#samnites

Historical Warfare --- The Samnite Linen Legion

Samnite Bronze Helmet and Neckguard, C. 450 BC

This imposing helmet is a unique hybrid of the Samnite-Chalcidian type.

The Samnites were an Italic people living in Samnium (see Wikipedia article map, below) in south-central Italy who fought several wars with the Roman Republic. They formed a confederation, consisting of four tribes: the Hirpini, Caudini, Caraceni, and Pentri. They were allied with Rome against the Gauls in 354 BC, but later became enemies of the Romans and were soon involved in a series of three wars (343–341, 327–304, and 298–290 BC) against the Romans. Despite a spectacular victory over the Romans at the Battle of the Caudine Forks (321 BC), the Samnites were eventually subjugated.

What was known as a ‘Samnite Gladiator’ appeared in Rome shortly after the defeat of Samnium in the 4th century BC, apparently adopted from the victory celebrations of Rome’s allies in Campania. By arming low-status gladiators in the manner of a defeated foe, Romans mocked the Samnites and appropriated martial elements of their culture.

Samnite soldiers 330s BC depicted in a tomb frieze in Nola, Southern Italy.

Collection: Naples Archaeological Museum

Source/Photo: Shonagon 2022-04-28

Wikipedia ref: Samnites

Collection: Louvre Museum, Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities

Wikipedia ref: Samnites

Sub iugum mittere Battle of Caudine Forks 321BCE To ‘send under the yoke’ was a practice in ancient Italy whereby defeated enemies were made to pass beneath a yoke constructed of spears either to humiliate them or to remove blood guilt.

The custom was a ritual humiliation of enemies practiced by the people of ancient Italy.

Both the Romans and the Samnites forced the captives of their defeated enemies to pass under a yoke formed from spears.

I would rather have housing for everyone and some people with more luxurious homes, than what we have now, which is a homelessness crises, housing conditions which should be considered inhumane run by slumlords, decent houses and luxurious houses. We need to set a minimum acceptable standard. Every human being deserves a residence that is clean and safe to live in.

replied to your photo

“@samnites and I really hope you won’t take this too badly, but there...”

Wow, you are seriously a rude person. Nowhere did I accuse you of malice and even admitted your obvious good intentions in wanting to write about someone like her. It was simply not the right day for it. That is all. You could have wrote on her without linking it to holocaust remembrance day too, but you didn't. So I informed you because maybe someone else on here won't see your good intentions. Plus, the post you wrote about primo Levi was in 2017

It's actually really disgusting that I can say this to you, as a Jewish person, and your response is to get angry and complain that you already wrote about ONE Italian Jewish person, as if that's all Italian Jews deserve, that we complain to much.

What about Liliana Segre, currently under police protection?  Like, so many people, but still this is how you act. Perhaps you need to reevaluate how you see your own history.  Jewish history, including the holocaust, in Italy, is just as Italian as any other part of Italian history.  It is not foreign.

I’ll say this as politely as I can. 

I’m not a newspaper.

It’s not my job to inform people. It’s not my job to cater to people’s interests. I’m not getting paid to do any of this. And if I’m not blogging about a topic it doesn’t mean that I’m not interested or that I don’t care. In these months I barely even post on this blog because Tumblr has tired me and I’m trying to do more productive things. And it’s not really a surprise since I can’t post a single thing without someone coming to my blog policing what  and how I should post.

The post about Primo Levi was made in 2017 and I have reblogged it each year in this occasion because, look, there are the links to his books (I hope they’re still working) so that people can learn more about the things he wrote. Then I’ve made a post about Odoardo Focherini in 2019 because he was from my home town and his daughter came to my school to talk about her father. It’s a story I know first-hand. It’s a story I really care about. The same goes this year with the one about Gina Borellini. I make new posts when I have time for them and when something interests me and I hope it can interest other people.

The worst part is people assume thinks “dumbing something down” reflects a lack of intelligence on the educators part when that’s not how it works. It’s a skill, not everyone is naturally good at it. Some people are amazing scholars, but awful teachers. To be able to simplify and accurately talk about something complex for a different audience is faaar from easy, and really to do so you have to know the topic inside out.

To be honest I actually take issue with the term “dumbing down” because I think it presupposes a lack of intelligence on the receiver’s part moreso than on the educator’s part. 

It’s not a matter of intellect, it’s a matter of not being privy to a lot of the jargon and background info. It’s knowledge that is lacking, not intelligence.