THEDAILYEAGLE

“For who could keep his hands off Libya, or Carthage, when that city got within his reach, a city which Agathocles, slipping stealthily out of Syracuse and crossing the sea with a few ships, narrowly missed taking?” Plutarch

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Last Notes

2026-07-06 23:21:56 GMT

🟡 PLINY ON THE GERMAN TRIBES
“There are five German races; the Vandili, parts of whom are the Burgundiones, the Varini, the Carini, and the Gutones: the Ingaevones, forming a second race, a portion of whom are the Cimbri, the Teutoni, and the tribes of the Chauci. The Istaevones, who join up to the Rhine, and to whom the Cimbri belong, are the third race; while the Hermiones, forming a fourth, dwell in the interior, and include the Suevi, the Hermunduri, the Chatti, and the Cherusci: the fifth race is that of the Peucini, who are also the Basternae, adjoining the Daci previously mentioned. The more famous rivers that flow into the ocean are the Guttalus, the Vistillus or Vistula, the Albis, the Visurgis, the Amisius, the Rhine, and the Mosa. In the interior is the long extent of the Hercynian range, which in grandeur is inferior to none.”
“NINETY-SIX ISLANDS OF THE GALLIC OCEAN. In the Rhine itself, nearly 100 miles in length, is the most famous island of the Batavi and the Canninefates, as also other islands of the Frisii, the Chauci, the Frisiabones, the Sturii, and the Marsacii, which lie between Helium and Flevum. These are the names of the mouths into which the Rhine divides itself, discharging its waters on the north into the lakes there, and on the west into the river Mosa. At the middle mouth which lies between these two, the river, having but a very small channel, preserves its own name.”
https://blossom.primal.net/e36f36416b5f2e201953e93ab28d1be1f651ba47011a7d4a4e864cf3904267b3.png

2026-06-07 17:52:33 GMT

⚫️ THE MARSI WAR BEGINS
“The long smouldering fires of an Italian war were now fanned into flame by the death of Drusus. One hundred and twenty years ago, in the consulship of Lucius Caesar and Publius Rutilius, all Italy took up arms against the Romans. The rebellion began with the people of Asculum, who had put to death the praetor Servilius and Fonteius, his deputy; it was then taken up by the Marsi, and from them it made its ways into all the districts of Italy. The fortune of the Italians was as cruel as their cause was just; for they were seeking citizenship in the state whose power they were defending by their arms; every year and in every war they were furnishing a double number of men, both of cavalry and of infantry, and yet were not admitted to the rights of citizens in the state which, through their efforts, had reached so high a position that it could look down upon men of the same race and blood as foreigners and aliens.”
Velleius Paterculus, Roman History
https://blossom.primal.net/438d41a696eb9a7e700dce201779087053f282416dd9741965779d50b41b70a5.png

2026-06-06 17:02:31 GMT

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Because a reasonable man would not try to change the world. or something like that I think it was

2026-06-02 08:05:52 GMT

Wen moon

2026-05-31 21:02:28 GMT

Daily roman updates:
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2026-05-31 20:45:53 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/0321f56b01a8aae03373db1926bfff2fa5b18c45afcfd15b428502e38c0c1bd1.jpg

2026-05-31 20:24:19 GMT

🔺 8,33 PERCENT
“A measure dealing with improper canvassing was for the first time submitted to the people, after passing the senate, by C. Poetilius, tribune of the plebs. It was intended to check the canvassing, mainly by rich plebeians, in the markets and promiscuous gatherings.”
“Another measure, by no means so welcome to the patricians, was brought forward the following year, the consuls being C. Marcius and Cnaeus Manlius. M. Duilius and L. Menenius, tribunes of the plebs, were the proposers of this measure, which fixed the rate of interest at 8 1/3 per cent.; the plebs adopted it with much more eagerness than the Poetilian Law against canvassing.”
Livy
https://blossom.primal.net/6f49fa192be65f19d7f7cf056dc26f4ff4c4145c25dd540f0909ce10f837d7e0.png

2026-05-28 20:57:34 GMT

⚪️ THE RISE OF SULLA
“Cinna and Marius were soon punished by divine vengeance, after their massacre of citizens and their outrages against other men. Sulla, who was the only one remaining out of their enemies, destroyed the army of Mithridates in Boeotia, took Athens by storm, and made a treaty with Mithridates; then he took over the fleet of Mithridates and returned to Italy. In a very short time, he destroyed the armies of Cinna and Marius, and made himself master of Rome and all Italy. He slew all the bloodthirsty supporters of Cinna, and exterminated the family of Marius. Many reasonable men considered that the punishment of the perpetrators of so many murders was imposed by divine providence. Such a punishment ought to be a valuable lesson for those who follow the path of impiety, prompting them to turn away from their wickedness.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/aa787569597f83163d04845e2d9a0cdd90f36ccf916afbb7c27db42d02563e4b.png

2026-05-28 20:32:23 GMT

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The Transfiguration

2026-05-26 21:21:22 GMT

⚫️ AVOIDING PLANTING COLONIES
“In the legislation of Gracchus I should regard as the most pernicious his planting of colonies outside of Italy. This policy the Romans of the older time had carefully avoided; for they saw how much more powerful Carthage had been than Tyre, Massilia than Phocaea, Syracuse than Corinth, Cyzicus and Byzantium than Miletus, — all these colonies, in short, than their mother cities — and had summoned all Roman citizens from the provinces back to Italy that they might be enrolled upon the census lists.”
Velleius Paterculus, Roman History
https://blossom.primal.net/a440f5681cbbf223dd383dce6ae1e80471d9662705773f0884ecfef11a3b68a5.png

2026-05-24 18:21:41 GMT

🔶 THE FREEZING WINTER IN ARMENIA
“A legion from Germany was added with its complement of auxiliary horse and foot. The entire army was kept under canvas,⁠. notwithstanding a winter of such severity that the ice-covered ground had to be dug up before it would receive tents. As a result of the bitter cold, many of the men had frost-bitten limbs, and a few died on sentinel-duty. The case was observed of a soldier, carrying a bundle of firewood, whose hands had frozen till they adhered to his load and dropped off from the stumps. Corbulo himself, lightly dressed and bare-headed, was continually among his troops, on the march or at their toils, offering his praise to the stalwart, his comfort his weak, his example to all. Then, owing to the rigours of the climate and the service, recalcitrancy and desertion grew common, and the cure was sought in severity. For, contrary to the rule in other armies, mercy did not attend first and second offences, but the man who had left the standards made immediate atonement with his life. That the treatment was salutary and an improvement on pity was proved by experience, the camp showing fewer cases of desertion than those in which pardons were the rule.”
Tacitus
https://blossom.primal.net/5038fb46036a19f7d9c9e245309f9bc65512a7b6d4754301add8d19396df0584.jpg

2026-05-24 18:07:00 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/27c98580cd026bf0cb34cbd2b256543a05eb3a0529b92c041ea636bc5c0168b6.jpg

2026-05-23 18:28:22 GMT

🔺 DECEIVING THE GAULS
“The Dictator was going into action feeling more assured as to the courage than as to the strength of his troops. He began to turn over in his mind every possible device by which he could inspire fear into the enemy. At last he thought out an ingenious and original plan, one, too, which has since been adopted by many of our own generals as well as those of other countries and which is even practiced to-day. He ordered the packsaddles to be taken off the mules and two pieces of coloured cloth placed on their backs. The muleteers were then furnished with arms, some taken from the prisoners and others belonging to the invalided soldiers, and after thus equipping about a thousand of them and distributing a hundred of the cavalry amongst them he ordered them to ascend the mountains which overlooked the camp and conceal themselves in the woods, and remain there motionless till they received the signal from him As soon as it grew light the Dictator extended his lines along the lower slopes of the mountain in order that the enemy might have to form their front facing the mountain.”
https://blossom.primal.net/e22afb161217ef49f24c9ac546e25582b92634bc0490a15ba87b1638bd217ccc.png

2026-05-14 22:14:54 GMT

🟢 GIVE ME MY HOSTAGES
“When Publius Valerius had an insufficient garrison at Epidaurus and therefore feared perfidy on the part of the townspeople, he prepared to celebrate athletic contests at some distance from the city. When nearly all the population had gone there to see the show, he closed the gates and refused to admit the Epidaurians until he had taken hostages from their chief men.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/2f0487c7495b536be82650c62698bc37043f50178bc558c52d75626ff9f51879.png

2026-05-05 11:05:46 GMT

🟣 MORE SAVAGE THAN THE BRITONS
“Besides some small islands round about Britain, there is also a large island, Ierne (Ireland), which stretches parallel to Britain on the north, its breadth being greater than its length. Concerning this island I have nothing certain to tell, except that its inhabitants are more savage than the Britons, since they are man-eaters as well as heavy eaters, and since, further, they count it an honourable thing, when their fathers die, to devour them, and openly to have intercourse, not only with the other women, but also with their mothers and sisters; but I am saying this only with the understanding that I have no trustworthy witnesses for it; and yet, as for the matter of man-eating, that is said to be a custom of the Scythians also, and, in cases of necessity forced by sieges, the Celti, the Iberians, and several other peoples are said to have practised it.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/527d0b8c9ab9c031940e9cb02d476d7ca85f501947c02c0fc6c473a159c90b78.png

2026-05-05 03:43:33 GMT

⚪️ THE GOD OF GOLD
“Wealth, the subject of so much dispute amongst men, sometimes causes great misfortunes to those who long to gain it. It drives them to unjust and criminal actions; it provides fuel for licentiousness, and leads the unwise into shameful behaviour. Thus we see these men fall into the greatest misfortune, and bring disaster on their cities. Such is the pernicious power of gold over men, when they foolishly over-value it. In their insatiable greed, they apply to everything these verses of the poets”
  "Blessed gold, most beautiful gift to mortals, greater pleasure than a mother . . ."
And also:  "Let them call me wicked, as long as I make a profit. "
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/7706c33c06449be1ba2102526ac584dfa06feebc7b62efde0e95b1655923870a.png

