highly popular with English armies in the Middle Ages, although it was the Welsh who designed such a practical and deadly device. English Kings brought it into common use following defeated attacks on Wales.

The Battle Of Agincourt, 1415

Following his ascending to the throne in 1413, Henry V planned to assert his dominance over the French and possibly take the throne. As they had been engaging in smaller scales skirmishes on the English coast as well as supporting their enemies – including Scotland – Henry decided to transport his army of around 12,000 […]

Titus Livius’ History Of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch3]

In the past few days, I’ve been reading far into Livy’s History of Rome. But as I do not want to clog my blog up with constant summaries, I’m taking it slow. Hope the summary of chapter 3 helps you….

Stop using a diary, start using this war journal

Hello, second episode of “Reviewing History Products”! It is thanks to my kind donor, James at History Gear, that I am able to continue doing these; he has sent me a package of different things to inspect and write upon. I’ve had a look at what has arrived, and it’s fair to say that I’m […]

Hoardes Of 17th Century Cannonballs Found In Stockholm

Archaeologists excavating around Stockholm in Sweden stumbled upon a treasure trove of various military equipment, including “hundreds” of cannonballs dating back to the great age of Newton, Elizabeth I and Bach. Credit: Archaeology Mag

Christmas is coming… but what’s on The Augustus?

What do we have to look forward to this December? Here I’ve compiled a list of posts which I’ve either planned to start or have already begun researching. I hope you find something that you are interested in!

How were medieval swords made?

Welcome, Knight Errant! I see you want to be talked through the steps in the process of forging your own medieval sword! We won’t be making no flimsy wooden swords here – grab your swordsmith and we can get to work blacksmithing a new weapon!

Medieval Battle Simulator iOS First Try

How did Caesar cross the Rhine?

In an attempt to intimidate enemy Germanic tribes and gain support and admiration from the Senate back in Rome, Caesar constructed a genius wooden bridge to the cross the Rhine, the greatest border between the Romans and Germans.

Untold Terror – Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941

At nearly eight on the calm Sunday morning of 7th December 1941, the first of over three hundred Japanese bombers approached the US Pacific Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Within long, the surrounding area was dive-bombed, strafed and ships destroyed as part of a surprise aircraft and submarine attack. The cause of this ambush culminated […]

Students Find 6,000 Year Old Native American Axe

Fourteen students lead by their archaeology teacher, Jason Anderson, dug up the prehistoric Axe when excavating the site of a cemetery for enslaved African Americans.

Ancient Greek Trading Vessel Is “Oldest Shipwreck In The World”

More than a mile deep under the Black Sea off the Coast of Bulgaria lies a huge fleet of 67 ships from Ancient, Medieval and Tudor times – one of which dates to 400 BC. It has been named the oldest shipwreck in the world. Credit: Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project

Rise To Power, Wars and Napoleon’s Death In Misery

The man who created the foundation for France’s law and civil code, controlled huge swathes of Europe, rose through the ranks and crowned himself Emperor of France and eventually became the name for his period … Napoleon Bonaparte, the greatest and most ambitious nation leader of the 19th century.

The 3,500 Year Old Metal Hand Found In Switzerland

A prosthetic hand cuffed with gold was found in a burial site near Preles in Switzerland. It redefines how we think about Bronze Age society.