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Mine Slave - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
Life in the light deny
Moving closer to Hades
Inching day by day
There were ancient slaves who were like family members, but there were slaves whose youth were wasted away in the mines, extracting precious metals, usually for a king or city, who often hire a contractor to supply the labor. This contractor could harness and hire large amounts of slaves for major projects. In many ways, the ancient world was built on the backs of slaves.
Barren Wife - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
Barren wife
Worry at her loom
Barren wife pregnant slave girls
Worry at her womb
The Greek wife was often depicted at her loom. I often imagined how the wife could spend her anxiety and worry at the loom, working out her pains while threading at the wheel or weaving back and forth like a spider busily building a web.
Gender in the ancient world. Weaving & thread making. Family & Childbirth.
Fresh Slave - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
A pretty young thing
Last Seen wandering the coast
Father calls her name
Slavery could be a lucrative trade, even for those who do not specialize in it. One could kidnap a pretty girl and sell her for a pretty penny. The Greek classical tradition is filled with abduction scenes, often near the coast. Then again, ancient Greek life was hardly ever far from the sea. Those landlocked Arcadians might disagree.
Ancient History Prose & Satire - SpoFest Steve Dotson pt. 1 [11:16]
Introduction - Ancient Joke #1 - "Origin of a Flower" The story of the lovers Apollo & Hyacinthos - "Good Greek Wives Stay in the Attic" Satirical prose about the "Proper" Athenian wife.
Coward on the Front Line - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
Coward on the Front Line
Blamed for all their deaths
You could not hold the front line
How do you still live?
Most Greek hoplite warriors were farmers. Spartans were an exception, they lived in the barracks, professional full-time soldiers. The front line of the phalanx, and the entire unit, would be fellow landholders in one territory. You would be serving with your fellow countrymen, people you have known your whole life, your neighbors and relatives. In phalanx style combat, the front line must hold against the enemy to prevail in the initial stage of battle. To break a unit, is to crash the front line and divide the unit in to smaller parts to be picked off of who will retreat in disarray. It is then that the cavalry often chase those fleeing, or the battle for that war season was over as the enemy fled back home to prepare for the harvest season. If the front line doesn’t hold, and a member of the front is alive while everyone else dies, this might be met with suspicion.
Spartan Sword - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
The short Spartan sword Why is it so small you ask? Easy to reach heart
The Spartans had their own style of sword they carried, which was slightly shorter than the norm. Spartans are often illustrated with a Macedonian style sword, one which has a slight curve. The Spartan blade we are discussing was straight and short. Since Greeks specialized in phalanx combat, the spear was the main weapon in such a battle. The sword was an important weapon to draw after the initial clash when the two sides are in chaos and inside of spear range. One could draw the sword while his hoplite shield was pressed against the enemy. If your sword was too long, you would not be able to draw it and use it to drive under the opponents armor into their vitals.
Parthian Shot - The Dark Side of Ancient Light [Haiku & History]
The Parthians Flee
Turning round on their saddles
Pull bow release soul
The Parthian shot, a parting blow. A famous term for a strike made as someone retreats. The Persian Parthians had a horse riding warrior who would motivate the rapid advance of an opponent by retreating on their horses. As the enemy advanced into the vacuum of the retreat, the Parthians would turn their torsos as their hips and legs continued to hug the charging horse, and fire their arrows into the rapidly advancing enemy. The enemy and arrows are both flying toward each other, an advanced combat technique indeed. In striking arts, one uses a trick where he gets the opponent to duck right into an uppercut. The head meets the hand in one powerful moment of impact.
What did the Athenians hire the ancient sharpshooters in the north to do? Find out with a little haiku & history. Grab a cucumber sandwich and a glass of lemonade, but hurry, it will be over all too soon! It is a short video.