2026-05-04 22:09:59 GMT

🟢 HASTE TO SURRENDER
“When Domitius Corbulo was besieging Tigranocerta and the Armenians seemed likely to make an obstinate defence, Corbulo executed Vadandus, one of the nobles he had captured, shot his head out of a balista, and sent it flying within the fortifications of the enemy. It happened to fall in the
midst of a council which the barbarians were holding at that very moment, and the sight of it (as though it were some portent) so filled them with consternation that they made haste to surrender.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/a86ad17664305e76f0d098c76e88df0d4375347fdb88a24b29b12000b134d7a3.jpg

2026-05-02 09:53:56 GMT

⚫️ GAIUS GRACCHUS
“After an interval of ten years the same madness which had possessed Tiberius Gracchus now seized upon his brother Gaius, who resembled him in his general virtues as well as in his mistaken ambition, but far surpassed him in ability and eloquence. Gaius might have been the first man in the state had he held his spirit in repose; but, whether it was with the object of avenging his brother's death or of paving the way for kingly power, he followed the precedent which Tiberius had set and entered upon the career of a tribune. His aims, however, were far more ambitious and drastic. He was for giving the citizenship to all Italians, extending it almost to the Alps, distributing the public domain, limiting the holdings of each citizen to five hundred acres as had once been provided by the Licinian law, establishing new customs duties, filling the provinces with new colonies, transferring the judicial powers from the senate to the equites, and began the practice of distributing grain to the people. He left nothing undisturbed, nothing untouched, nothing unmolested, nothing, in short, as it had been. Furthermore he continued the exercise of his office for a second term.”
Velleius Paterculus, Roman History
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2026-05-02 09:50:48 GMT

🟤 PLINY THE ELDER ON JUDAEA
“Beyond Idumaea and Samaria, Judaea extends far and wide. That part of it which joins up to Syria is called Galilaea, while that which is nearest to Arabia and Egypt bears the name of Peraea. This last is thickly covered with rugged mountains, and is separated from the rest of Judaea by the river Jordanes. The remaining part of Judaea is divided into ten Toparchies, which we will mention in the following order: That of Hiericus, covered with groves of palm-trees, and watered by numerous springs, and those of Emmaus, Lydda, Joppe, Acrabatena, Gophna, Thamna, Bethleptephene, Orina, in which formerly stood Hierosolyma, by far the most famous city, not of Judaea only, but of the East, and Herodium, with a celebrated town of the same name.”
Pliny the Elder
https://blossom.primal.net/10b56e41fc46b11d24540b045b13d053853547cc9e4049b1e65364b53461487e.jpg

2026-04-29 20:44:13 GMT

🔶 MARCHING INTO THE PLAIN OF IDISIAVISO
“Thus inflamed and clamouring for battle, they followed their leaders down into a plain known as Idisiaviso.⁠ Lying between the Weser and the hills, it winds irregularly along, with here a concession from the river and there an encroachment by some mountain-spur. Behind rose the forest, lifting its branches high in air, and leaving the ground clear between the trunks. The barbarian line was posted on the level and along the skirts of the wood: the Cherusci alone were planted on the hill-tops, ready to charge from the height when the Romans engaged.
Our army advanced in the following order: in the van, the auxiliary Gauls and Germans with the unmounted archers behind; next, four legions, and the Caesar (Germanicus) with two praetorian cohorts and the flower of the cavalry; then, four other legions, the light-armed troops with the mounted archers and the rest of the allied cohorts. The men were alert and ready, so arranged that the order of march could come to a halt in line of battle.”
Tacitus
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W56JcmjnhLE
https://blossom.primal.net/454a2c35db4c26b948d71880e3a6efa7200a06ed3157633970d3269bc9127c1e.jpg

2026-04-27 23:35:18 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/8cb3902a6f9b8e319d48acf1d7299c02a83074827e3a2354e8618539b00c1c72.mp4

2026-04-26 21:22:24 GMT

🟣 STRABO ON THE BRITONS
“Most of the island is flat and overgrown with forests, although many of its districts are hilly. It bears grain, cattle, gold, silver, and iron. These things, accordingly, are exported from the island, as also hides, and slaves, and dogs that are by nature suited to the purposes of the chase; the Celti, however, use both these and the native dogs for the purposes of war too. The men of Britain are taller than the Celti, and not so yellow-haired, although their bodies are of looser build. The following is an indication of their size: I myself, in Rome, saw mere lads towering as much as half a foot above the tallest people in the city, although they were bandy-legged and presented no fair lines anywhere else in their figure. Their habits are in part like those of the Celti, but in part more simple and barbaric — so much so that, on account of their inexperience, some of them, although well supplied with milk, make no cheese; and they have no experience in gardening or other agricultural pursuits. And they have powerful chieftains in their country. For the purposes of war they use chariots for the most part, just as some of the Celti do. The forests are their cities; for they fence in a spacious circular enclosure with trees which they have felled, and in that enclosure make huts for themselves and also pen up their cattle — not, however, with the purpose of staying a long time.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/e91054c0c08f62e77f3cc300571d02936dc0d57cc025630786fc29b40b8cf1be.png

2026-04-23 08:33:45 GMT

⚪️ DIODORUS ON MARIUS
“Gaius Marius was the most renowned person of his time, when he was young: he was ambitious of honour and glory, free from greed, and performed many noble acts, both in Africa and Europe, so that his name was famous, and celebrated everywhere. But when he reached old age, he coveted the riches of king Mithridates, and the wealth of the cities of Asia, and sought against the laws to have the province, which was allotted to Cornelius Sulla, transferred to himself. As a result, he suffered many calamities, and brought disgrace on his previous good reputation; for he not only failed to obtain those riches which he coveted, but also he lost all his own possessions, when his property was confiscated because of his extraordinary greed. He was, moreover, condemned to death by his own country; but escaped that punishment by running away, and wandered solitarily and alone up and down Italy. At length he was forced out of Africa and reached Numidia, without any resources, servants or friends. Afterwards, when the civil wars broke out in Rome, he joined with the enemies of his fatherland, and, being victorious, he was not contented with his return home, but stirred up the flames of war. At length, having gained a seventh consulship, and by his own misfortunes learned the inconstancy of fortune, he was unwilling to put things to a hazard any more.”
Diodorus Siculus
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2026-04-20 07:54:55 GMT

🟡 CHARIOTS
The Roman chariot was crucial for both warfare and entertainment. Constructed primarily from wood, often ash or elm, the lightweight frame provided both strength and flexibility. Four-spoked wheels, typically made of wood with iron tires for durability and traction, were a key feature.
In racing chariots, a single iron tire was often applied to the right wheel to enhance cornering. The body was a simple, open platform with low sides, and suspension was basic, relying on the flexibility of the wooden frame and leather straps.
Teams of horses, ranging from two (biga) to four (quadriga), pulled the chariots. Harnessing involved a system of leather straps and collars designed for rapid acceleration and sharp turns. Iron tires increased wheel durability and traction, while the wheel design itself was optimized for speed and maneuverability. Harnessing techniques allowed for precise control of the horse team.
War chariots were equipped for combat, carrying a driver and one or two warriors armed with javelins, swords, and bows. Some even featured scythes attached to the wheels for slashing enemy legs. In contrast, racing chariots were designed for speed and agility, with a streamlined shape to minimize wind resistance and specialized wheels for enhanced cornering.
https://blossom.primal.net/d1d4cbcce2544904ce7d91a1c4bc91bf158dc45bd318aec64506411d4e4396f5.png

2026-04-18 21:44:57 GMT

🔶 TWO BROTHERS, TWO SIDES
“The river Weser ran between the Roman and Cheruscan forces. Arminius came to the bank and halted with his fellow chieftains:— "Had the Caesar come?" he inquired.⁠ On receiving the reply that he was in presence, he asked to be allowed to speak with his brother. That brother, Flavus by name, was serving in the army, a conspicuous figure both from his loyalty and from the loss of an eye through a wound received some few years before during Tiberius' term of command. Leave was granted, <and Stertinius took him down to the river>.⁠ Walking forward, he was greeted by Arminius; who, dismissing his own escort, demanded that the archers posted along our side of the stream should be also withdrawn. When these had retired, he asked his brother, whence the disfigurement of his face? On being told the place and battle, he inquired what reward he had received. Flavus mentioned his increased pay, the chain, the crown, and other military decorations; Arminius scoffed at the cheap rewards of servitude.”
Tacitus
https://blossom.primal.net/76e5f6df527b3dbb3f4bf7127a2e37a07dee1b1c6cb22de3883540772588cd1e.jpg

2026-04-17 11:52:50 GMT

🔘 POLICIES OF THE CLAUDIUS ADMINISTRATION
“He forbade men of foreign birth to use the Roman names so far as those of the clans were concerned. Those who usurped the privileges of Roman citizenship he executed in the Esquiline field. He restored to the senate the provinces of Achaia and Macedonia, which Tiberius had taken into his own charge. He deprived the Lycians of their independence because of deadly intestine feuds, and restored theirs to the Rhodians, since they had given up their former faults. He allowed the people of Ilium perpetual exemption from tribute, on the ground that they were the founders of the Roman race, reading an ancient letter of the senate and people of Rome written in Greek to king Seleucus, in which they promised him their friendship and alliance only on condition that he should keep their kinsfolk of Ilium free from every burden. Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome. He allowed the envoys of the Germans to sit in the orchestra, led by their naïve self-confidence; for when they had been taken to the seats occupied by the common people and saw the Parthian and Armenian envoys sitting with the senate, they moved of their own accord to the same part of the theatre, protesting that their merits and rank were no whit inferior. He utterly abolished the cruel and inhuman religion of the Druids among the Gauls, which under Augustus had merely been prohibited to Roman citizens; on the other hand he even attempted to transfer the Eleusinian rites from Attica to Rome, and had the temple of Venus Erycina in Sicily, which had fallen to ruin through age, restored at the expense of the treasury of the Roman people. He struck his treaties with foreign princes in the Forum, sacrificing a pig and reciting the ancient formula of the fetial priests. But these and other acts, and in fact almost the whole conduct of his reign, were dictated not so much by his own judgment as that of his wives and freedmen, since he nearly always acted in accordance with their interests and desires.”
Suetonius
https://blossom.primal.net/316b730c68c02db2fdbd587eb13b31c50aa123ee4728852b8cd78c917f11eace.png

2026-04-17 11:47:31 GMT

“Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.”

2026-04-15 21:45:11 GMT

🟣 THE TREASURES OF SPAIN
“For the whole country of the Iberians is full of metals, although not all of it is so rich in fruit, or so fertile either, and in particular that part of it which is well supplied with metals. It is rare for a country to be fortunate in both respects, and it is also rare for the same country to have within a small area an abundance of all kinds of metals. But as for Turdetania and the territory adjoining it, there is no worthy word of praise left to him who wishes to praise their excellence in this respect. Up to the present moment, in fact, neither gold, nor silver, nor yet copper, nor iron, has been found anywhere in the world, in a natural state, either in such quantity or of such good quality. And the gold is not only mined, but is also washed down; that is, the gold-bearing sand is carried down by the rivers and the torrents, although it is often found in the waterless districts also; but in these districts it cannot be seen, whereas in the flooded districts the gold-dust glitters. Besides, they flood the waterless districts by conducting water thither, and thus they make the gold-dust glitter; and they also get the gold out by digging pits, and by inventing other means for washing the sand; and the so‑called "gold-washeries" are now more numerous than the gold mines.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/2562db93c4e023e20cfcac801d3614c1b60ce9143f4065d68ce0b4e3c57ee648.png

2026-04-15 21:39:06 GMT

https://youtu.be/ZzePaQN-fsw?is=T28bQ10ywE9OhMmq

2026-04-15 13:18:08 GMT

⚪️ NAVAL SUPERIORITY OF THE RHODIANS
“When it came to a sea-fight, the Rhodians were outclassed in nothing except the number of their ships; and in all other respects they were far superior. They were the better pilots, and knew better how to arrange their ships and ply the oars; they had the braver soldiers, and the more expert commanders. The Cappadocians, on the other hand, were inexperienced and seldom exercised in sea-fights; and, what is a common cause of failure, they acted without any discipline. It is true, indeed, they were as eager to fight as the Rhodians, because they were to fight within sight of the king, and therefore wished to demonstrate their loyalty and affection to him. Since they only surpassed their enemies in the number of their ships, they used all the arts and contrivances they could devise to surround and hem them in.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/31b789816a2f9252590ef4647a1f651ad1a0497e09a85cac3b87caad1ff5edc0.png

2026-04-14 18:58:29 GMT

⚫️ THE NORTH AFRICAN JEWS REVOLT
“Meanwhile the Jews in the region of Cyrene had put a certain Andreas at their head, and were destroying both the Romans and the Greeks. They would eat the flesh of their victims, make belts for themselves of their entrails, anoint themselves with their blood and wear their skins for clothing; many they sawed in two, from the head downwards; others they gave to wild beasts, and still others they forced to fight as gladiators. In all two hundred and twenty thousand persons perished. In Egypt, too, they perpetrated many similar outrages, and in Cyprus, under the leadership of a certain Artemion. There, also, two hundred and forty thousand perished, and for this reason no Jew may set foot on that island, but even if one of them is driven upon its shores by a storm he is put to death. Among others who subdued the Jews was Lusius, who was sent by Trajan.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/594b322add0bcabc46ee8800b035c78c02eaa40af6d30f2ff60e806df0c23f8b.png

2026-04-13 21:33:08 GMT

🟤 PLINY ON THE NILE RIVER
“The country has reason to make careful note of either extreme. When the water rises to only twelve cubits, it experiences the horrors of famine; when it attains thirteen, hunger is still the result; a rise of fourteen cubits is productive of gladness; a rise of fifteen sets all anxieties at rest; while an increase of sixteen is productive of unbounded transports of joy. The greatest increase known, up to the present time, is that of eighteen cubits, which took place in the time of the Emperor Claudius; the smallest rise was that of five, in the year of the battle of Pharsalia, the river by this prodigy testifying its horror, as it were, at the murder of Pompeius Magnus. When the waters have reached their greatest height, the people open the embankments and admit them to the lands. As each district is left by the waters, the business of sowing commences. This is the only river in existence that emits no vapours.”
Pliny the Elder
https://blossom.primal.net/8ff589ea182641f759e9bde4bc817dfc4aba25f7608fb26867b0deb44d72f56e.jpg

2026-04-13 20:10:59 GMT

Good evening.

2026-04-13 13:22:02 GMT

🔶 THE MEETING PLACE OF THE ROMAN ARMADA
“A thousand vessels were considered enough, and these were built at speed. Some were short craft with very little poop or prow, and broad-bellied, the more easily to withstand a heavy sea: others had flat bottoms, enabling them to run aground without damage; while still more were fitted with rudders at each end, so as to head either way the moment the oarsmen reversed their stroke. Many had a deck-flooring to carry the military engines, though they were equally useful for transporting horses or supplies. The whole armada, equipped at once for sailing or propulsion by the oar, was a striking and formidable spectacle, rendered still more so by the enthusiasm of the soldiers. The Isle of Batavia⁠ was fixed for the meeting-place, since it afforded an easy landing and was convenient both as a rendezvous for the troops and as the base for a campaign across the water. For the Rhine, which so far has flowed in a single channel, save only where it circles some unimportant islet, branches at the Batavian frontier into what may be regarded as two rivers. On the German side, it runs unchanged in name and vehemence till its juncture with the North Sea:⁠ the Gallic bank it washes with a wider, gentler stream, known locally as the Waal, though before long it changes its style once more and becomes the river Meuse, through whose immense estuary it discharges, also into the North Sea.”
Tacitus
https://blossom.primal.net/0259436f24d34708d5348b101b8a4e5da0bcc199b72eddf288b4825e38c9cf80.png

2026-04-09 22:35:10 GMT

- reply

Good for you👍🏻 reading a bible also helps in my experience✝️ God bless you brother.

2026-04-09 21:45:52 GMT

🟣 MALLORCA RABBIT PLAGUE
“In addition to the fruitfulness of the soil, there is also the fact that no injurious animal can easily be found in the Gymnesiae. For even the rabbits there, it is said, are not native, but the stock sprang from a male and female brought over by some person from the opposite mainlind; and this stock was, for a fact, so numerous at first, that they even overturned houses and trees by burrowing beneath them, and that, as I have said, the people were forced to have recourse to the Romans. At present, however, the ease with which the rabbits are caught prevents the pest from prevailing; indeed, the landholders reap profitable crops from the soil.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/9bc6bd559819bccf78ec0f7d956a6273925ecaa2bc05d00580aad27b1b19c152.jpg

2026-04-09 21:44:43 GMT

⚪️ LENIENCY
“Mithridates having conquered the Roman generals in Asia, and taken many prisoners, sent them all home with clothing and provisions for the journey. This mild treatment was reported everywhere, and the cities generally came flocking over to him; so that envoys came to him from all cities, inviting him by their public decrees to enter their territory, calling him their god and deliverer. Upon notice of the king's approach, the people came in crowds out of the several cities, wearing bright garments to greet him, and received him with great joy and acclamation.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/49e4b0e18b6f1fecb06f6294e446c2d37b94b79c67b3cd92197fc19458e47929.png

2026-04-08 20:21:08 GMT

🟢 SULLA’S LEADERSHIP
“When a lieutenant of Lucius Sulla had gone over to the enemy at the beginning on an engagement, accompanied by a considerable force of cavalry, Sulla announced that this had been done by his own instructions. He thereby not merely saved his men from panic, but encouraged them by a certain expectation of advantage to result from this plan.
The same Sulla, when certain auxiliary troops dispatched by him had been surrounded and cut to pieces by the enemy, fearing that his entire army would be in a panic on account of this disaster, announced that he had purposely placed the auxiliaries in a place of danger, since they had plotted to desert. In this way he veiled a very palpable reverse under the guise of discipline, and encouraged his soldiers by convincing them that he had done this.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/ab1f305fa1790c6d71d57954250831bd959188dc9b770853d71bfc11fc43b7f3.jpg

2026-03-23 19:59:52 GMT

🟢 TRASIMENE
“At Trasimenus, when the Romans had been enveloped and were fighting with the greatest fury, Hannibal opened up his ranks and gave them an opportunity of escape, whereupon, as they fled, he overwhelmed them without loss of his own troops.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/0babb9558b640c89a82051383807a289e0974b5cf31f2222d0058f6fba339f01.jpg

2026-03-20 09:17:02 GMT

2026-03-20 09:16:50 GMT

⚫️ REASSAMBLING BOATS IN MESOPOTAMIA
“And since the region near the Tigris is bare of timber suitable for building ships, he brought his boats, which had been constructed in the forests around Nisibis, to the river on waggons; for they had been built in such a way that they could be taken apart and put together again. He had great difficulty in bridging the stream opposite the Gordyaean mountains, as the barbarians had taken their stand on the opposite bank and tried to hinder him. But Trajan had a great abundance of both ships and soldiers, and so some vessels were fastened together with great speed while others lay moored in front of them having heavy infantry and archers board, and still others kept making dashes this way and that, as if they intended to cross. In consequence of these tactics and because of their very consternation at seeing so many ships appear all at once out of a land destitute of trees, the barbarians gave way. And the Romans crossed over and gained possession of the whole of Adiabene. This is a district of Assyria in the vicinity of Ninus; and Arbela and Gaugamela, near which places Alexander conquered Darius, are also in this same country. Adiabene, accordingly, has also been called Atyria in the language of the barbarians, the double S being changed to T.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/4fde97309915298551824c52a9d8979ada196e5ac0540294c65005f680595be6.jpg

