America's Army 3 Review

Recent review of America's Army 3. Sponsored by the U.S. Army, they have continued with their prior success of the America's Army franchise and developed a well rounded, engaging, first person shooter.

British Roman Fort - Vindolanda

One of the more interesting finds in England, is the Roman fort at Vindolanda. It is a rather large encampment that has uncovered some great Roman finds, one being the letters of Roman soldiers back to their family. It's a fascinating look into the emotions and day to day life of your typical Roman soldier. Also, to the eager amateur archeologist is being able to be part of the excavation team, which can help uncover the vast remains of the fort.

Recently uncovered at Vindolanda is a mysterious altar dedicated to an eastern cult deity. One of the many interesting tidbits from this article: "according to Anthony Birley, chairman of the Vindolanda Trust and the author of many books on ancient Roman history, the discovery is important because "there are absolutely no literary references to Dolichenus, so all that we know about the religion is based on some 300 surviving inscriptions and sculptures from different parts of the Roman Empire."

Diving for Roman Shipwrecks

Roman ruins are nothing new to archaeologists. Finding 5 Roman shipwrecks in waters over 300 feet deep, which date back to the first century B.C., can be categorized as "exciting."

As the article mentions, these ships loaded with prized fish sauce from Spain and north Africa, and a mysterious cargo of metal ingots from Italy, possibly to be used in the construction of statues or weaponry, were headed for safe harbor. Why they sunk is a mystery, but my guess is bad weather and an upset Neptune may have had something to do with it.

These wrecks could become more common as technology helps the weekend diver discover nooks and crannies of the ocean's depth.

First POW Camp Found?

What could be the first POW camp has been found in England. Used during the Napoleonic war, it is one of the first camps that humanly housed thousands of prisoners. More then 1,700 prisoners died during the 17 year history which is rather remarkable for the time period and sanitary conditions. To put that into context, over 12,000 U.S. Union prisoners died at Andersonville prison.

In the coming months we should be learning more about this camp and how it operated...stay tuned!

Battle of Chelsea Creek Continued...

Earlier this week I posted about the Mass Board of Underwater Archeological Resource being given a grant to Battlefield Protection Program Grant for the 1775 Battle of Chelsea Creek.

The blog Boston1775 has continued on that theme and has an excellent write up, providing you with a better understand of the that day's events, I highly recommend checking it out.

Little Rome Peeking Through

Outside of the southern city of Naples, lays what Cicero once called "Little Rome." Pozzuoli and the surround seaside villages are unearthing roman treasures, one being the marble head of the Roman Emperor Titus.

Pozzuli has had a tumultuous history, in the 2nd century it was replaced as the main trading port, followed by years of declining population. In 1538 an eruption scared away the population and in 1970, once the population was coming back, "activity of the Phlegraean Fields volcanic area caused the ground to rise and fall." And now, due to the economic climate digging may stall.

Hopefully with these new discoveries and opening it up to the public, more tourist will flock to the area.

Queen Boudicca and Roman Ruins

Archaeologist think they have found one of Britain's earliest Iron Age towns with a planned layout. Making the discovery more interesting is that they believe Queen Boudicca may led an attack against the Roman soldiers occupying the town.

Queen Boudicca is an interesting character and one who took no mercy. During her uprising, she had amassed an army of over 100,000 and torched and put to the sword any Roman that got in her way. Unfortunately for her, she ran into a Roman general named Paulinus. At the Battle of Watling Street, Paulinus, with superior Roman tactics and better trained army completey destroyed Boudicca's army.

http://blog.taragana.com/n/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-britains-earliest-iron-age-town-111028/

The Forgotten Battle of Chelsea Creek

Exciting news in the realm of protecting of battlefields (see prior post about the unpleasant news of the Wilderness). From the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources:

"The Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources has been awarded a 2009 National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program Grant for the 1775 Battle of Chelsea Creek. Overshadowed by the battles at Concord/Lexington and Bunker Hill, the Battle of Chelsea Creek (or Noddles Island) was the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War—and an American victory. The objective of this grant is to precisely locate British and American military operations and their associated archaeological resources, including the remains of the HMS Diana, through archival research and field documentation to assist in the identification, delineation, and interpretation of the battlefield. The $48,300 grant will be used for interns to undertake the research and to provide outreach to Chelsea, Revere, and East Boston."

