The Browser - Roman Library

How To Raise A Roman Army

Bret Devereaux | A Collection Of Unmitigated Pedantry | 16th June 2023

Everything you might want to know about military administration in Republican Rome. The system was simple but effective: between 218 and 214BCE, the army called up over 250,000 soldiers, half of all men liable for service in Italy. This method of mass conscription worked primarily because armies were cheap to run. Unlike in the Hellenistic East, Romans served for glory, not for cash (7,532 words)

Have You Been To The Library Lately?

Nicholas Hune-Brown | Walrus | 12th June 2023

A public library is no longer mainly about books. It is a welfare state in microcosm, a place where people go to fill in online applications for government assistance, a shared space for work and study, a place to warm up and use a washroom without being required to buy anything. To be a librarian is a bit like being a bartender: “Some bars have a quiet clientele. And some are nasty and violent.”(5,500 words)

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