2026-03-20 09:15:44 GMT

🟡 “THE MAGNITUDE OF THE STRUGGLE”
“Now it was the purpose of the Romans to sail across to Libya and transfer the war there, in order that the Carthaginians might find the danger affecting themselves and their own country rather than Sicily. But the Carthaginians were determined to prevent this. They knew that Libya was easily invaded, and that the invaders if they once effected a landing would meet with little resistance from the inhabitants; and they therefore made up their minds not to allow it, and were eager rather to bring the matter to a decisive issue by a battle at sea. The one side was determined to cross, the other to prevent their crossing; and their enthusiastic rivalry gave promise of a desperate struggle. The preparations of the Romans were made to suit either contingency, an engagement at sea or a disembarkation on the enemy's soil. Accordingly they picked out the best hands from the land army and divided the whole force which they meant to take on board into four divisions. Each division had alternative titles; the first was called the "First Legion" or the "First Squadron,"—and so on with the others. The fourth had a third title besides. They were called "Triarii," on the analogy of land armies. The total number of men thus making up the naval force amounted to nearly one hundred and forty thousand, reckoning each ship as carrying three hundred rowers and one hundred and twenty soldiers. The Carthaginans, on the other hand, made their preparations almost exclusively with a view to a naval engagement. Their numbers, if we reckon by the number of their ships, were over one hundred and fifty thousand men. The mere recital of these figures must, I should imagine, strike any one with astonishment at the magnitude of the struggle, and the vast resources of the contending states. An actual view of them itself could hardly be more impressive than the bare statement of the number of men and ships.”
Polybius, histories
https://blossom.primal.net/e5918b4a4574815661c359841ebd7a0a53c7e4b3de9a1887eae35faff51b6bf4.jpg

2026-03-16 20:59:05 GMT

🟤 GAN YING’S JOURNEY
Gan Ying was a Chinese diplomat and explorer who lived during the Han Dynasty. He is best known for his attempted journey to the Roman Empire in 97 CE.
Gan Ying's mission was initiated by the Chinese general Ban Chao, who sought to establish diplomatic relations with the Roman Empire. Ban Chao believed that such a relationship would benefit both empires, particularly in trade and cultural exchange.
Gan Ying embarked on his journey westward, traveling along the Silk Road. He reached Parthia, an empire that controlled much of the trade routes between China and the West. In Parthia, he was discouraged from continuing his journey to Rome.
The Parthians, fearing that closer ties between China and Rome would disrupt their own trade dominance, misled Gan Ying, telling him that the sea voyage to Rome was long and perilous.
https://blossom.primal.net/b1f253c5671338a83582ca890d50ed6e29e4002cd35e2591b263a1654b4cd29e.png

2026-03-15 13:36:31 GMT

🔶 MARKING BREAD
The Romans used bread stamps to mark their loaves. In Roman cities, many people didn't have their own ovens and would take their prepared dough to communal or commercial bakeries to be baked. To ensure they got their own bread back, or to identify the baker in case of issues (like a short loaf or poor quality), they would press a stamp into the dough before it went into the oven.
These stamps could bear the baker's name, a family mark, or even symbols.
The importance of bread in Roman society, particularly with the state distribution of grain (later bread) to citizens, meant that quality and accountability were significant.
Photo: Carbonized bread from the city of Pompeii or Herculaneum.
https://blossom.primal.net/c72ac77999e84c91fd0cfa83bad9ef981a1809393d18691b9493b9d39d9d5f22.jpg

2026-03-13 22:25:23 GMT

🔺 THE SUB-CENTURION
“A force of equal size used to be supplied by the Latins, now, however, they were hostile to Rome. The two armies were drawn up in the same formation, and they knew that if the maniples kept their order they would have to fight, not only vexilla with vexilla, hastati with hastati, principes with principes, but even centurion with centurion. There were amongst the triarii two centurions, one in each army - the Roman, possessing but little bodily strength but an energetic and experienced soldier, the Latin, a man of enormous strength and a splendid fighter - very well known to each other because they had always served in the same company. The Roman, distrusting his own strength, had obtained the consuls' permission before leaving Rome to choose his own sub-centurion to protect him from the man who was destined to be his enemy. This youth, finding himself face to face with the Latin centurion, gained a victory over him.”
Livy
The Latin War (340-338 BC) was fought between the Roman Republic and its former allies in the Latin League who desired independence from Roman dominance. Rome won, dissolving the League and solidifying its control over Latium.
https://blossom.primal.net/dd7fcc46cfa66cf38eaba34f65cb17ba6ebc7261e2e754a49b3d2ddcc7271d65.jpg

2026-03-13 20:24:28 GMT

🔘 THE FORTUNATE PRINCEPS
“What then? Caesar's son, who was the first to be styled Augustus, and who ruled for fifty-four years, when he was sending forth his grandson to war, did he not pray to the goddess to bestow upon the young man the courage of Scipio, the popularity of Pompey, and his own Fortune, thus recording Fortune as the creator of himself, quite as though he were inscribing the artist's name on a great monument? For it was Fortune that imposed him upon Cicero, Lepidus, Pansa, Hirtius, and Mark Antony, and by their displays of valour, their deeds, victories, fleets, wars, armies, raised him on high to be the first of Roman citizens; and she cast down these men, through whom he had mounted, and left him to rule alone.
It was, in fact, for him that Cicero governed the State, that Lepidus commanded armies, that Pansa conquered, that Hirtius fell, that Antony played the wanton.
For I reckon even Cleopatra as a part of Caesar's Fortune, on whom, as on a reef, even so great a commander as Antony was wrecked and crushed that Caesar might rule alone. The tale is told of Caesar and Antony that, when there was much familiarity and intimacy between them, they often devoted their leisure to a game of ball or dice or even to fights of pet birds, such as quails or cocks; and Antony always retired from the field defeated. It is further related that one of his friends, who prided himself on his knowledge of divination, was often wont to speak freely to him and admonish him,
"Sir, what business have you with this youth? Avoid him! Your repute is greater, you are older, you govern more men, you have fought in wars, you excel in experience; but your Guardian Spirit fears this man's Spirit. Your Fortune is mighty by herself, but abases herself before his. Unless you keep far away from him, your Fortune will depart and go over to him!”
Plutarch
https://blossom.primal.net/54ad7e7c7063af8d0e2a8715fe4c85ba345e87f522200db0b512d877da01656d.jpg

2026-03-13 19:11:14 GMT

🔵 PESCENNIUS NIGER
“Pescennius Niger, then, was born of humble parentage, according to some, of noble, according to others. His father was Annius Fuscus, his mother Lampridia. His grandfather was the supervisor of Aquinum, the town to which the family sought to trace its origin, though the fact is even now considered doubtful. As for Pescennius himself, he was passably well versed in literature, thrifty in his habits, and unbridled in indulgence in every manner of passion. For a long time he commanded in the ranks, and finally, after holding many generalships, he reached the point where Commodus named him to command the armies in Syria, chiefly on the recommendation of the athlete who afterward strangled Commodus; for so, at that time, were all appointments made.
And now, after he learned that Commodus had been murdered, that Julianus had been declared emperor, and then, by order of Severus and the senate, put to death, and that Albinus, furthermore, had assumed in Gaul the name and power of emperor, Pescennius was hailed imperatorby the armies he commanded in Syria;— though more out of aversion to Julianus, some say, than in rivalry of Severus.
Even before this, during the first days of Julianus' reign, because of the dislike felt for the Emperor, Pescennius was so favoured at Rome, that even the senators, who hated Severus also, prayed for his success, while with showers of stones and general execrations the commons shouted "May the gods preserve him as Emperor, and him as Augustus". For the mob hated Julianus because the soldiers had slain Pertinax and declared Julianus emperor contrary to their wishes; and there was violent rioting on this account.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/2f26315d2604d978fea088ac63811b53971585b1e8515338ef6e9f3306b823c3.jpg

2026-03-13 19:10:15 GMT

🟣 THREE SETS OF MEN
Among all the Gallic peoples, generally speaking, there are three sets of men who are held in exceptional honour; the Bards, the Vates and the Druids. The Bards are singers and poets; the Vates, diviners and natural philosophers; while the Druids, in addition to natural philosophy, study also moral philosophy. The Druids are considered the most just of men, and on this account they are entrusted with the decision, not only of the private disputes, but of the public disputes as well; so that, in former times, they even arbitrated cases of war and made the opponents stop when they were about to line up for battle, and the murder cases, in particular, had been turned over to them for decision. Further, when there is a big yield from these cases, there is forthcoming a big yield from the land too, as they think. However, not only the Druids, but others as well, say that men's souls, and also the universe, are indestructible, although both fire and water will at some time or other prevail over them.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/f99ea7544537a0cacaba238970388d2649824ed3be0b9634ba2c0a5d6c381bc5.jpg

2026-03-11 13:47:21 GMT

⚪️ THE VIRTUE OF THE PROCONSUL OF ASIA
“Quintus Scaevola used his utmost endeavour to reform other men's corrupt manners by his own virtuous example. For when he was sent as proconsul to Asia, he chose Quintus Rutilius, the worthiest of his friends, to be his legate, and always took his advice in the government of his province, and in making of laws. All the costs and expenses both of himself and his retinue he ordered to be defrayed out of his own purse; and by his moderation and frugality, together with his just and upright dealings, he freed the province from its former miseries and oppressions. For the proconsuls of Asia before him had conspired with the publicans (tax collectors), who at that time controlled the administration of justice at Rome, and they oppressed the whole province with their illegal exactions.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/a3f29a7f54da4a88aa7110722d048f2c63b3fd203d39e5549ca1c18e21424024.png

