Category Archives: history

the bones of the king

Posted on February 5, 2013 by jmoellerwriter

The bones of King Richard III have apparently been located in England. I’m not an expert on the Wars of the Roses by any means (keeping track of the family lines of medieval English nobility requires specialized vocabulary and elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in history | 7 Comments

The 21st Century

Posted on August 9, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

It’s like the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. But with Internet. -JM

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The Day of the Barbarians, by Alessandro Barbero

Posted on June 26, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

This, my friends, was an excellent book. It is a brief account of the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD, where the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and about two-thirds of his army were wiped out by Gothic refugees, who had … Continue reading →

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Alexander the Great, Alexander the Accursed

Posted on June 5, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

I’m writing a lecture about Alexander the Great. He was brilliant and utterly fearless, and he was a cruel tyrant, his hands red with the blood of countless innocents. He threw down the Persian Empire, only to replace its peace … Continue reading →

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the Rapture will come on May 21st, 2011?

Posted on May 19, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

Bah. This guy claims Jesus will return on Saturday. However, let us turn to a more reliable source of information for the Messiah’s schedule, namely, Jesus himself: But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels … Continue reading →

Posted in history, metaphysics | 1 Comment

guest post – women warriors in preindustrial society

Posted on May 11, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

Today at Rogue Blades I have a guest post on the anachronistic quality of female fighters in preindustrial societies (an expansion of some thoughts I’ve had earlier on this blog). Basically, I argue that female warriors were a rarity in … Continue reading →

Posted in high fantasy, history | 2 Comments

Anabasis, by Xenophon

Posted on May 7, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

Reading “Anabasis”, by Xenophon, the story of the Ten Thousand. If you’re not familiar with it, around 400 BC Cyrus the Younger of the Persian Empire raised an army to depose his brother, King Artaxerxes. Ten thousand Greek mercenaries marched … Continue reading →

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HOLY! CRAP!

Posted on May 2, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

Never thought I’d see the day. Not now, not ever. A Sherlock Holmes quote is appropriate here. Trust me on this. From “A Study In Scarlet”: “Punishment has been slow in coming, but it has overtaken you at last.” And … Continue reading →

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So if some guy really did die and come back to life…

Posted on April 24, 2011 by jmoellerwriter

…wouldn’t it be kind of a big deal? Speculative exercise – guy actually comes back to life after getting executed, what would happen? Like, I suppose the government would try to crack down, kill anyone who saw it or thought … Continue reading →