Author Archives

• The First Battle of the Hundred Years’ War: The Battle of Cadzand – November 9, 1337

  By Jason R. Abdale on November 1, 2021 • ( 1 )

  The Hundred Years’ War is perhaps the second-most well-known military conflict of the Middle Ages, second only to the Crusades. This epic clash between the kingdoms of England and France, which was actually a series of separate conflicts spread out… Read More ›

• The Setantians, Volantians, and Carvetians: The Ancient Celtic Tribes of Northwestern England

  By Jason R. Abdale on October 25, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Introduction I subscribe to several ancient Roman history groups on Facebook, and on one of these, a conversation arose regarding the Celtic tribes of Britain. Specifically, there was a lot of focus on one tribe in particular – that of… Read More ›

• Ancient Rome and the Horror of H. P. Lovecraft

  By Jason R. Abdale on October 1, 2021 • ( 2 )

  Manes, Lares, and Lemures. © Jason R. Abdale (August 21, 2021). Introduction Halloween is nearly upon us. As October rolls through its days and nights, inching ever-closer towards the 31st, some of us may celebrate the spooky season by indulging… Read More ›

• September 5-19 – The Ludi Magni Romani, “The Great Roman Games”

  By Jason R. Abdale on September 19, 2021 • ( 0 )

  The Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, painted by Alfredo Tominz (1890).Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. Let the games begin! September was an exciting time in ancient Rome, because it was in early to middle September that one of the… Read More ›

• Gargoyleosaurus

  By Jason R. Abdale on August 25, 2021 • ( 1 )

  When people think of “armored dinosaurs”, they generally think of two kinds of creature: the stegosaurs and the ankylosaurs. Both of these groups belong to the dinosaur sub-order Thyreophora, which means “armor-bearing” in ancient Greek. The dinosaur group Ankylosauria or… Read More ›

• August 15 – The Summer Compitalia: Ancient Rome’s Summer Street Fair

  By Jason R. Abdale on August 14, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Summer Flowers, painted by John William Godward (1903). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godward_Summer_Flowers_1903.jpg Do you remember the days before the coronavirus pandemic when we could all gather together in public spaces for special events: block parties, concerts, street fairs, etc?… Read More ›

• August 19 – The Vinalia Rustica: The Ancient Roman Country Wine Festival

  By Jason R. Abdale on August 11, 2021 • ( 3 )

  Vinyard in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria. Photograph by Dimitry Anikin (September 9, 2009). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinyard_in_Perchtoldsdorf.jpg. It’s no secret that Italians love their wine, and justifiably so, for Italy produces some of the best wine in the world. The… Read More ›

• The Lives of Raptor Dinosaurs: A Series of Mistaken Preconceptions

  By Jason R. Abdale on August 10, 2021 • ( 4 )

  Introduction If you were to approach most people who possess a familiarity with paleontology, and ask them about what they know about raptor dinosaurs and how they lived their lives, these people would almost certainly tell you the following four… Read More ›

• Zephyrosaurus

  By Jason R. Abdale on August 10, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Zephyrosaurus was a small ornithopod dinosaur which lived in Montana during the middle Cretaceous Period. The first fossils of this animal were discovered by Charles R. Schaff, who worked at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Schaff was prospecting for… Read More ›

• Deinonychus: The Dinosaur that Changed the World

  By Jason R. Abdale on July 24, 2021 • ( 0 )

  The skull of Deinonychus. This is the very first thing that appears on-screen in the first episode of the 1992 PBS documentary series The Dinosaurs! It’s a great series, by the way. You should watch it. Right now. Seriously. Get… Read More ›