2026-03-11 13:46:06 GMT

🟢 NEW TESTAMENT CENSUS
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
Luke 2. 1-5 NKJV
https://blossom.primal.net/5a2d63f20cfff7a04a6871052b386008caf2a7d2e1c2586f78257b0af5789675.jpg

2026-03-10 14:39:58 GMT

⚫️ FRIENDSHIP
“When Licinius Sura died, Trajan bestowed upon him a public funeral and a statue. This man had attained to such a degree of wealth and pride that he had built a gymnasium for the Romans; yet so great was the friendship and confidence which he showed toward Trajan and Trajan toward him, that, although he was often slandered, — as naturally happens in the case of all those who possess any influence with the emperors, — Trajan never felt any suspicion or hatred toward him. On the contrary, when those who envied Sura became very insistent, the emperor went uninvited to his house to dinner, and having dismissed his whole body-guard, he first called Sura's physician and caused him to anoint his eyes, and then his barber, whom he caused to shave his chin (for the emperors themselves as well as all the rest used to follow this ancient practice; it was Hadrian who first set the fashion of wearing a beard); and after doing all this, he next took a bath and had dinner. Then on the following day he said to his friends who were constantly in the habit of making disparaging remarks about Sura: "If Sura had desired to kill me, he would have killed me yesterday."
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/3c664adb9772e4b61082c437d7d5fce624feed6ab120437b58d933259826c145.png

2026-03-10 14:36:34 GMT

🟡 DON’T CELEBRATE TO EARLY
“As for Gaius Duilius, he no sooner heard of the disaster which had befallen the commander of the navy than handing over his legions to the military Tribunes he transferred himself to the fleet. There he learnt that the enemy was plundering the territory of Mylae, and at once sailed to attack him with the whole fleet. No sooner did the Carthaginians sight him than with joy and alacrity they put to sea with a hundred and thirty sail, feeling supreme contempt for the Roman ignorance of seamanship. Accordingly they all sailed with their prows directed straight at their enemy: they did not think the engagement worth even the trouble of ranging their ships in any order, but advanced as though to seize a booty exposed for their acceptance. Their commander was that same Hannibal who had withdrawn his forces from Agrigentum by a secret night movement, and he was on board a galley with seven banks of oars which had once belonged to King Pyrrhus. When they neared the enemy, and saw the "crows" raised aloft on the prows of the several ships, the Carthaginians were for a time in a state of perplexity; for they were quite strangers to such contrivances as these engines. Feeling, however, a complete contempt for their opponents, those on board the ships that were in the van of the squadron charged without flinching. But as soon as they came to close quarters their ships were invariably tightly grappled by these machines; the enemy boarded by means of the "crows," and engaged them on their decks; and in the end some of the Carthaginians were cut down, while others surrendered in bewildered terror at the battle in which they found themselves engaged, which eventually became exactly like a land fight.”
Polybius, histories
https://blossom.primal.net/bd19e54b61403c508e0896589c0ab97b2ec95b3fc877065377cdc52a865ba6a7.png

2026-03-05 19:54:16 GMT

🔘 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCTAVIAN AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT
“He learned that Alexander, having completed nearly all his conquests by the time he was thirty-two years old, was at an utter loss to know what he should do during the rest of his life, whereat Augustus expressed his surprise that Alexander did not regard it as a greater risk to set in order the empire which he had won than to win it.”
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/00bb1e06665c18515a6a0be51526fa2bc09c0acd179a16822ed7eeac06cb2399.png

2026-03-05 19:53:01 GMT

🔵 CLODIUS ALBINUS
“As soon as he came of age he entered military service, and by the aid of Lollius Serenus, Baebius Maecianus and Ceionius Postumianus, all his kinsmen, he gained the notice of the Antonines. In the capacity of a tribune he commanded a troop of Dalmatian horse; he also commanded soldiers of the First and the Fourth legions. At the time of Avidius' revolt he loyally held the Bithynian army to its allegiance. Next, Commodus transferred him to Gaul; and here he routed the tribes from over the Rhine and made his name illustrious among both Romans and barbarians. This aroused Commodus' interest, and he offered Albinus the name of Caesar and the privilege, too, of giving the soldiers a present and wearing the scarlet cloak. But all these offers Albinus wisely refused, for Commodus, he said, was only looking for a man who would perish with him, or whom he could reasonably put to death. The duty of holding the quaestorship was in his case remitted. This requirement waived, he became aedile, but after a term of only ten days he was despatched in haste to the army. Next, he served his praetorship under Commodus, and a very famous one it was. For at his games Commodus, it is said, gave gladiatorial combats in both the Forum and the theatre. And finally Severus made him consul at the time when he purposed to make him and Pescennius his successors.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/c2f3e421adac3a8099fbebb33e45e47d1a8c9b2f39c5310b94fd32ea630ed66f.jpg

2026-02-26 21:01:27 GMT

🔶 SULLA ENTERS THE JUGURTHINE WAR
“Now Sulla, as I have already said, after he came with his cavalry to Africa and the camp of Marius, although he was without previous experience and untrained in war, soon became the best soldier in the whole army. Moreover, he was courteous in his language to the soldiers, granted favours to many at their request and to others of his own accord, unwilling himself to accept favours and paying them more promptly than a debt of money. He himself never asked for payment, but rather strove to have as many men as possible in his debt. He talked in jest or earnest⁠ with the humblest, was often with them at their work, on the march, and on guard duty, but in the meantime did not, like those who are actuated by depraved ambition, try to undermine the reputation of the consul or of any good man. His only effort was not to suffer anyone to outdo him in counsel or in action, and as a matter of fact he surpassed almost all. Such being his character and conduct, he was soon greatly beloved by both Marius and the soldiers.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/c48020952a1ca1980f73b635d732c63856a14382ebe4cc891d312652a9b79bc3.jpg

2026-02-26 11:56:55 GMT

🔺UNCLE OF ALEXANDER, GREAT UNCLE OF PHYRRUS
“It was in this year (341 B.C.), it appears, that Alexander, King of Epirus, landed in Italy, and there is no doubt that had he been fairly successful at first that war would have extended to Rome. This, too, was about the time of the achievements of Alexander the Great, the son of this man's sister, who, after proving himself invincible in another region of the globe, was cut off, whilst a young man, by disease.” Livy, Book 8: The First Samnite War and Settlement of Latium - (341 - 321 B.C.)
Alexander was born as the first son of Neoptolemus, the king of the Molossians, one of the greatest tribes in Epirus.
Around 334 or 333 BC, the Greek city of Tarentum, in southern Italy, was in conflict with the Bruttian people. Seeking aid, they turned to Alexander I of Epirus.
He arrived in Italy with an army and fought against the Bruttians and Lucanians. He captured several cities and established alliances with some local communities, such as Metapontum and the Peucetians. Some historical accounts even suggest a potential alliance with Rome.
Near the city of Pandosia in 331 BC, his forces suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the Italic tribes. It was during this battle that Alexander I of Epirus met his end.
https://blossom.primal.net/abd5dfdc72def70be5d06cca717bee8d7150cb08df01029188ab018a0b2f4f14.gif

2026-02-23 19:09:39 GMT

⚪️ THE MARSIC WAR
Or: the social war. 91-87 BC (roman territory in red color).
“Ever since human actions have been recorded for eternal memory in history, the greatest war known to us is the Marsic War, named after the Marsi. This war, indeed, surpassed all those that preceded it, both in the bravery of the leaders and in the greatness of their exploits.”
“fate, which seemed deliberately to provoke discord among these peoples, unleashed a war that surpassed all others in its proportions. The people of Italy, who were always considered the bravest, were torn apart by internal factions, and rebelled against the authority of Rome. Then there arose this immense war, which was called the Marsic War after the name of the Marsi who were the leaders of the rebellion.”
“There were engaged against them in this war the Samnites, the people of Asculum, the Lucanians, the Picentes, the people of Nola, and other cities and nations; amongst which was Corfinium, a large and famous city, recently established as the capital city of the Italians.”
“At this time Quintus Pompaedius Silo, a Marsian, (a person of the highest repute in his country), and Gaius Aponius Motylus, a Samnite, likewise famous for his noble acts above the rest of his own nation, were chosen consuls. They divided all Italy into two parts, and took each an equal share for the execution of their consular authority.”
“Having put all things into this good order, and, to sum up, having ordered all things according to the ancient model of the Roman government, they threw themselves more intently and earnestly into the prosecution of the war, and called the city itself Italia. And they were so successful, that they for the most part came off as victors, until Gnaeus Pompeius was made consul and commander in the war, who with Sulla, the general of Cato the other consul, often routed them, and reduced them to such straits, that at length their power was shattered to bits.”
“And now the Romans prevailed every day more and more against their enemies; so that the Italians sent envoys to Mithridates king of Pontus, who had then an excellent and well appointed army, to entreat him to march into Italy with his army, to oppose the Romans; by which means, they told him, the Roman power could easily be broken. Mithridates answered, that he would march into Italy as soon as he had subdued Asia, the task in which he was currently engaged. The rebels being therefore frustrated in their hopes of immediateassistance, and of supplies of money, were greatly disheartened: for there were but a few of the Samnites remaining, together with the Sabelli at Nola, and also Lamponius and Clepitius, who commanded what were left of the Lucanians.”
“they left part of their army to maintain the siege, and fiercely assaulted Rhegium, in the expectation, that if they gained this place, they might with ease transport their army into Sicily, and so become masters of the richest island under the sun. But Gaius Norbanus, the governor of Sicily, so overawed the Italians with the greatness of his army and his vast preparations, that they drew off from the siege; and so the Rhegians were freed from danger. And afterwards, when the civil war broke out between Marius and Sulla, some of the Italians sided with Marius, and the rest with Sulla, and most of them were killed in the war; and all those who survived, joined the conqueror Sulla. And thus, at the same time as the civil war, ended the greatest of all wars, the Marsic war.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/5a4892cf5d946fdd9b72c31c918a371fba77442c112fc236f152c33f179d369a.png

