AGreatDivorce

ACOUP - This. Isn’t. Sparta. Part III: Spartan Women

Okay, so things have been a real bummer in Sparta. An absolutely inhuman system of indoctrinating child soldiers through violence; an unprecedented system of oppression creating one of the most brutal slave states in human history. But what about the idea that Sparta was one of the more equal societies for women in ancient Greece? Surely this will give us something of a reprieve.
The answer to that is... content warning: this post includes discussions of violence, especially sexual violence and just really, really rough systems of brutal oppression and misery. As before, Bret is not going to get graphic. But he is going to be honest about the history. And the history is not nice at all.
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/2019/08/29/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
Bret’s reference post for Spartan terminology - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/miscell...
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIMBQ4AfMio
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - This. Isn’t. Sparta. Part II: Spartan Equality

After that downer opening, let’s move onto the topic of... how Sparta was one of, if not THE, worst slave societies in human history.
Welp.
This time, Bret’s taking a look at the different divisions of Spartan society, giving us an understanding of how those divisions were drawn and what they mean for the society at large. And, of course, how accurately those divisions are represented in fiction. “Not very” is, unsurprisingly, a good summary.
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/2019/08/23/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
Bret’s reference post for Spartan terminology - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/miscell...
Episode on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RatQDRfHSuw
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - This. Isn’t. Sparta. Part I: Spartan School

In this series, Bret provides an assessment of the Greek polis, Sparta. The REAL Sparta. How does the historical Sparta live up to the Sparta of our pop culture imaginings? We begin (after a brief intro to our historical sources) with the Spartan agoge, the training (or rather, indoctrinating) regime for the Spartan ruling class and, hoooo, get ready. This gets heavy. 
Content warning: this post will contain discussions of violence (including sexual violence) committed against and by children. Obviously, nothing will be discussed in graphic detail but still, be warned. There will be a content warning dropped in the post itself, but if you want to avoid these discussions, skip the “Schooling the Spartans” and “Indoctrination and Child Soldiers” sections.
Also, just a playlist-wide note: I’m a rube with a drawl and limited linguistic experience. I’m trying my level best with Ancient Greek, and I promise I am looking up pronunciation guides and trying to get pronunciation right. But I know I am falling far short of what a historical analysis deserves, both in pronunciation and consistency. So I apologize up front for where my pronunciation is lacking. I hope it doesn’t prove distracting, but, by all means, feel free to let me know when I foul up! 
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/2019/08/16/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=ajDlQZ_S9Kc
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
Online references made in the post:The Sparta Fetish is a Cultural Cancer - https://newrepublic.com/article/15456...
In Defense of Sparta - https://newrepublic.com/article/15468...
Folding Ideas’ (Dan Olson) review of 300 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gvYz...
Bret’s reference post for Spartan terminology - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/miscell...
 

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part VIII: The Mind of Saruman

So we come to the end. And what better note to go out on than pulling back for a final, overall assessment of Saruman’s strategy and how it does (or rather does not) fit into the principles of good strategic planning?
With this, we close out Bret’s two collections on The Lord of the Rings. As for what comes next, my plan is to move to a collection about a city-state with a legacy for martial excellence and cultural cache that never really achieved those things. At least, not to the extent we think it did. Practice your forward kicks, call up your 299 best buds, and tell em to leave their shirts behind, because for my next project,  I'll be recording Bret’s breakdown of the REAL Sparta. 
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/2020/06/19/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=55MjXpKHK9c
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part VII: Hanging By a Thread

Please do not judge my Old English harshly; it’s been the better part of a decade since I had to recite the opening of Beowulf in college!
We come back to what has been the central theme of both of Bret’s LotR series: cohesion and morale. And in particular, this post takes a look at the tradition of battle-speeches and how they can impact morale. What is the real-world tradition of battle-speeches (or at least, the real-world traditional doctrine) and how do the speeches of the books and films compare? Let’s find out!
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/2020/06/12/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=7nKt7vwRz4E
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part VI: Is This a Good Sword?

This post is all about kit. How are swords and armor made? What types of weapons and armor fit the situation at Helm’s Deep (and what types really do not)? How do weapon and armor types determine how an engagement might play out? And WAS Gimli the most done-dirty by the film adaptation? All this and more as Bret discusses the weapons and armor on display in Helm’s Deep.
Also, for my Greek pronunciation, I just want to say I tried my best!
Link to the Catiline speech: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...
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/2020/06/05/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=CvZUX9N7vOQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part V: Ladders Are Chaos

The assault begins, and Bret provides us with an overview and analysis of Saruman’s methods for taking the Helm’s Deep complex. They are... not great, it turns out. 
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/2020/05/28/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=c0arfitDuZg
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part IV: Men of Rohan

After a thorough dressing down of Saruman’s host, Bret moves onto a more positive assessment of the organization and structure of the Men of Rohan (though with a few points on where to still improve!). This provides a very interesting overview of the way historical fyrd/levy systems were structured, how non-professional armies work, and what it means in terms of fighting ability and cohesion when your army is composed of a motley mix drawn from a variety of sources.
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/2020/05/22/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=sF7ytMULF3c
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part III: The Host of Saruman

For this recording and the next, we’re taking a step back as Bret examines the make up, structure, and systems behind the two armies about to clash, starting with Saruman’s dread Fighting Uruk-hai. Though how “dread” they really are will be called into question once we see the many, MANY flaws Saruman failed to account for in his army’s design and organization.
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/2020/05/15/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=lzFF_7cjANk
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!

ACOUP - The Battle of Helm’s Deep Part II: Total Warg

This time, Bret provides an analysis of the movie-only warg cavalry encounter to discuss convoy logistics and cavalry tactics. There’s quite a few more diagrams than usual this time, especially towards the end, so you may want to keep the video ready for easy reference here.
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/2020/05/08/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=MyjprnBkL6k
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!