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Re: Should I re-organise my Athenian Cavalry?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=9819.msg124549#msg124549

Published: November 4, 2025 08:37

In their book "The Roman Cavalry" Dixon and Southern discuss the likely replacement of mounts during campaigns, based largely on documentation from much later periods but I guess the general principles are the same. As time goes on, any horse with four...

Re: Where did I find this, anyone?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10099.msg124545#msg124545

Published: November 4, 2025 07:29

AI seems to be very poor at admitting that it doesn't know the answer, and so will scramble to give you something based on the most tenuous of connections. I think we all know someone like that... It will get better.  One day it will be so sophistica...

Re: A paper on Carolingian logistics

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10110.msg124543#msg124543

Published: November 4, 2025 07:23

Quote from: Imperial Dave on November 03, 2025, 07:21:26 PMChickens are very important!Especially to the French. We once visited a French motorway service station that Heston Blumenthal recommends for roast chicken - the Aire du Poulet de B...

Silver Saxon cross goes on show

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10113.msg124542#msg124542

Published: November 4, 2025 05:34

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyldje8y2lo.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17622341036455&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2...

Roman cremation practices at French burial site

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10112.msg124541#msg124541

Published: November 4, 2025 05:32

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/french-archaeologists-uncover-vast-roman-burial-area-with-cremation-graves-fed-by-liquid-offeringsPresumably alcoholic in nature!

Re: DBA battle videos in Spanish

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10108.msg124534#msg124534

Published: November 3, 2025 19:40

'As you know, DBA is written in English and mainly played in UK and USA and moreover, it is written in Barkerese, so it is really difficult for non-native English speakers to understand'It's not only non-natives my friend.

Re: Where did I find this, anyone?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10099.msg124522#msg124522

Published: November 3, 2025 16:48

AI appears to write wonderful fiction, yes.The seal-impression in question is neither illustrated nor even mentioned in Briant's chapter on Droaphernes and the Sardis statue.Figure 2 in that chapter is simply a photo of the Droaph...

Re: Where did I find this, anyone?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10099.msg124518#msg124518

Published: November 3, 2025 15:58

Quote from: stevenneate on November 02, 2025, 02:07:58 AMI'm starting to think there is a short article on the provenance of this?!Not unless I can find something a bit more definite. I know, now, that the picture was downloaded from www.ach...

Re: A paper on Achaemenid scale armour from Egypt

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10106.msg124506#msg124506

Published: November 3, 2025 10:19

Thank you for the further links Duncan. They are all very interesting finds. If I may I shall add one more link to the scale armour finds from Sardis between 2012 and 2016. Like buses, new finds seem to be coming along one after another following a lon...

Re: Granicus battlefield found?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10097.msg124504#msg124504

Published: November 3, 2025 09:36

Interestingly, in Thai all Europeans tend to be referred to as farang, which is derived from the word Frank in much the same way as Arabs tend to use the term firenk.  So, what word do Thais use when referring particularly to the French s...

Re: A paper on Achaemenid scale armour from Egypt

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10106.msg124498#msg124498

Published: November 2, 2025 22:37

No idea if the Petrie Museum will display their armour scales, but they have posted about it - https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/museums/2020/03/06/specimen-of-the-week-392-hide-of-the-dragon-achaemenid-scale-armour/#more-55713Liverpool Museum's share of the sc...

Re: A paper on Achaemenid scale armour from Egypt

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10106.msg124496#msg124496

Published: November 2, 2025 20:08

Interesting Duncan, thanks for posting it. I wonder if it will eventually go on display at the Petrie Museum? It has to be twenty five years since I visited and I don't recall seeing any scale armour on display then. Also good to see a photo of the rec...

A paper on Achaemenid scale armour from Egypt

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10106.msg124494#msg124494

Published: November 2, 2025 19:23

The latest (October 2025) edition of ARTA, the online journal of achemenet.com, includes a paper (in French) on the scale armour from the Palace of Apries in Memphis, Egypt. Excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1909, the disarticulated armour scales ...

Re: Granicus battlefield found?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10097.msg124482#msg124482

Published: November 2, 2025 17:23

Quote from: Nick Harbud on Today at 10:12:26 AMQuote from: RichT on October 31, 2025, 09:30:21 AM(The following story on Yahoo on how the Russian regime refers to the West as 'Anglo Saxons' is more interesting..)Gosh, I bet tha...