2026-02-17 23:33:31 GMT

🔺 THE TRIBULUS
The tribulus, or caltrop, was a simple yet effective anti-personnel weapon made of iron or wood with sharp spikes arranged so one always pointed up.
Romans used them to hinder enemy troops, especially cavalry and chariots, by injuring feet and hooves. Easy to deploy defensively or offensively, they created battlefield chaos.
Called "murex ferreus" (jagged iron) by Romans, the name "tribulus" comes from Greek for "three spikes," though Roman versions usually had four.
They are even being used in modern times.
“Ukraine Drops Ancient Roman Weapons From Drones To Stop Russian Trucks” -Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2024/04/12/ukraine-teams-ancient-and-modern-weapons-to-stop-russian-trucks/
https://blossom.primal.net/e21bcc4e50d25556940c82d2ee96e872623162b6af214c63750d6f7e95a5ff40.jpg

2026-02-10 19:34:20 GMT

🔘 WHEN INTELLIGENCE MEETS SARCASM
He (The Elder Cato) said that he preferred to receive no thanks when he had done a favour rather than to suffer no punishment when he had done a wrong, and that he always granted pardon to all who erred, with the single exception of himself.
In trying to stimulate the officials to administer sharp rebuke to the erring, he used to say that, if those who have the power to discourage crime do not discourage it, then they encourage it.
He said that it gave him more joy to see those of the youth that blushed than those that blanched.
He said that he hated a solder who plied his hands in marching and his feet in fighting, and whose snore was louder than his battle-cry.
He said that the worst ruler is one who cannot rule himself.
He thought it especially necessary for every man to respect himself, since no man is ever separated from himself.
Seeing that statues were being set up in honour of many men, he said, "As for myself, I had rather that men should ask why there is not a statue of Cato than why there is."
He charged those in power to be sparing of their authority, so that authority might continue always to be theirs.
He used to say that those who rob virtue of honour rob youth of virtue.
An official or a judge, he said, ought neither to require importuning to grant what is right nor to yield to importuning to grant what is wrong.
Wrongdoing, he used to say, even if it brings no risk to its authors, brings risk to all.
He used to say that, since there are so many odious things connected with old age, it is only right not to add the odium which comes from vice.
He had an idea that the man who has lost his temper differs from him who has lost his mind only in duration of time.
He said that those who use their good fortune reasonably and moderately are least envied; for people envy not us but our surroundings.
He used to say that those who are serious in ridiculous matters will be ridiculous in serious matters.”
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/9115f0c12fc15727cbfbce327a0d0d35f39c566d790ea4e55c88e7e0bffb39c2.png

2026-01-30 20:15:12 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/c41be5aaa4ace4cda48868167611271d1f72439320d241d74e5adc266baf90a8.jpg

2026-01-26 18:14:46 GMT

🟣 STRABO ON GLASS WORKING
“Then one comes to Ptolemaïs, a large city, in earlier times named Acê; this city was used by the Persians as a base of operations against Aegypt. Between Acê and Tyre is a sandy beach, which produces the sand used in making glass. Now the sand, it is said, is not fused here, but is carried to Sidon and there melted and cast. Some say that the Sidonians, among others, have the glass-sand that is adapted to fusing, though others say that any sand anywhere can be used. I heard at Alexandria from the glass-workers that there was in Aegypt a kind of vitreous earth without which many-coloured and costly designs could not be executed, just as elsewhere different countries require different mixtures; and at Rome, also, it is said that many discoveries are made both for producing the colours and for facility in manufacture, as, for example, in the case of glass-ware, where one can buy a glass beaker or drinking-cup for a copper.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/a883b73f976d57b4ffd398381e4144b99d01b652599db5d4718e66df71a246b6.png

2026-01-22 22:17:57 GMT

🔶 NUMIDIAN SUCCESSION
“In spite of all, that faction of the senate prevailed which rated money and favour higher than justice. It was voted that ten commissioners should divide Micipsa's former kingdom between Jugurtha and Adherbal. The head of this commission was Lucius Opimius, a distinguished man, who was influential in the senate at that time because in his consulship,⁠ after bringing about the death of Gaius Gracchus and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, he had made cruel use of the victory of the nobles over the people. Although at Rome Opimius had been one of Jugurtha's opponents, the king received him with the greatest respect, and soon induced him, by many gifts and promises, to consider Jugurtha's advantage of more consequence than his own fair fame, his honour, and in short, than all personal considerations. Then adopting the same tactics with the other envoys, Jugurtha won over the greater number of them; only a few held their honour dearer than gold. When the division was made, the part of Numidia adjoining Mauretania, which was the more fertile and thickly populated, was assigned to Jugurtha; the other part, preferable in appearance rather than in reality, having more harbours and being provided with more buildings, fell to Adherbal.”
Sallust
https://blossom.primal.net/6b97e45eb0b192030747b1c24990f2ba2c5d66bf52d690401a0bb115999d2ff6.jpg

2026-01-16 14:47:34 GMT

I made things today

2026-01-15 20:38:29 GMT

🔵 MAN, MYTH, LEGEND
“And so — to return to the course of events — Aurelian, born of humble parents and from his earliest years very quick of mind and famous for his strength, never let a day go by, even though a feast-day or a day of leisure, on which he did not practise with the spear, the bow and arrow, and other exercises in arms. As to his mother, Callicrates of Tyre, by far the most learned writer of the Greeks, says that she was a priestess of the temple of his own Sun-god in the village in which his parents lived; she even had the gift of prophecy to a certain extent, for once, when she was quarrelling with her husband and reviling him for his stupidity and low estate, she shouted at him, "Behold the father of an emperor!" From which it is clear that the woman knew something of fate. The same writer says also that there were the following omens of the rule of Aurelian: First of all, when he was a child, a serpent wound itself many times around his wash-basin, and no one was able to kill it; finally, his mother, who had seen the occurrence, refused to have the serpent killed, saying that it was a member of the household. Furthermore, it is said, the priestess made swaddling-clothes for her son from a purple cloak, which the emperor of the time had dedicated to the Sun-god. This, too, is related, that Aurelian, while wrapped in his swaddling-clothes, was lifted out of his cradle by an eagle, but without suffering harm, and was laid on an altar in a neighbouring shrine which happened to have no fire upon it. The same writer asserts that on his mother's land a calf was born of marvellous size, white but with purple spots, which formed on one side the word "hail," on the other a crown.
I remember also reading in this same author much that has no importance; he even asserts that where Aurelian was born there sprang up in this same woman's courtyard roses of a purple colour, having the fragrance of the rose but a golden centre. Later, when he was in military service, there were also many omens predicting, as events showed, his future rule. For instance, when he entered Antioch in a carriage, for the reason that because of a wound he could not ride his horse, a purple cloak, which had been spread out in his honour, fell down on him in such a way as to cover his shoulders. Then, when he desired to change to a horse, because at that time the use of a carriage in a city was attended with odium, a horse belonging to the emperor was led up to him, and in Thracia he mounted it. But when he discovered to whom it belonged, he changed to one of his own. Furthermore, when he had gone as envoy to the Persians, he was presented with a sacrificial saucer, of the kind that the king of the Persians is wont to present to the emperor, on which was engraved the Sun-god in the same attire in which he was worshipped in the very temple where the mother of Aurelian had been a priestess. He was also presented with an elephant of unusual size, which he then gave to the emperor, and Aurelian was the only commoner of them all who ever owned an elephant.
But, to omit these and similar details, he was a comely man, good to look upon because of his manly grace, rather tall in stature, and very strong in his muscles; he was a little too fond of wine and food, but he indulged his passions rarely; he exercised the greatest severity and a discipline that had no equal, being extremely ready to draw his sword. And, in fact, since there were in the army two tribunes, both named Aurelian, this man and another, who later was captured with Valerian, the soldiers gave him the nickname of "Sword-in‑hand," so that, if anyone chanced to ask which Aurelian had done anything or performed any exploit, the reply would be made "Aurelian Sword-in‑hand," and so he would be identified.”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/9d8ec42af0a45047b6ee51db345261d8a5d31189716ba65abf6cf52ab9e8aa86.png

2026-01-14 22:45:26 GMT

🟣 THE ORONTES RIVER
“The Orontes River flows near the city. This river has its sources in Coelê-Syria; and then, after flowing underground, issues forth again; and then, proceeding through the territory of the Apameians into that of Antiocheia, closely approaches the latter city and flows down to the sea near Seleuceia. Though formerly called Typhon, its name was changed to that of Orontes, the man who built a bridge across it. Here, somewhere, is the setting of the mythical story of the Arimi, of whom I have already spoken. They say that Typhon (who, they add, was a dragon), when struck by the bolts of lightning, fled in search of a descent underground; that he not only cut the earth with furrows and formed the bed of the river, but also descended underground and caused the fountain to break forth to the surface; and that the river got its name from this fact.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/58e1b5af8259d51fb96dec27bfef577b72e93db80a9288dd19cee844f0a9ae1b.png

2026-01-13 18:31:36 GMT

⚪️ A CONSEQUENCE OF TAX COLLECTION
“As part of the command of Marius against the Cimbrians, the senate had given him a commission to raise men from the countries beyond the seas; to which end, Marius sent envoys to Nicomedes king of Bithynia, requesting him to send some men as auxiliaries; but Nicomedes replied that most of the Bithynians had been taken away as slaves by the tax-collectors, and were dispersed throughout the provinces. Upon hearing this, the senate decreed that no freeman belonging to any of the Roman allies should in any province be forced to be a slave, and that the praetors should take care to see that they were all set free.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/f89a7f332b76c891aaee3d40eda352cb5ac0fcfa72239711429bfa78525912a4.png

2026-01-13 14:15:05 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/d60a579384bfa40b80ea7a666ed6c79a6bd6c14a1ac7a9817184eedf041bfe77.jpg

