🟤 HANNIBAL’S BATTLE TACTICS AT CANNAE At the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, Hannibal employed a brilliant strategy that led to a devastating Roman defeat. He deliberately presented a weaker center to the Romans, positioning his less reliable Gallic and Spanish infantry there, flanked by his more disciplined African troops. This deception lured the Romans into advancing, believing they had a numerical advantage. As the Romans pressed forward, Hannibal's center began to give ground, drawing the enemy deeper into the battlefield. Simultaneously, his African infantry on the flanks curved inwards, enveloping the Roman legions in a pincer movement. Hannibal's Numidian cavalry overwhelmed the Roman cavalry on both wings. This isolated the Roman infantry, preventing them from receiving support or escaping the encirclement. The encircled Roman legions were then systematically slaughtered. Good YouTube video

🟠 LIKE THE SPARTANS DO “He (Agathocles of Syracuse) proceeded, after the example of Dionysius, who had subdued many cities of Italy, to cross over into that country. His first enemies there were the Bruttii, who, at that period (around 300 BC), seem to have been the bravest and most powerful people of the country, and to have been extremely ready to attack their neighbours; for they had driven the inhabitants of many of the Greek cities from Italy, and had conquered in war the Lucanians their founders, and made peace with them on equal terms; such being the fierceness of their nature, that they had no respect even for those to whom they owed their origin. The Lucanians were accustomed to breed up their children with the same kind of education as the Spartans; for, from their earliest boyhood, they were kept in the wilds among the shepherds, without any slaves to attend them, and even without clothes to wear or to sleep upon, that, from their first years, they might be accustomed to hardiness and spare diet; having no intercourse with the city. Their food was what they took in hunting, and their drink milk or water. Thus were they prepared for the toils of war.” Justin

🔴 AGATHOCLES OF SYRACUSE INVADES NORTH AFRICA, YEARS BEFORE THE ROMANS “In the seventh year (310BC) of his reign, therefore, accompanied by his two grown-up sons, Archagathus and Heracleides, he directed his course towards Africa, not one of his men knowing whither he was sailing; but while they all supposed that they were going to Italy or Sardinia for plunder, he landed his army on the coast of Africa, and then for the first time made known his intentions to them all. He reminded them in what condition Syracuse was, " for which there was no other remedy but that they should inflict on the enemy the distresses that they themselves were suffering. Wars," he said, " were conducted in one way at home and in another abroad; at home, a people's only support was what the resources of their country supplied; but abroad, the enemy might be beaten by their own strength, while their allies fell off, and from hatred of their long tyranny, looked about for foreign aid. To this was added, that the cities and fortresses of Africa were not secured with walls, or situated on eminences, but lay in level plains without any fortifications, and might all be induced, by the fear of destruction, to join in the war against Carthage. A greater war, in consequence, would blaze forth against the Carthaginians from Africa itself than from Sicily, as the forces of the whole region would combine against a city greater in name than in power, and he himself would thus gain from the country the strength which he had not brought into it.” Justin

🔴 THE ETRUSCAN MIGRATION “The causes of the Gauls' coming into Italy, in quest of new settlements, were civil discords and perpetual contentions at home; and when, from impatience of those feuds, they had sought refuge in Italy, they expelled the Etruscans from their country, and founded Mediolanum, Comum, Brixia, Verona, Bergamum, Tridentum, and Vicentia. The Etruscans, too, when they were driven from their old settlements, betook themselves, under a captain named Rhaetus, towards the Alps, where they founded the nation of Rhaetia, so named from their leader.” Justinus

🔺 WINGS TO IRON “The most useful and the most fatal instrument in the hand of mankind. For by the aid of iron we lay open the ground, we plant trees, we prepare our vineyard-trees, and we force our vines each year to resume their youthful state, by cutting away their decayed branches. It is by the aid of iron that we construct houses, cleave rocks, and perform so many other useful offices of life. But it is with iron also that wars, murders, and robberies are effected, and this, not only hand to hand, but from a distance even, by the aid of missiles and winged weapons, now launched from engines, now hurled by the human arm, and now furnished with feathery wings. This last I regard as the most criminal artifice that has been devised by the human mind; for, as if to bring death upon man with still greater rapidity, we have given wings to iron and taught it to fly. Let us there- fore acquit Nature of a charge that here belongs to man himself.” “In the treaty which Porsena granted to the Roman people, after the expulsion of the kings, we find it expressly stipulated, that iron shall be only employed for the cultivation of the fields.” The Natural History. Pliny the Elder

