On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life: ‘…history thus serves life, and expands the sense of what humans are capable of…’. Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC) has been called the ‘father of history’ and despite travelling widely, consulting archives and literary evidence, making observations and interviewing witnesses, he has been criticised for ‘embellishing’ his work. Written in prose in nine books, Histories is ‘an emancipation from myth’ (Watson), a 'factual' work, not one filled with gods and legends. Despite his detractors Herodotus left a seminal work that signalled the beginning of the tradition of historical writing.]]> Herodotus]]> Anabasis or The Persian Expedition is an account of the journey made by the 10,000, with Xenophon as one of its leaders, across mountains and desert plains back into Greek territory. Writing in a clear and concise style, Xenophon chronicles the daily life and struggles of the ordinary soldier and provided future generations with not only an historical account of ‘one of the most famous marches in history’ but an insight into the mind of a Greek.]]> Xenophon]]> Usually remembered as a great statesman and leader of the Roman army, Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was also a great historian. His Commentaries on the Gallic Wars (58-51 BC) is one of his two surviving works. Written in the third person, Caesar recorded simple yet highly descriptive accounts of his campaigns. Barnes has called the Commentaries the ‘best historical memoirs of the ancient world’. In one of the last battles for supremacy in Gaul (France), Caesar surrounded the hilltop town of Alexia or Alesia in September 52 BC, with the Gallic chief Vercingetorix (82-46 BC), (yes, the one in the Asterix comics), and an army of united Gallic tribes inside. Caesar built an enormous series of fortifications facing the town and a mirror image set of battlements facing outwards, to ward off attacks from the Gallic chief’s allies. Occupying the space in between, Caesar defended his position from attacks both fore and aft; and starving and defeated, Vercingetorix surrendered to Caesar in October 52 BC.

(Key to engraving of Alexia: A=siege tower; B=parapet; C=battlements; D=palisades; E=wall; F/G=trenches; H=tree trunks with sharpened branches; I=spiked pit; K=stakes with iron hooks; L=trench, 20 foot wide with perpendicular sides; M=the town of Alexia)

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Julius Caesar]]>
Description and travel]]> History]]> Mongols]]> Voyages and travels]]> unknown]]> Text]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Asia]]> Thirteenth century]]> Description and travel]]> History]]> Mongols]]> Voyages and travels]]> Newbery, Ralph, d. 1604]]> Text]]> Asia]]> Thirteenth century]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> History]]> Tea trade]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> Art, Chinese--Specimens]]> China--Social life and customs]]> Tea trade--China--History]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Paintings]]> Gouaches]]> Art]]> China]]> 1801-1950]]> Early works to 1800]]> History]]> Religion]]> Shinto]]> ]]> Hearn, Lafcadio, 1850-1904]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Illustrations]]> Japan]]> Ambassadors]]> Japan--History]]> Kaempfer, Engelbert, 1651-1716]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Illustrations]]> Prints]]> Japan]]> Seventeenth century]]> New Zealand--History, Military]]> unknown]]> Image]]> Still Image]]> Ink drawings]]> Pen works]]> Art]]> Taranaki (N.Z.)]]> New Zealand]]>