2026-01-12 20:30:19 GMT

🟢 WAR IS DECEPTION
“When Appius Claudius, consul in the first Punic War, was unable to transport his soldiers from the neighbourhood of Regium to Messina, because the Carthaginians were guarding the Straits, he caused the rumour to be spread that he could not continue a war which had been undertaken without the endorsement of the people, and turning about he pretended to set sail for Italy. Then, when the Carthaginians dispersed, believing he had gone, Appius turned back and landed in Sicily.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/bfe4dc5029adc9b75a120ec195eff32e8963fee0a29754e074aac567ea373214.png

2026-01-12 18:03:48 GMT

⚫️ NEW LAWS FOR EXILES
“As there were many exiles who were either living outside of the districts to which they had been banished or living too luxuriously in the proper places, he ordered that no one who had been debarred from fire and water should live either on the mainland or on any of the islands within fifty miles of it, except Cos, Rhodes, Samos, and Lesbos; for he made an exception in the case of these alone for some reason or other. Besides this, he enjoined upon the exiles that they should not cross the sea to any other point, and should not possess more than one ship of burden having a capacity of a thousand amphorae and two ships driven by oars; that they should not employ more than twenty slaves or freedmen, and should not possess property to the value of more than half a million sesterces; and he threatened to punish not only the exiles themselves but all others as well who should in any way assist them in violating these commands.”
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/3056beb5c4d81f81aae6b65bd8ed1a84b3eaf2209cbb6bdd511f0813a33f9d7d.png

2026-01-12 18:00:59 GMT

As a kid i always thought that adults were happy

2026-01-12 00:13:56 GMT

🟡 THE HYDRA HEADACHE
“The Senate made answer to Cineas as Appius advised. They decreed the levying of two new legions for Lævinus, and made proclamation that whoever would volunteer in place of those who had been lost should put their names on the army roll. Cineas, who was still present and saw the multitude hastening to be enrolled, is reported to have said to Pyrrhus on his return: "We are waging war against a hydra." Others say that not Cineas, but even Pyrrhus himself said this when he saw the new Roman army larger than the former one; for the other consul, Coruncanius, came from Etruria and joined his forces with those of Lævinus. It is said also that when Pyrrhus made some further inquiries about Rome, Cineas replied that it was a city of generals; and when Pyrrhus wondered at this, he corrected himself, and said that it seemed more like a city of kings. When Pyrrhus saw that there was no expectation of peace from the Senate, he marched toward Rome, laying everything waste on his way. When he had come as far as the town of Anagnia, finding his army encumbered with booty and a host of prisoners, he decided to postpone the battle. Accordingly he turned back to Campania, sending his elephants in advance, and distributed his army in winter quarters among the towns.”
Appian, the foreign war
https://blossom.primal.net/17516c12b3c6def375fbed4b87407109f68595d9f90553214db4d96e47a75133.png

2026-01-11 20:16:30 GMT

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It’s true

2026-01-11 20:14:25 GMT

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I love this

2026-01-11 18:36:47 GMT

I currently use only NOSTR for social media.

2026-01-11 18:30:29 GMT

“Peace if possible, truth at all costs.”
-Martin Luther

2026-01-11 17:43:18 GMT

🟤 VIA APPIA
The Via Appia, or "Queen of Roads," is one of the most significant Roman roads, connecting Rome to Brindisi in southeastern Italy. Constructed in 312 BC primarily for military purposes, it quickly became a vital artery for trade and communication. The road consisted of layers of compacted stone and volcanic rock.
The Via Appia passed through several important Roman cities, Rome itself, Capua, Beneventum, an important crossroad and a significant military base; Tarentum, a major port city in southern Italy; and finally Brundisium, a crucial port for trade and military operations in the eastern Mediterranean.
https://blossom.primal.net/032a7c0f63349b7b2dcab75876011babd391fc0384afa46dcb87ac7ffcf77927.jpg

2026-01-11 17:42:37 GMT

Forgive me, God.

2026-01-11 17:05:46 GMT

🔶 THE FARTHEST ROMAN OUTPOST?
In Farasan Islands close to modern day Yemen two latin inscriptions were discovered in 2003. The first inscription attests the presence of a vexillatio of the Legio Traiana Fortis in 143-144 AD moved from the roman province of Egypt under the emperor Antoninus Pius while the second inscription attests the presence of the Legio VI Ferrata in 139 AD moved from the roman province of Arabia Petrea under the emperor Hadrian.
This would make the Farasan Islands the farthest Roman outpost (until at least the third century), being nearly 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from Rome itself.
https://blossom.primal.net/063ec7e4bd445e1d2f53b3b73888b953164af4bdb2bddf3021c7d18e702986e5.jpg

2026-01-10 21:33:01 GMT

🔺 THE FATE OF ROMAN PRISONERS OF WAR
“Their general Hannibal, whose greatest virtue consisted in cruelty, made a bridge over the river Vergellus with the bodies of the Romans, and thereby led over his army, so that the Earth might experience the wickedness of the Carthaginian soldiers, just as Neptune had beheld the barbarity of their sailors. Those of our men who were taken as captive, he wore out with heavy burdens and long marches, and then left them on the road, with the lower part of their feet cut off. Those whom he took into his camp, picking out the nearest of kin that he could find, he compelled to fight in pairs, and did not relent in his thirst for blood until just one of them was left as victor.”
(Hannibal 247-183/ 181 BC: Carthaginian general. Invaded Italy via the Alps, won key battles against Rome (Cannae), but ultimately lost at Zama and died in exile. Renowned military strategist).
Valerius Maximus
https://blossom.primal.net/50f1b134d8b9a3ec17814b26aae4e1a60c61d4890a49325260b3641f73510fc6.jpg

2026-01-10 21:02:12 GMT

https://youtu.be/uAYKTMQl7MQ

2026-01-09 21:13:04 GMT

🔘 FLAMINIUS RIDICULES THE SYRIANS
“When Antiochus the king, with a great force, arrived in Greece, and all were terror-stricken at the great numbers of the men and their armament, Flamininus told a story for the benefit of the Achaeans as follows: He said that he was in Chalcis dining with a friend, and was amazed at the great number of the meats served. But his friend said that these were all pork, differing only in their seasoning and the way they were cooked. "So then," he said, "do not you, either, be amazed at the king's forces when you hear the names: 'pikemen,' 'panoplied,' 'foot-guards,' 'archers with two horses.' For all these are but Syrians differing from one another only in their paraphernalia."
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
https://blossom.primal.net/dbdff6def15f30bb4d2e6bfdcdb7387391717bde7d916a3d77ab1481ac156c30.jpg

2026-01-09 20:57:27 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/4e15f6b3692e6629de9b1e112136efaedde0462c449993976212fd353a41a624.jpg

2026-01-09 14:21:32 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/1dafec5c8bc628987812996a513eb47f9f213bbcd781dabc4ae37be664dfbbb3.mov

2026-01-08 22:06:54 GMT

🔵 CIRCUS AND AMPITHEATRE SPECTACLES
“He also gave the Romans their pleasures, and noted ones, too, and he bestowed largesses also. He celebrated a triumph over the Germans and the Blemmyae, and caused companies from all nations, each of them containing up to fifty men, to be led before his triumphal procession. He gave in the Circus a most magnificent wild-beast hunt, at which all things were to be the spoils of the people. Now the manner of this spectacle was as follows: great trees, torn up with the roots by the soldiers, were set up on a platform of beams of wide extent, on which earth was then thrown, and in this way the whole Circus, planted to look like a forest, seemed, thanks to this new verdure, to be putting forth leaves. Then through all the entrances were brought in one thousand ostriches, one thousand stags and one thousand wild-boars, then deer, ibexes, wild sheep, and other grass-eating beasts, as many as could be reared or captured. The populace was then let in, and each man seized what he wished. Another day he brought out in the Amphitheatre at a single performance one hundred maned lions, which woke the thunder with their roaring.
All of these were slaughtered as they came out of the doors of their dens, and being killed in this way they afforded no great spectacle. For there was none of that rush on the part of the beasts which takes place when they are let loose from cages. Besides, many, unwilling to charge, were despatched with arrows. Then he brought out one hundred leopards from Libya, then one hundred from Syria, then one hundred lionesses and at the same time three hundred bears; all of which beasts, it is clear, made a spectacle more vast than enjoyable. He presented, besides, three hundred pairs of gladiators, among whom fought many of the Blemmyae, who had been led in his triumph, besides many Germans and Sarmatians also and even some Isaurian brigands”
Historia Augusta
https://blossom.primal.net/6e313ddf61c06a7faed10e04d2304b3fda697c76c266c9d82b00f47d920bc193.jpg

2026-01-08 18:08:19 GMT

https://blossom.primal.net/7c8180ba6ffb2996ed48943fc9030a5b944634f51fb7b364202052e9d65fc342.mov

2026-01-07 17:18:04 GMT

🟣 ROMAN VS GREEK CITIES
“So much, then, for the blessings with which nature supplies the city; but the Romans have added still others, which are the result of their foresight; for if the Greeks had the repute of aiming most happily in the founding of cities, in that they aimed at beauty, strength of position, harbours, and productive soil, the Romans had the best foresight in those matters which the Greeks made but little account of, such as the construction of roads and aqueducts, and of sewers that could wash out the filth of the city into the Tiber. Moreover, they have so constructed also the roads which run throughout the country, by adding both cuts through hills and embankments across valleys, that their wagons can carry boat-loads; and the sewers, vaulted with close-fitting stones, have in some places left room enough for wagons loaded with hay to pass through them. And water is brought into the city through the aqueducts in such quantities that veritable rivers flow through the city and the sewers; and almost every house has cisterns, and service-pipes, and copious fountains — with which Marcus Agrippa concerned himself most, though he also adorned the city with many other structures. In a word, the early Romans made but little account of the beauty of Rome, because they were occupied with other, greater and more necessary, matters; whereas the later Romans, and particularly those of to‑day and in my time, have not fallen short in this respect either — indeed, they have filled the city with many beautiful structures.”
Strabo
https://blossom.primal.net/c8ba52e53c9beb45ef5b8562ab85da6d478bfbe179f43dee7288c2b904a9fbe6.jpg

2026-01-05 04:47:12 GMT

⚪️ LACK OF SOLDIERS
“About the time that Marius in a great battle defeated Bocchus and Jugurtha, the African kings, and slew many thousands of the Africans, and afterwards captured Jugurtha himself - who was delivered up to him by Bocchus, in order to gain the favour of the Romans and pardon for having made war upon them - the Romans themselves were in difficulty, by reason of the great losses they had suffered in the fighting against the Cimbrians in Gaul. And moreover, at the very same time men arrived from Sicily, reporting that many thousands of slaves there had risen in revolt. Therefore the whole Roman state was in such straits, that they knew not which way to turn; after losing sixty thousand allied troops in Gaul, in the war against the Cimbrians, they did not enough soldiers to send out another army.”
Diodorus Siculus
https://blossom.primal.net/5d225326a424d80647b2fcce1609b8ad1e6c61466a77d73f1cc3968f25c07910.jpg

2026-01-04 23:44:49 GMT

By the age of 33, Alexander had conquered just the known world, by the age of 33, Jesus had conquered the entire world.