The Battle of Chelsea Creek is one of the many engagements in and around Boston that few people know about. Prior to April 19th, in 1774 there was the Powder Alarm, which the blog boston1775.blogspot.com has an excellent analysis of.

Civil War Honor Roll Published

Exciting bit of information to those who are genealogy nuts. Familyrelatives.com has released an honor roll from the civil war. Genealogy is becoming more and more popular over the years and having this database available will surely make many civil war reenactor and buffs alike excited at the possibility of tracking down family members.

http://ca.sys-con.com/node/1037514

Suleiman I, the Lawgiver or Magnificent

Suleiman I, the Lawgiver, not a terribly familiar name, but he was one of the longest reigning sultans of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th Century. His legacy is one of military strength, economy and culutural development, which made his reign one of the more prosperous of the Ottoman Empire.

Since his death at the siege of Szigetvar, his tomb has not been located. Archaeologist though are now on the hunt and hope with a team experts they can find it...stayed tuned.

http://news.smashits.com/405985/Archaeologists-start-search-for-tomb-of-Suleiman-I-in-Hungary.htm

Marco Polo Travel Notes...from China

When Marco Polo writes, people listen. In this case, during his travels he described the prosperity of Yuan Shangdu, since then, archaeologist have been drawn to the area. Recently Chinese archaeologist believe they have found the layout of the capital of Kublai Khan's empire. What makes it even more interesting (besides being mention with the World Heritage Site) is that Kublai Khan was the founder of the Yuan Dynasty


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/08/content_11673561.htm

Happy Bastille Day

To all those with French roots, Happy Bastille Day. To learn a little more, check out the wiki entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day

Each year there is a massive parade on the Champs Elysées. This year the Maratha Light Infantry will join the numerous troops partaking in the event.
http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/115/article_4316.asp

A little history about the unit, from wiki "It was formed as the 103rd Maharattas in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment of the Army."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratha_Light_Infantry

Julius Caesar's short lived British holiday

Julius Caesar - Gaul, Roman Emperor/Dictator, Brutus, Assassination. Rarely do you think of him as someone who attempted to secure Britain for the Roman empire 100 years prior to Emperor Claudius invasion of Britain.

Brenda Ralph writes a great article on Caesar's short lived holiday in Britain...

http://www.historynet.com/julius-caesar-in-britain.htm/print/

Confederate Dollars for Sale

South Carolina is finding a new way to make money...they decided to start selling money. Not U.S. minted money though, but Confederate dollars.

After the civil war, Confederate dollars were worthless and should have been destroyed. Call it lazy or call it a time capsule, but boxes of left over dollars were stored away in the State House and the government is now selling off those dollars to collectors to make some extra cash.


http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/special_reports/50483277.html

Cleopatra's Tomb?

If feels like Christmas every time Cleopatra's tomb is mentioned. Everyone keeps saying that they are "close" to finding it, but we still lack certain proof.

I just hope when we do wake up, it's lost relics of the ancient world and not lumps of coal.

Archaeologist Kathleen Martinez believes she is close and the Discovery Channel will be filming for a documentary, which makes you believe "something" is there.

Added bonus, they believe Mark Antony might be buried with her...

http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2009/6/26/32402/Well-soon-find-Cleopatra-Dominican-archaeologist-says


http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/15/cleopatra-anthony-tomb.html

Wilderness Battle now sponsored by Wal-Mart

If you're a Civil War buff, when you think of the Wilderness, the first thought that comes into you head isn't Wal-Mart. But be prepared to have that reality set in. John Farrell is blogging about the unpleasant news of Wal-Mart plans of building a store near the battlefield. He does a great job capturing what most of us historians (Civil War buffs or not) are feeling. Hopefully there will be a public backlash to stop this, but until then, stay up-to-date with John


http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2009/05/13/wal-marts-attack-on-civil-war-battlefield-in-northern-virginia.html

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2009/07/06/wal-mart-closer-to-paving-over-civil-war-battlefield-in-virginia.html

Continuing with Henry VIII...