Re: The gates of ancient Nineveh

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10104.msg124481#msg124481

Published: November 2, 2025 17:21

I watched a convincing documentary years ago that suggested the 'hanging gardens' were at Nineveh not Babylon. It's certainly an interesting site with regard to the hydroengineering. The modern replica gates are impressive but the access ladders on th...

Re: Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124472#msg124472

Published: November 2, 2025 14:01

Pretty much  I remember earlier this year hearing somebody talking on the radio about those people who are working from home and are actually doing two '35hr' a week jobs (often without either employer knowing about the other.)Obviously some aren'...

Re: Should I re-organise my Athenian Cavalry?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=9819.msg124464#msg124464

Published: November 2, 2025 11:22

Quote from: dwkay57 on Today at 08:13:45 AMI seem to recall reading somewhere that George Custer (him of Little Big Horn fame) tried to ensure that all the horses within a troop of the 7th Cavalry were the same shade or tone so he could ide...

Re: Granicus battlefield found?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10097.msg124461#msg124461

Published: November 2, 2025 10:12

Quote from: RichT on October 31, 2025, 09:30:21 AM(The following story on Yahoo on how the Russian regime refers to the West as 'Anglo Saxons' is more interesting..)Gosh, I bet that upsets the French!

Re: Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124456#msg124456

Published: November 2, 2025 09:26

Quote from: Cantabrigian on November 01, 2025, 01:48:11 PMMass slavery in the Roman Empire probably made it economically possible to have full-time soldiers, which led to an increase in quality, and the possibility of ever more distant conquests. Wh...

Re: Should I re-organise my Athenian Cavalry?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=9819.msg124453#msg124453

Published: November 2, 2025 08:13

Yes, at 6mm the ability to recognise figures easily is greater than the need to be historically accurate (in painting terms). All my barbarian armies are now in team colours which does reduce the number of times I have to pick up a base to check the la...

Re: 2025 Convention - 26th-28th September

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=9151.msg124450#msg124450

Published: November 1, 2025 19:22

Bit late to the thread but as a first time attendee I'd like to extend my thanks to the organisers and those who put on games, universally of a high standard and extremely enjoyable. The chairman's Save the Emperor game had me still laughing as I recou...

Re: Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124437#msg124437

Published: November 1, 2025 16:22

would living on your own farm be better than being a legionary?  Well, that depends. The security of supplyis better in the army than on the land. Roman forces do not starve, but farmers do. The army has aba logisticsystem that can move food by river o...

Re: Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124433#msg124433

Published: November 1, 2025 13:57

The other factor I suspect is range/duration of likely campaign.  If one is a Sumerian Big Man going to smite righteously the neighbouring city, you are likely to be gone only a few days, possibly only a few hours, so can take a larger proportion of th...

Re: Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124432#msg124432

Published: November 1, 2025 13:48

Mass slavery in the Roman Empire probably made it economically possible to have full-time soldiers, which led to an increase in quality, and the possibility of ever more distant conquests. Which is another example of how slavery is always a bad idea b...

Where did I find this, anyone?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10099.msg124408#msg124408

Published: October 31, 2025 22:03

I've come across the attached image in the files on my laptop; but unfortunately, I don't seem to have kept any note as to where it comes from. Google Image search doesn't help, probably because it's not clear enough.[attach id=9743]persian with aspis...

Re: Granicus battlefield found?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10097.msg124375#msg124375

Published: October 31, 2025 12:04

They can't even find Hastings and there's a bloody big hill and monastery showing you roughly where it is. I doubt they could find Granicus along a river that has changed its course over the last 2,500 years.

Re: Hadrians wall discovery part deux

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10095.msg124370#msg124370

Published: October 31, 2025 11:38

Quote from: stevenneate on Today at 02:01:16 AMSorry Holly, but that "newly found" section is actually a misplaced part of the Great Walls of China. Easy error to make.But we've only got a small section of the Chinese wall because...

Re: Granicus battlefield found?

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10097.msg124366#msg124366

Published: October 31, 2025 09:30

Meh. See also https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=8713Still no proper publication. Still no actual evidence. "The team also made note of some significant archaeological finds on that hill that furthered the site's case as the fourth-century B.C.E....

Re: A Nilometer

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10091.msg124359#msg124359

Published: October 31, 2025 07:26

Quote from: stevenneate on Today at 05:21:14 AMQuote from: Nick Harbud on October 30, 2025, 11:32:52 AMThe great thing is that the level reached during the Nile flooods tended to be seen as a heavenly judgement on Pharoah's rule and, if ...

Re: A Nilometer

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10091.msg124354#msg124354

Published: October 31, 2025 05:21

Quote from: Nick Harbud on October 30, 2025, 11:32:52 AMThe great thing is that the level reached during the Nile flooods tended to be seen as a heavenly judgement on Pharoah's rule and, if it turned out unfavourably, he was either expected to ritua...

Re: Two layered burial in Korea

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10074.msg124352#msg124352

Published: October 31, 2025 02:02

Quote from: Cantabrigian on October 28, 2025, 10:36:24 AMThey don't actually provide any evidence that the servant was buried alive so I don't think that we're getting the full picture. In fact, you could say that it's a bit of a Silla story... [/...

Economics, population and armies

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10094.msg124347#msg124347

Published: October 30, 2025 18:39

Academia.edu served me up an interesting book review from about 20 years ago. It's by Clifford Rogers of a book called The Field and The Forge. Population, Production, and Power in the Pre-industrial West by John Lander.  The whole is rather com...

Re: Justinian and the silkworm heist

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10086.msg124315#msg124315

Published: October 30, 2025 11:45

Well, according to Wikipedia, the Romans cultivated mulberry specifically for silkworms as early as 220 AD.  Apparently the Elagabalus had a silk robe made from local silk.Accordin...

Re: A Nilometer

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10091.msg124311#msg124311

Published: October 30, 2025 11:32

The great thing is that the level reached during the Nile flooods tended to be seen as a heavenly judgement on Pharoah's rule and, if it turned out unfavourably, he was either expected to ritually sacrifice himself to appease the Gods, or the priests w...

Re: Justinian and the silkworm heist

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10086.msg124292#msg124292

Published: October 30, 2025 05:54

Quote from: Erpingham on October 29, 2025, 04:04:07 PMIIRC correctly, you need to have the right sort of mulberry trees. The attempts to create an English silk worm programme in the 17th century were scuppered by the planting of the wrong type of mu...

Re: Forthcoming attractions

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10089.msg124277#msg124277

Published: October 29, 2025 21:18

Changed already - I can't make a convincing Viking army at 500 points but I can field Late Imperial Roman and Suevi.The first game, to christen the splendid new battle mat, will be fought next week with two players a side - just as a taster.  In the m...

Re: Prehistoric mobility in the Americas

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10085.msg124260#msg124260

Published: October 29, 2025 16:15

Quote from: Imperial Dave on Today at 06:31:39 AMhttps://x.com/archeohistories/status/1981360662040498371Outside of our normal time frame but hopefully still interesting Excellent for those seeking to model baggage elements for t...

Re: Justinian and the silkworm heist

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10086.msg124258#msg124258

Published: October 29, 2025 16:04

IIRC correctly, you need to have the right sort of mulberry trees. The attempts to create an English silk worm programme in the 17th century were scuppered by the planting of the wrong type of mulberry (Black as opposed to White Mulberry).

Re: Justinian and the silkworm heist

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10086.msg124257#msg124257

Published: October 29, 2025 15:33

Quote from: Denis Grey on Today at 02:06:38 PMAnd what were they fed while they were in transit?  The modern silkworm only eats mulberry leaves, but possibly their 6th century forebearers had a less specialised diet.The [url="https...

Re: Justinian and the silkworm heist

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10086.msg124252#msg124252

Published: October 29, 2025 14:06

Silk moths have a life cycle of 6 to 8 weeks, so even if the monks were given eggs or very young larvae rather than adult moths, the ones that reached Byzantium would have been the descendants of the original stolen property.  And what were they fed w...

Forthcoming attractions

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10089.msg124247#msg124247

Published: October 29, 2025 11:12

Not a battle report (yet) but I think this is the right place!  Inspired by the purchase of a large and splendid battle mat from BigRedBat, I'm planning a programme of 500 point DBM games on an 8' x 5' table; normal DBM 25mm armies are 350 points so th...

Re: Clubbing it! Chariot Wars! Trojan vs Sea Peoples Game Week 1

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10079.msg124218#msg124218

Published: October 28, 2025 16:59

The massed chariots don't sound like they are very effective against Sea Peoples foot in the rules used - so perhaps Robert Drews was right about Sea Peoples v. Chariots.

North African Berbers in 5 Feudal-era Video Batreps using ADLG

https://soa.org.uk/sm/index.php?topic=10082.msg124215#msg124215

Published: October 28, 2025 12:26

This year's L'Art de la Guerre "Kegworth Codgers" event (so named as it takes place midweek, something which is only now feasible as so many of us are retired !) was themed for the years in which the local Kegworth Church was (broadly speaking)...

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