2026-01-04 22:07:40 GMT

🟢 HUMAN SHIELDS
“When the consul Aemilius Paulus was leading his army along a narrow road near the coast in Lucania, and the fleet of the Tarentines, lying in wait for him, had attacked his troops by means of scorpions, he placed prisoners as a screen to his line of march. Not wishing to harm these, the enemy ceased their attacks.”
Frontinus: The Strategemata
https://blossom.primal.net/5d2f07dab08e40cc995f2de6a9a5b3314cece0adf4ce3205249ca59bfe907c29.jpg

2026-01-04 22:05:44 GMT

“If the truth kills them, let them die”.

2026-01-04 16:47:47 GMT

⚫️ MOTIVATION FOR THE DALMATIAN REVOLT
“In the meantime Bato sent his son Sceuas to Tiberius, promising to surrender both himself and all his followers if he obtained pardon. And when he later received a pledge, he came by night to Tiberius' camp and on the following day was led before him as he sat on a tribunal. Bato asked nothing for himself, even holding his head forward to await the stroke, but in behalf of the others he made a long defence. Finally, upon being asked by Tiberius why his people had taken it into their heads to revolt and to war against the Romans so long, he replied: "You Romans are to blame for this; for you send as guardians of your flocks, not dogs or shepherds, but wolves."
Cassius Dio
https://blossom.primal.net/f1d2356635d7da4c1a2916f9fc95eaabd152041038d7ead19f3f5e206636638f.jpg

2026-01-02 21:32:25 GMT

🟡 DIPLOMACY BY OTHER MEANS
“Once a great number of the Senones, a Celtic tribe, aided the Etruscans in war against the Romans. The latter sent ambassadors to the towns of the Senones and complained that, while they were under treaty stipulations, they were furnishing mercenaries to fight against the Romans. Although they bore the caduceus, and wore the garments of their office, Britomaris cut them in pieces and flung the parts away, alleging that his own father had been slain by the Romans while he was waging war in Etruria. The consul Cornelius, learning of this abominable deed while he was on the march, abandoned his campaign against the Etruscans, dashed with great rapidity by way of the Sabine country and Picenum against the towns of the Senones, and devastated them with fire and sword. He carried their women and children into slavery, and killed all the adult youth except a son of Britomaris, whom he reserved for awful torture, and led in his triumph.
When the Senones who were in Etruria heard of this calamity, they joined with the Etruscans and marched against Rome. After various mishaps these Senones, having no homes to return to, and being in a state of frenzy over their misfortunes, fell upon Domitius [the other consul], by whom most of them were destroyed. The rest slew themselves in despair. Such was the punishment meted out to the Senones for their crime against the ambassadors.”
Appian, the foreign war
https://blossom.primal.net/4fd3c5fa6a231228f372889b2c9652fbe96e5f509085d48df85166be007fa375.png

2026-01-02 21:29:43 GMT

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He looks like if a Nokia Phone was a person.

2026-01-02 20:59:42 GMT

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https://blossom.primal.net/87362d88917156e7d5dd6907ca6e67283f66480218deae8a5b755d20cae55208.jpg

2026-01-01 00:49:49 GMT

“At any rate, Pyrrhus used to say that more cities had been won for him by the eloquence of Cineas than by his own arms; and he continued to hold Cineas in especial honour and to demand his services. It was this Cineas, then, who, seeing that Pyrrhus was eagerly preparing an expedition at this time to Italy, and finding him at leisure for the moment, drew him into the following discourse. “The Romans, O Pyrrhus, are said to be good fighters, and to be rulers of many warlike nations; if, then, Heaven should permit us to conquer these men, how should we use our victory?”
And Pyrrhus said: “Thy question, O Cineas, really needs no answer; the Romans once conquered, there is neither barbarian nor Greek city there which is a match for us, but we shall at once possess all Italy, the great size and richness and importance of which no man should know better than thyself.” After a little pause, then, Cineas said: “And after taking Italy, O King, what are we to do?”
And Pyrrhus, not yet perceiving his intention, replied: “Sicily is near, and holds out her hands to us, an island abounding in wealth and men, and very easy to capture, for all is faction there, her cities have no government, and demagogues are rampant now that Agathocles is gone.” “What thou sayest,” replied Cineas, “is probably true; but will our expedition stop with the taking of Sicily?”
“Heaven grant us,” said Pyrrhus, “victory and success so far; and we will make these contests but the preliminaries of great enterprises. For who could keep his hands off Libya, or Carthage, when that city got within his reach, a city which Agathocles, slipping stealthily out of Syracuse and crossing the sea with a few ships, narrowly missed taking? And when we have become masters here, no one of the enemies who now treat us with scorn will offer further resistance; there is no need of saying that.” “None whatever,” said Cineas, “for it is plain that with so great a power we shall be able to recover Macedonia and rule Greece securely. But when we have got everything subject to us, what are we going to do?” Then Pyrrhus smiled upon him and said: “We shall be much at ease, and we’ll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we’ll gladden one another’s hearts with confidential talks.” And now that Cineas had brought Pyrrhus to this point in the argument, he said: “Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves.”
“By this reasoning of Cineas Pyrrhus was more troubled than he was converted; he saw plainly what great happiness he was leaving behind him, but was unable to renounce his hopes of what he eagerly desired.”

2026-01-01 00:35:19 GMT

🟤 ABOUT GENERALSHIP
“It is said that at one of their meetings in the gymnasium Scipio and Hannibal had a conversation on the subject of generalship, in the presence of a number of bystanders, and that Scipio asked Hannibal whom he considered the greatest general, to which the latter replied, "Alexander of Macedon." To this Scipio assented since he also yielded the first place to Alexander. Then he asked Hannibal whom he placed next, and he replied, "Pyrrhus of Epirus," because he considered boldness the first qualification of a general; "for it would not be possible," he said, "to find two kings more enterprising than these." Scipio was rather nettled by this, but nevertheless he asked Hannibal to whom he would give the third place, expecting that at least the third would be assigned to him; but Hannibal replied, "To myself; for when I was a young man I conquered Spain and crossed the Alps with an army, the first after Hercules. I invaded Italy and struck terror into all of you, laid waste 400 of your towns, and often put your city in extreme peril, all this time receiving neither money nor reënforcements from Carthage." As Scipio saw that he was likely to prolong his self-laudation he said, laughing, "Where would you place yourself, Hannibal, if you had not been defeated by me?" Hannibal, now perceiving his jealousy, replied, "In that case I should have put myself before Alexander." Thus Hannibal continued his self-laudation, but flattered Scipio in a delicate manner by suggesting that he had conquered one who was the superior of Alexander.”
Livy
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2026-01-01 00:34:22 GMT

Thank you Lord for 2025. Please keep me safe in 2026.
Not mine, but thy will be done. Amen.

2025-12-30 14:25:24 GMT

🔶 JUGURTHA
“As soon as Jugurtha grew up, endowed as he was with physical strength, a handsome person, but above all with a vigorous intellect, he did not allow himself to be spoiled by luxury or idleness, but following the custom of that nation, he rode, he hurled the javelin, he contended with his fellows in foot-races; and although he surpassed them all in renown, he nevertheless won the love of all. Besides this, he devoted much time to the chase, he was the first or among the first to strike down the lion and other wild beasts, he distinguished himself greatly, but spoke little of his own exploits.”
Sallust
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2025-12-29 22:00:02 GMT

🔺 WOMEN
“At this time the wives were so bold as to surround the house of the Bruti, who were prepared to intercede against the repeal of the Oppian Law, which the women wanted to be removed - because it did not permit them to wear a coloured garments, nor to own above half an ounce of gold, nor to ride in a carriage to any place within a mile from the city, unless it was for sacrifices. And they obtained that the law, which had been kept for more than twenty years, should be abolished. For the men of that age did not foresee where the persistent desire for novel adornments was heading, nor how far the women's boldness would tend, once they had vanquished the law. For if they could have foreseen the contrivances of female cunning, that brings in something of extravagant novelty every day, they would have stopped the progress of luxury at its very beginning.”
(The Oppian Law was repealed in 195 BC. The law had been in place for twenty years prior to its abolishment).
Valerius Maximus
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2025-12-28 22:38:33 GMT

🔘 NO SOUP FOR YOU
“The Senate voted that he (the elder Scipio) should receive a sum of money from the treasury, but the treasurers were not willing to open it on that day; whereupon he said that he would open it himself, for the reason it was kept closed, he declared, was because he had filled it with so much money.”
Plutarch, Sayings Of The Romans
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