AGreatDivorce

ACOUP - War Elephant, Part III: Elephant Memories

To close out his series on war elephants, Bret looks at the role of war elephants off the battlefield in two contexts. First, the context as status and power symbols for Indian royalty (and related kingships influenced by India). And then, the context of the role war elephants play in popular western historical and fantasy fiction, and how they came to be placed in that role.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/09/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naU_sZZoKgA
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - War Elephant, Part II: Elephants Against Wolves

Now that Bret has covered the basics of how elephants were used in battles, he takes a look specifically at the history of war elephants in Rome. Here, he examines what systemic forces (mostly logistics) impacted the Roman decision not to use elephants and the tactics used to defeat the elephants they faced. He also takes a brief aside to discuss why elephants never saw much use in China despite their easy access to elephants.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/02/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCKG-yWXDvw
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - War Elephant, Part I: Battle Pachyderms

This is the first post of Bret’s three part series covering war elephants. How did elephants function in war, who used them, and why (or why not)? In this post, Bret covers the basic tactics of how elephants were used in war. What was their function in a battle and how did they work as a component of a larger force. And, of course, how does that compare to the elephants we see on the screen in films and video games.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/07/26/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVT8XasxNIU
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Lonely City, Part II: Real Cities Have Curves

Here in the second half of his look at the shape of pre-modern cities, Bret turns now to analyzing how the landscape around cities (both human and natural) impact their shape. How do roads and pathways, rivers and coasts, and marginal or less fertile land change the shape of cities and what forces are responsible for that change? And finally, what does this trope of Lonely Cities mean for our cultural understanding of the past and its people?
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/07/19/the-lon...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT6B6nKOim0
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Lonely City, Part I: The Ideal City

This time, I’ll be covering the “Lonely City” pair of articles that take a look at the structure of pre-modern cities. What did they look like and what forces caused them to take the shapes they had? And in terms of pop-culture, how does the stereotype of the lonely castle surrounded by empty grassland match up to the historical reality?
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/07/12/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH3gxAxX9A0
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - Lannister Infantry Kit Review

From the fairly well graded kit of the Unsullied, Bret moves now to the more mixed kit of the Lannisters. Moving forward in time a bit to take a look at almain rivet and plate kits, Bret examines how well the Lannister infantry kit holds up to its historical precedents. Along with a side examination of what the kit and army structure say about the type of organizational structure the Lannisters either have... or should have.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/05/12/new-acq...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03_II9LJg1E
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - Gondor Heavy Infantry Kit Review

We close out both the kit reviews and my current run through armor-related posts with Bret’s review of the kit for Gondor’s heavy infantry in The Lord of the Rings. This is something of a foil to the Lannister kit, based on similar designs but this time better executed and more properly representative of the society these soldiers come from. Bret also discusses the book’s descriptions of kit and what the choices for visual design in the adaptation to film meant for the kit.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2020/01/10/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JagyaKa0wo
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - Unsullied Kit Review

Continuing off the series of posts on armor, I decided now would be a good time to tackle the kit reviews. Starting with Bret’s very first kit review of the Unsullied from Game of Thrones. Here, Bret takes a look at the kit for the Unsullied: the weapons, armor, equipment, tactics, and other characteristics of how they work as a fighting force, and how accurate to similar historical forces they are.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/05/05/new-acq...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQxdMRdAVYA
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - Archery, Distance and ‘Kiting’

Following up on the “Armor Myths” post, this time Bret provides us with a deeper look at the interaction between archery and armor. Here, Bret examines the physics of how arrows work on the battlefield and against different types of armor and what the means for battlefield archery tactics. How do the historical realities of battlefield bow use stack up to our video game mechanics of archery? Note: this one is a math heavy post.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/07/04/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu9eGb3xkyM
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - Punching Through Some Armor Myths

Continuing the set of posts discussing armor, this time we move to a pair covering in greater detail how armor works. Specifically, how did different styles of armor work to protect the wearer from different weapons, what factors made them effective, and what tactics were used to defeat them.
The text for this recording is from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry, the blog of history professor, Bret Devereaux, whose work you should absolutely support with your eyes, your clicks, and, if you are able, your bucks.
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2019/06/21/collect...
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of UnmitigatedPedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP4dn4j3ctI
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!