🔘 ONE MORE VIGOUR, ONE MORE VIRTUE “This was the end reserved by fortune for the party of Marcus Brutus. He was in his thirty-seventhyear, and had kept his soul free from corruption until this day, which, through the rashness of a single act, bereft him, together with his life, of all his virtuous qualities. Cassius was as much the better general as Brutus was the better man. Of the two, one would rather have Brutus as a friend, but would stand more in fear of Cassius as an enemy. The one had more vigour, the other more virtue. As it was better for the state to have Caesar rather than Antony as emperor, so, had Brutus and Cassius been the conquerors, it would have been better for is to be ruled by Brutus rather than by Cassius.” Velleius Paterculus, Roman History

🔵 THE PULA ARENA The Pula Arena is a Roman amphitheater located in Pula, Croatia. Built between 27 BC and 68 AD, it stands as one of the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas. Remarkably well-preserved, it boasts the unique distinction of having all four side towers intact. Designed to accommodate around 20,000 spectators, this impressive structure was the center of entertainment in Roman times, hosting gladiatorial combats, animal hunts, and public executions. The Arena's architectural style is typical of Roman amphitheaters, featuring an elliptical shape, vaulted passages, and tiered seating.

🟣 YOU HAVE ONE JOB The Romans had a rather peculiar way of dealing with unwanted animals, particularly rodents. Instead of relying solely on traps or poison, they sometimes employed trained weasels. These weasels, often fitted with tiny collars and leashes, would be sent into homes and other buildings to hunt down rats and mice. It was a form of biological pest control, Roman style.

⚪️ GALLIC ALCOHOLISM “Furthermore, since temperateness of climate is destroyed by the excessive cold, the land produces neither wine nor oil, and as a consequence those Gauls who are deprived of these fruits make a drink out of barley which they call zythos or beer, and they also drink the water with which they cleanse their honeycombs. The Gauls are exceedingly addicted to the use of wine and fill themselves with the wine which is brought into their country by merchants, drinking it unmixed, and since they partake of this drink without moderation by reason of their craving for it, when they are drunken they fall into a stupor or a state of madness. Consequently many of the Italian traders, induced by the love of money which characterizes them, believe that the love of wine of these Gauls is their own godsend. For these transport the wine on the navigable rivers by means of boats and through the level plain on wagons, and receive for it an incredible price; for in exchange for a jar of wine they receive a slave, getting a servant in return for the drink.” Diodorus Siculus

I like stuggle and hustle. Not always, but most of the time.

People who wear a helmet while riding a normal bicycle will probably do well under a social creditscore. It signals risk aversity and compliance.

🟢 MASTERS OF THE WORLD “Though, however, the southern nations are quick in understanding, and sagacious in council, yet in point of valour they are inferior, for the sun absorbs their animal spirits. Those, on the contrary, who are natives of cold climates are more courageous in war, and fearlessly attack their enemies, though, rushing on without consideration or judgment, their attacks are repulsed and their designs frustrated. Since, then, nature herself has provided throughout the world, that all nations should differ according to the variation of the climate, she has also been pleased that in the middle of the earth, and of all nations, the Roman people should be seated; on this account the people of Italy excel in both qualities, strength of body and vigour of mind. For as the planet Jupiter moves through a temperate region between the fiery Mars and icy Saturn, so Italy enjoys a temperate and unequalled climate between the north on one side, and the south on the other. Hence it is, that by stratagem she is enabled to repress the attacks of the barbarians, and by her strength to overcome the subtilty of southern nations. Divine providence has so ordered it that the metropolis of the Roman people is placed in an excellent and temperate climate, whereby they have become the masters of the world.” Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, de Architectura

⚫️ THE LOVE THAT CLOUDS THE MIND “but one of them happened to be in love with a girl, who often rebuffed him; and he told her that in a few days he would have mastery of her life. She was amazed by this statement, and could not understand why he made the threat; but since the youth persisted with his claim, while they were relaxing and drinking together, she pretended to be enjoying his company, and asked him to explain what he meant by his remark; and because he was in love with her, and wanted to please her, he told her the complete truth. At the time she kept quiet, pretending to be pleased with what she had heard; but on the following day she met with the wife of Cicero the consul, and privately informed her of what had happened and of what the youth had said. When the conspiracy had been revealed in this way, Cicero, partly by menacing threats and partly by gentle persuasion, learned all the details of the plot from them.” Diodorus Siculus

