I knew I was in trouble when I read the dramatis personae of this book and found that Scipio Aemilianus was married to a fictional person named Claudia Pulchra (or Pulchradina, as the author puts it.) It is well known that Scipio Aemilianus was married to Sempronia Graccha, the daughter of Cornelia the Mother of […]
Whatever Happened to Hannibal’s Elephants?
October 2, 2013 By 5 Comments
In ancient times there was widespread use of elephants in warfare. The first use of elephants in military campaigns probably occurred in India sometime during the first millennium B.C. The practice eventually spread eastward to Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and westward to Greece and North Africa. In 326 B.C. Alexander the Great invaded India, […]
Book Review: On Writing, By Steven King
August 31, 2013 By 1 Comment
I must confess that I’ve never read a novel by Steven King, nor have I ever seen a movie based on one of his works. Horror is just not my preferred genre. I did, however, find On Writing a helpful and engaging read, abounding in humor and sound advice. For example: “Pace is the speed […]
Book Review: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
July 23, 2013 By 1 Comment
Reza Aslan is from a moderate Islamic family who fled Iran after the overthrow of the Shaw. He converted to Christianity at the age of fifteen. Is he still a Christian? He says “The bedrock of evangelical Christianity, at least as it was taught to me, is the unconditional belief that every word of the […]
Book Review: Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
July 16, 2013 By 2 Comments
Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is an intriguing look at one of history’s most enigmatic characters, Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt and Marc Anthony. Cleopatra Selene may have been the only one of Cleopatra’s four children to survive into adulthood. Born along with a twin brother, Alexander Helios […]
Book Review: Hannibal: A History of the Art of War by Theodore Ayrault Dodge
July 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Theodore Ayrault Dodge was a military historian who was born in 1842 and died in 1909. He fought as a Union officer in the American Civil War and wrote a number of biographies of history’s most famous generals, including Alexander the Great, Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. In […]
Book Review: When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
July 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
When Christ and His Saints Slept, by Sharon Kay Penman, is one of the most magnificent works of historical fiction I’ve ever read. It spans a period of approximately fifty-five years, from the early childhood of King Stephen to the succession of Henry the Second to the throne of England. Penman’s narrative is lively and […]
Movie Review: Invictus
June 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Nelson Mandela’s recent struggles impelled me to rent the movie Invictus, which I had never seen. The movie was made in 2009, directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, the South African Rugby team. One of the many cultural […]
Book Review: Caesar’s Ambassador by Alex Johnston
I loved this book. Historical fiction as comedy. A belly laugh on every page. Caesar’s Ambassador is narrated by Marcus Mettius, who serves as ambassador along with Gaius Valerius Troucillus to the German chieftain Ariovistus. “I don’t know why you’re so worried, Marcus. Everybody knows that harassing ambassadors is against the rules. Anyway we treated […]