Vercassivellaunos was a Gallic aristocrat from the city of Arvernes, cousin of Vercingetorix. Its name is composed like that of its famous cousin:the intensive prefix ver- precedes a Gallic name attested elsewhere. The latter, Cassivellaunos, is itself composed of Vellaunos which means the commander
Brennus or Brennos (Latinized or Hellenized name from the Celtic root Brenn, meaning war chief) is the name retained respectively by Greek historiography and Latin historiography to designate two Celtic chiefs of the period of Celtic migrations and invasions. Capitol Geese Episode The first leads,
Boadicea (or Boadicea, Boudicca), wife of Prasutagus, was a queen of the Britto-Roman people of the Icenis present in the region that is today Norfolk in the northeast of the Roman province of Brittany, in the 1st century AD. -C. In his will and in accordance with imperial law, King Prasutagus bequ
Chief of the Belgian tribe of Eburones, established in the region of Tongres (at the time Atuatuca Tungrorum) in the Ardennes and Campine. Ambiorix means double king (king of the Eburones and the Atuatuques, fact attested by Caesar). The name is of Gallic origin. The Eburones being of Germanic expre
The Sarisse was a long spear measuring 3 to 7 meters used by the Macedonian phalanxes. Very heavy for a spear (5 kg), it had two bronze points at its ends. The short iron spike at its base allowed it to be anchored to the ground to halt the advance of enemy soldiers. However apart from the tight f
The prodromoi (from ancient Greek pródromoi) are the scouts of the army of Alexander the Great in his expedition to Asia. The sources (Enabasis of Arrian essentially) mention the existence of four squadrons of light cavalry acting as scouts and skirmishers:these are 900 cavalrymen who pass through
Pausanias (Pausanias of Orestis) was a somatophylac of the Macedonian King Philip II of Macedonia and his assassin. During the summer of -336, Philip II was assassinated by Pausanias during the marriage of his daughter Cleopatra with the king of Epirus, Alexander the Molossus, brother of Olympias.
In the Macedonian army of Philip and Alexander the Great, the hypaspists were a light elite troop. The official name of this infantry corps of the Macedonian army is hupaspistaì tỗn hetaírôn (“the shield-bearers of the Companions”). Originally it is indeed the servants of the nobles who surround th
Unless otherwise specified, dates on this page are all assumed to be BC. Great Achaemenid Kings * Cyrus II (-559(-550?)/-529(-530?)) * Cambyses II (-529/-522) * Bardiya (-522/-522) * Darius I (-522(-521?)/-486) * Xerxes I (-486(485?) /-465) * Artaxerxes I (-465/-424) * Xerxes II (-424/-424) * Sogdi
Date October 1, 331 BCLocation Gaugamela (near Erbil in present-day Iraq)Issue Victory of the MacedoniansBelligerent parties Kingdom of Macedon and their Greek allies Persian EmpireCommandersAlexander the Great Darius IIIForces presentMacedonians47,000(40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry) approximatel
Battle of IssusGeneral informationMacedonians and their Persian Greek allies CommandersAlexander the Great Darius IIIOpposing forces26,000 infantry5,000 cavalry 90,000 infantry 30,000 cavalry During the Battle of Issus in 333 BC. AD the men of Alexander the Great of Macedon obtained a decisive vic
The contribution of Philip II Until the middle of the 4th century BC. J.-C., Macedonia does not have a great influence vis-à-vis the outside, whether in the economic, cultural or military field. The country is made up of wooded mountains and plains ideal for breeding the horses that make up the mai
Xenophon, in ancient Greek Xenophon, born c. 426 or 430 BC. AD, died c.355 BC. J.-C.), Greek philosopher, historian and master of war. Born in the deme of Erchia in Attica, in the early years of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon was the son of Gryllus, a member of a wealthy aristocratic family. He fr
Vortimer (400? - 450?) was a king of Britain in the early 6th century. He is portrayed by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia regum Britanniae as one of Britains legendary high kings and fought the Saxons during their uprising. He was the eldest son of Vortigern, the legendary High King. Around 44
Vortigern (in modern Welsh Gwrtheyrn) was a king of the island of Britain from the 5th century AD. If the historical reality of the character is not questioned, it is however advisable to be careful, because what has been transmitted to us about it is more of the legend of the material of Brittany,
Biography Publius Vergilius Maro was born in 70 BC. J-C near Mantua. He grew up in the countryside, in a rather wealthy family, and quickly began intellectual studies. He discovered Greek and Latin literature in Cremona and Milan three years before taking the manly toga, in 55 BC. J-C. It is said t
Paradoxes and bloodshed From the wrath of the Northmen, O God, deliver us! This cry rose from countless churches as the Vikings spread across Europe, from Hamburg to Bordeaux. At the end of the eighth century, the long boats of the men of the North, low on the water, the prow adorned with a red dra
The life of slaves in Rome Slaves were very numerous in the Roman world. They worked in the house of their rich master in exchange for their food. In Rome, about eight out of ten people were slaves. Very wealthy masters owned between 500 and 1000.Roman citizens had three names:the praenomen , the n
Birth:469 BCDeath:399 BC (Athens)Main interests:EthicsNotable ideas:Maieutics, Socratic ironyInfluenced by:Anaxagoras of Clazomenes - ProdicosInfluenced:Plato, the Socratics and all Western philosophers Socrates is an ancient Greek philosopher (5th century BC), considered the father of Western phil
Scythians and related peoples Within the vast Iranian-speaking group that bears their generic name, the Scythians in the strict sense are the best known people and the best documented by history and archeology. We will therefore content ourselves here with the few indications necessary for our pur
Jean-Marie de Lattre de Tassigny was a Marshal of France (born February 2, 1889 in Mouilleron-en-Pareds in Vendée - died January 11, 1952 in Paris). Born into an old aristocratic family in French Flanders, and younger brother of Anne-Marie, he received a quality education at Saint Joseph College in
Ho Chi Minh had informed the Americans, who let me know, of his refusal to meet me. The meteorological conditions (pouring rains) and the events which, in the world, rushed prevented this meeting, and Paris, occupied by so many other urgent and capital problems neglected to answer the message of the
Elizabeth I (born September 7, 1533, Placentia Palace, London - died March 24, 1603, Richmond Palace, London) was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII of England but her mother Anne Boleyn was executed three years after her birth and
The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (or 8th RPIMa) is a unit of the French army. It was created on February 28, 1951 in Indochina, it was then called the 8th BPC (Colonial Parachute Battalion), its soldiers wear the red beret. The regiment belongs to the 11th Parachute Brigade. The regiment