With so much news about Henry VIII, I thought I would continue the trend and pass along some interesting links.

The first link is an online exhibit of some items from Henry's reign. There is even an Interactive section which has you trying to pick out Henry's notes (side note: brush up on your Latin).

The second article details the reproduction of the document which the English peers sent to Pope Clement VII asking for the annulment of Henry's marriage.

Stay tuned as I'm sure we'll be seeing more and more articles/blogs/fan pages devoted to Henry VIII this year.

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/henryviii/index.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/5614835/Vatican-sells-facsimiles-of-Henry-VIII-letter-that-led-to-schism-with-Rome.html

Henry VIII and One wife

This year, being the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII accession to the throne, there seems to be more and more interesting and thought provoking articles out there. Most recently, what if...

Henry VIII went through 6 wives and two religions, but what would have happened if he never divorced Catherine of Aragon and instead stayed with the Catholic church? Does he still go through the reform and break away from the Church or stay a loyal subject to the Pope? It's an interesting debate, one that was started in the link below.

What do you think would have happened? Mary would have been Queen and not Edward and we know where should stood on the Catholic religion...


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-big-question-what-would-have-happened-if-henry-viii-had-obtained-his-divorce-1717976.html

Iron Cross meet the Honour Cross

When you think of a soldier wearing the Iron Cross, you may instinctively think of Nazis and World War II. Trying to reshape and redefine the Iron Cross, Germany is unveling a new Honour Cross which will be given to bravery on the battlefield. The Times has an interesting article giving more of a background into the medal and where it orginated. Few probably know that the medal orginally had an F.W. on it for Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia or later those intials were changed to W. for Kaiser Wilhelm.

Great article and always interesting to learn where military medals originated.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6661507.ece

Great History Blog

Great new blog has been posted by Weider History Group. Wide ranging covering lots of topics, with so many bloggers you are sure to find something interesting.

The Weider History Group encompasses a myriad of websites and articles to dig through. From Civil War to Iraq, you are sure to find something interesting. If you have the time, start with armchairgeneral.com and poke around, who knows what you'll find!

http://greathistory.com/

Jerusalem - Another Day, Another Ancient Discovery

Jerusalem seems to be a treasure chest of discoveries. Every so often you'll read another article about how they found pottery dating back 2,000 years or the oldest written Hebrew text. Most recently during construction of an apartment block workers stumbled upon an ancient quarry. They believe the quarry dates back to King Herod and could possibly be used in the construction of the Western Wall. Check out the article for more information.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090706/ap_on_sc/ml_israel_ancient_quarry

Rome - Let's Rediscover It

Great article in the NY Times about Rome's Forum and Palatine Hill and how recently there will be more access given to some of the lost treasures of the city. This new initiative hopes to bring to life the mystery of the forgotten monuments and buildings of the ancient Romans. From the House of Livia (the wife of Augustus, Emperor of Rome, adopted son of Caesar) to the Loggia Mattei which was built in the 16th century, first time tourist and veterans of Rome alike, will get to rediscover Rome all over again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/arts/design/04forum.html?_r=2#

Crown of Glory: Emperor's Edition

The link below is to a review I did on Crown of Glory: Emperor's Edition. To those new to the Crown of Glory series, this game won't be easy to pick up like Total War, but veterans of CoG will love this game and probably crush my review. Either way, if military strategy and walking a tight rope of economic and diplomacy game play is your cup of tea, then I recommend this game to you.



http://www.armchairgeneral.com/crown-of-glory-emperors-edition-pc-game-review.htm

The First Post

Welcome to All Links History blog. With so many great websites and blogs about history, it is so hard to keep track of where to go each day. This blog is going to try reduce the stress that comes with so much web surfing. Every couple of days, we'll scour the Internet and find interesting articles or blogs that deal with history and if we like the topic, we'll post it here with a short recap and if we don't, we won't post it, simple enough!


What we hope to accomplish is a blog that brings together the very best of what is out in the vast Internet world and make it easier for you (and us) to continue to learn about history. As an added bonus, to those who enjoy the video games, we'll also post historical related video games reviews! Also, if you find yourself coming across a great blog, let us know and I'll check it out!