🟡 THE ALLIES OF PONTUS “Mithridates had been in collision with the Romans so often that he knew that this war, so inexcusably and hastily begun, would be an implacable one. He made every preparation with the thought that all was at stake. The remainder of the summer and the whole of the winter he spent in cutting timber, building ships, and making arms. He distributed 2,000,000 medimni of corn along the coast. Besides his former forces he had for allies the Chalybes, Armenians, Scythians, Taurians, Achæans, Heniochi, Leucosyrians, and those who occupy the territory about the river Thermodon, called the country of the Amazons. These additions to his former strength were from Asia. From Europe he drew of the Sarmatian tribes, both the Basilidæ and the Jazyges, the Coralli, and those Thracians who dwelt along the Danube and on the Rhodope and Hæmus mountains, and besides these the Bastarnæ, the bravest nation of all. Altogether Mithridates recruited a fighting force of about 140,000 foot and 16,000 horse. A great crowd of road-makers, baggage-carriers, and sutlers followed.” Appian, the foreign wars

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🟤 THE BIBLE ON PAUL’S ROMAN CITIZENSHIP The Bible states that Paul, also known as Saul, was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37-38; 22:25-28). This was a significant privilege in the Roman Empire, granting him certain legal protections. Paul was born in Tarsus, a free city in the Roman province of Cilicia. This likely granted him Roman citizenship by birth. His citizenship allowed him to appeal to the Roman emperor (Acts 25:10-11), which ultimately saved him from execution. Protection from Unjust Punishment: It prevented him from being flogged without a trial (Acts 22:25-27). Paul's Roman citizenship played a big role in his ministry, enabling him to spread the Christian message throughout the Roman Empire.

🔺 THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF COPPER “The ore is extracted in the mode that has been described above, and is then purified by fusion. The metal is also obtained from a coppery stone called "cadmia." The most highly esteemed copper is procured from beyond seas: it was formerly obtained in Campania also, and at present is found in the country of the Bergomates, at the extremity of Italy. It is said to have been lately discovered also in the province of Germany. In Cyprus, where copper was first discovered, it is also procured from another stone, which is called "chalcitis." This, however, was afterwards considered of little value, a better kind having been found in other regions, especially that called "aurichalcum," which was long in high request, on account of its excellent quality; but none of it has been found for this long time, the earth having been quite exhausted. The kind which was next in value was the Sallustian, procured from the Alpine district of the Centrones; but this did not last long, and was succeeded by the Livian, in Gaul. They both took their names from the owners of the mines; the former a friend of the Emperor Augustus, the latter that emperor's wife. They soon failed, however, and in the Livian even there is now found but a very small quantity of ore. That which is at present held in the highest estimation is the Marian, likewise known as the Corduban: next to the Livian, this kind most readily absorbs cadmia, and becomes almost as excellent as aurichalcum for making sesterces and double asses, the Cyprian copper being thought good enough for the as. Thus much concerning the natural qualities of this metal.” The Natural History. Pliny the Elder

🔘 THE DEATH OF CASSIUS AND BRUTUS “The force approaching at a run was now close, while their identity and their standards could not be recognized for the dust, imagining that the troops rushing on him were those of the enemy, he covered his head with his military cloak and undismayed presented his neck to the sword of his freedman. The head of Cassius had scarcely fallen when the orderly arrived with the report that Brutus was victorious. But when he saw his commander lying prostrate, he uttered the words, "I shall follow him whose death my tardiness has caused," and fell upon his sword. A few days later Brutus met the enemy, and was beaten in battle. In retreat he withdrew at nightfall to a hill, and there prevailed upon Strato of Aegaeae, one of his household, to lend him his hand in his resolve to die. Raising his left arm above his head, and with his right holding the point of Strato's sword he brought it close to the left nipple, at the place where the heart beats, and throwing himself upon the sword he died at once, transfixed by the stroke.” Velleius Paterculus, Roman History

🔵 ARMS OF THE VELITES “The youngest soldiers or Velites are ordered to carry a sword, spears, and target (parma). The target is strongly made, and large enough to protect the man; being round, with a diameter of three feet. Each man also wears a headpiece without a crest (galea); which he sometimes covers with a piece of wolfs skin or something of that kind, for the sake both of protection and identification; that the officers of his company may be able to observe whether he shows courage or the reverse on confronting dangers. The spear of the velites has a wooden haft of about two cubits, and about a finger's breadth in thickness; its head is a span long, hammered fine, and sharpened to such an extent that it becomes bent the first time it strikes, and cannot be used by the enemy to hurl back; otherwise the weapon would be available for both sides alike.” Polybius, histories

A piggy bank implies low time preference where there is none.