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I would like to know also. For history class it's one thing but I think for biology, specifically evolution/creationism is where schools become powder kegs. Better to encourage critical thinking before getting students into certain subjects I would think
I heard Rome was only able to build their navy after finding shipwrecked triremes (I think) and reverse engineering them into something they could use, including the corvus to attach to enemy ships. Also I imagine they were probably afraid of rocking the boat (pun intended) by attacking Carthage's navy in traditional ramming style and they knew their strength was up close with their swords so I suppose they put 2 and 2 together.
PBS did a very good documentary on him, it was done by Ken Burns the very same that did the epic 10 hour Civil War documentary.From what I heard Huckleberry Finn was banned in many places because of its 'coarse' language, probably not so much the N word as much as the overall level of slang and grammatical inconsistencies (which in my opinion is part of what makes it a great novel, in that it tries to capture the lifestyle of the miss in those times).I would put his works up there with my other favorites Moby Dick and F scott Fitzgerald's great gatsby
Do you know the routes they typically took? Were they comfortable being out of sight of land for days at a time?
I don't think the boats in those days sailed too far away from land for extended periods of time. Anybody know a lot about nautical technology at the time?? I think they used biremes or basically any ship that had to be rowed by banks of people, with limited sail technology (not advanced like the islamic trade ships or portuguese exploration ships that came about much much later). I think they were probably afraid of being on the water for a long time, even Athens which boasted a large navy, because it took them away from their polis, where culture and socialisation and all the good things in life were at. I have a feeling that they probably skirted near coastlines of the Mediterranean until they would find a location that was uninhabited and a prime spot for building a new polis.Also if you look at the Odyssey, most of Odysseus' trip was on islands unknown or 'uncharted' with strange beings that were often a danger to him and his crew, not a hospitable place like most of the other encounters in the Odyssey (Telemachus' visit to Nestor and sparta for example where hospitality is a huge theme)
lol yes Herodotus and Thucydides both star off roughly with “Hi I'm so-and-so writing about the history of my people or this or that war” and then the rest goes right off into often incredible details, particularly with families and lineage and where they're from etc. I like both of their works because of this, it feels like they are unencumbered to say whatever they want
look at the rise of banking & central bankingThe Dutch Republic and city-states like Venice are good examples, esp. with the Medici where there is much information available about them
For a second I thought by reading the title of the thread it had to do with the 1920's movie of the same name :S
I liked it a fair amount but generally I am skeptical watching anything the History Channel puts out.. this programme talks a fair amount about a lot of the major events that took place but I think it could have been better than it was.
AFAIK Tacitus is the most believable account of what happened. I believe Nero wasn't even in Rome as the fires started, and certainly did not play a fiddle as it burned (fiddles were invented hundreds of years after that event I believe). In fact I heard that he was very popular with the common people especially in the early part of his reign (but was always unpopular with the nobility), but because of how events unfolded with his personal life I think it's believable that historians at the time smeared his name by saying that he started the fire to clear land for his palace (may or may not be true). The colosseum aka Flavian Amphitheatre I heard gets its name from the Colossus, an enormous bronze statue of Nero that stood where the arena was erected (that whole part of Rome was part of his massive palace built after the fire).
AFAIK the first major counterinsurcency against a major world power was the South African War (aka Boer War), and it's been common for the past 110 years. I think it's one of the reasons we now see a lot of “winning hearts and minds” propaganda because they know the insurgents get by and can supply, house, and feed themselves through the sympathy of the local population
I'd like to see an accurate and detailed movie about the founding of Jamestowne and the trials they went through.
I guess that would look like "The Tudors"... 😉
Although I don't watch much tv I will admit I saw every show and really enjoyed the Tudors. The costumes, drama, etc. was very well done. However I don't think it is 100% historically accurate, but it more or less captures what I suppose we can all only imagine what life would have been like in those years.Regarding Jamestown we just covered that in our US history class, as for movies I can't think of anything specific but for Virginia and slave trade in general I really like PBS' Slavery and the Making of America (I can provide a link to watch for free if you like), episode 1 of 4 talks about Virginia. As far as I know Jamestown was founded in 1607 (?) if so that makes it about a year younger than Quebec city and one of the oldest north american cities other than St. Augustine in present day Florida.
How the mighty have fallenAs the Gauls said to the Romans when they first marched through those walls 'woe to the vanquished'
If a law is corrupt or unconstitutional it should be thrown out. If the government does not do it then our constitutionally held arms are our last defense against tyranny and oppression are they not?Â
Quoted for emphasis
There's a documentary (I think a BBC production) called CASTLE, where the host goes through the history of forts & castles up to modern day all around Britain. The first episode is definitely worth watching, as he meets with land surveyors and historians to discuss the difficulties in building early fortifications like the ring-forts.As for the circular shape I would presume that it has to do with corners (as mentioned) as well as the symbolism of the circle.
