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blogographer1.bsky.social
The Blogographer
@blogographer1.bsky.social
31 followers 2 following 1.7K posts
Not a Thucydidean 'Prose Chronicler'
https://ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer/blog

Ancient History anecdotes and asides of varying length, differing subject and broad time-period - Greeks, Romans, and more. Also the Bluesky home of #HaikuHistory
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blogographer1.bsky.social
'Aquatic Mammal Saves Man' - this is about Jonah and the Whale right? Wait... its not?!?

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...
Arion and the Dolphin
You would be forgiven for thinking that this is a Biblical headline was about the story of Jonah and the Whale. However, looking past that the original Hebrew text suggests Jonah was swallowed by a “g...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Received the first proof of my next @penswordbooks
effort... some proof-reading to do this weekend!
November 28, 2025 at 11:40 AM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and a Scholar 29: Salamis - 'It's a Trap!'
Episode 29; A Spartan king may lay dead on the the battlefield and Athens itself may be a burnt ruin, but the Greeks have a plan for the overconfident Persians in the narrow straits of Salamis...https...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:39 AM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny dove into ancient history like none of the previous entries in the series... first up, the Antikythera Device

@RaoulMcLaughlin @rogueclassicist

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IJDoD I: Indiana Jones and the Antikythera Mechanism
SPOILERS for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny The eponymous ‘Dial of Destiny’ was based on an actual mechanical device, the name of which was used in the film – the Antikythera, or the Antikyther...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and a Scholar 28: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode 28: Despite the heroics at Thermopylae and the importance of Artemisium, the Persian juggernaut continues its ways south, finally getting its hands on the city of Athens...https://mncvgk.podbe...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
ASAS55 - I Have Become My Enemy

The Persians have been ousted from all shores of the Aegean Sea... so what is the point of the Delian League...?

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...
A Soldier and A Scholar 55 - I Have Become My Enemy
Episode 55 - The Persians have been ousted from all shores of the Aegean Sea... so what is the point of the Delian League...?https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-55-i-have-become-my-en...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Shunned by his family because of his ailments, Claudius showed a scholarly side in history, grammar and linguistics...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

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Cla…Cla…Claudius the Scholar
When faced with the notion of a scholarly Roman emperor, you would be forgiven for immediately thinking of the great philosopher king, Marcus Aurelius or if you are a late antiquarian, perhaps Julian ...
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November 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
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A Soldier and A Scholar 27 - The Battle of Artemisium
Episode 27: While some Spartans and their king were taking their place in history, a no less important battle was occurring in the waters off the coast of Thermopylae... @MNCVKG and @blogographer1 loo...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:28 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
More on ancient-linked street names in Belfast and beyond...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

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Ptolemy’s Map of Ireland and Street Names in Belfast
It is not just mythological, divine and actual ancient people that have inspired classical street names in Belfast. There are also some ancient geographical terms that have been used. There is a Hiber...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:05 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Apparently, there was no Irish history before AD600?

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

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No Irish History Before AD600?
Published 2018 to much fanfare, with President Michael D. Higgins giving an address, the 4-volume Cambridge History of Ireland is by all accounts a significant academic achievement in presenting the h...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:22 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and a Scholar 26: The Myths of Thermopylae
Episode 26: After the heroic defeat came the myths and legends... Just how many Spartans/Greeks were there at Thermopylae? How did they fight? https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-26-t...
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November 18, 2025 at 11:42 AM
blogographer1.bsky.social
You might not imagine it to be so, but numerous streets in Belfast have names with ancient or mythological origins

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

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Ancient and Mythological Street Names in Belfast
The area occupied by modern Belfast has seen some form of human occupation since the Bronze Age. The Giant’s Ring is an almost 5,000-year-old henge while the hills around the city host the remains of ...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Is the list of people known to have killed a Roman emperor really as long as you think?

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social

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I Killed A Roman Emperor
At first glance, this list of people thought to have killed a Roman emperor might seem somewhat short. Indeed, there are plenty of other people who killed or ordered the death of a Roman emperor, but ...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and a Scholar 25: The Battle of Thermopylae
Episode 25: A small pass in northern Greece becomes the site of a heroic stand by a small(ish) Spartan-led Greek army against the largest army the Mediterranean world had yet seen...https://mncvgk.pod...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:02 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Did two consecutive Roman ravagings of barbarian land - Valens of the Tervingi in 369 and Valentinian I of the Quadi in 375 - exacerbate the impact of the arrival of the Huns? 1/3
November 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Did Monty Python sum up centuries of Romano-Jewish relations in less than 5 seconds with two extras?

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@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
Two Roman Sentries: Summing up Romano-Jewish Relations
Let’s get this out of the way... Monty Python’s Life of Brian is a comedic and satirical masterpiece. There are so many scenes which stand out as personal favourites, but here I am focusing on a very ...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:12 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and a Scholar 24: The Pan-Hellenic Alliance
Episode 24: Can the Greek city-states set aside their long-standing differences and come together to face the overwhelming power of the incoming Persian invasion?https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Not only was Nero seemingly not dead... three times... he was also the harbinger of the apocalypse?!?

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
Nero’s Afterlife Part II: Nero Redivivus
The appearance of three False Neros in the two decades after the emperor’s death in 68 was not the only ‘afterlife’ that Nero had. He became increasingly associated with a legend that he was not dead,...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and A Scholar 23 - Interbellum, SPARTAN STYLE
Episode 23: Mad kings fall, heroes rise, court intrigue... just a few of things going on in Sparta during the interbellum...https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-23-interbellum-spartan-...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
After the revolt of Galba, it was not long before Nero was dead and gone... or was he?!?

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
Nero’s Afterlife Part I: “Never Say Nero Again”
Confronted with rebellions by Vindex in Gaul and Galba in Spain and rumours of the allegiance of Verginius Rufus’ army in Germania, the emperor Nero panicked. Rather than face up to what was perhaps f...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:04 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
NEW: The final part of the Severan series looks at the challengers to Elagabalus, including from the legion that saw him become emperor in the first place...

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
The Real Severans VII: Challengers to Elagabalus
While hindsight is 20/20, Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus did not appear to be the best candidate for the imperial throne in 218.  He was only 14 years old, reliant on his mother and grandmother for po...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:17 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and A Scholar 22 - Athenian Interbellum
Episode 22: With Persian war seemingly on the backburner, we take a look at the interbellum period of Athens, complete with political chaos, rivalries and back-stabbing... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e...
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November 6, 2025 at 8:26 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Odoacer giving away land to his underlings? How do we know?

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@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
The ‘Donation of Odoacer’ Part II: Documenting the Donation
We saw last time that the career of Pierius must have been significant enough before his appearance in the historical record for Odoacer to promote him to his chief bodyguard, comes domesticorum. The ...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:17 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
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A Soldier and A Scholar 21 - 10 year Interbellum - Persia
Episode 21: Between Marathon and the next Persian invasion of Greece, the Achaemenid Empire faced ten years of upheaval, with the death of a great king, several rebellions, and the challenge of gather...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:32 PM
blogographer1.bsky.social
Odoacer's reign in Italy is enlightened by a document signed by the man himself...

ptcrawford.wixsite.com/blogographer...

@raoulmclaughlin.bsky.social @rogueclassicist.bsky.social
The 'Donation of Odoacer' Part I: The Career of Pierius
Flavius Odoacer is most famous as the man who deposed the ‘last’ western emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476, becoming the first non-Roman ruler of Italy for centuries. He did technically act as a vicer...
ptcrawford.wixsite.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM