I have some recommendations for the previous topic, the roman legion, and a few for the next topic, which I plan to do - World War II.
I really like to read history books that also have pictures so I can get an idea of what the equipment and such looked like. One that I picked up was really good for showing every aspect of the Roman army (from equipment, to formations, and even pictures of real artifacts) was The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy.
While I'm at it, I'll mention another source of information that I have used. Rome: Total War is a strategy PC game that I found interesting. It's full of information on the ancient Romans, as well as other factions from around the same time period. While it is, of course, not always completely accurate as far as history is concerned, it is fun to play, and has enough good information to be worthwhile. There's a mod for it called Rome: Total Realism which makes it a lot more accurate in terms of factions, visuals, and so on.
The subject of gaming brings me to my next topic - The Second World War. I have enjoyed a few of the Call of Duty games over the years, but I always liked the World War II versions the best. Recently, I have been playing a miniatures game called Flames of War, which is also set in World War II. In addition, I was given an e-reader for Christmas, and while searching for something to read, I stumbled upon an author that had been recommended to me in the past, but whose books I had yet to check out. His name is Jeff Shaara, and the first book I chose to buy for my reader was his novel The Rising Tide.
I am about half of the way through, and so far I find his writing style very easy to read. He uses words very sparingly, avoiding filler, and the content is certainly not lacking either. Another great author, that I've mentioned before, is Steven Pressfield. He has written a novel (only one so far) about World War II as well. It's called Killing Rommel and it's excellent, as is everything I've ever read by him.
Alright, so by next week, I should have a full post up on the topic of World War II. I haven't decided which aspect of the war to focus on yet, but, until then, I'll be doing some research.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Monday, 17 October 2011
Ancient Battle Formations - The Legion, Part I
Wow, it's been a while since my last post. Sorry for that. I'll try to get back to my regular posting schedule of once a week on Mondays.
This week I would like to take a look at the Roman style of warfare. The Romans used the phalanx early on in their military history, but after some time, they developed a new formation that would help them dominate the known world. This was the legion.
There were two major types of legion. The first was the manipular legion, which was composed of maniples, and the centurion legion, composed of centuries. Century in English means 100 years, and this comes from a latin root. In the legion formation, it simply refers to 100 soldiers, although in practice it was often only 80. I won't get into the specifics of the word meanings, or even how many soldiers were in each block of troops. What I want to talk about is the equipment, and how the legion fought. For now, suffice it to say that both legion formations had blocks of troops, and the major differences between the two types is that the centurion legion had bigger blocks of troops, had more standardised, and better, equipment, and were raised differently (being paid, professional soldiers as opposed to levies - more on that later). Both types of legion had troops armed with javelins, called pila (pilum for one, pila is the plural), a short sword, called a gladius, and a shield. They had other armour, as well, but how much, and what type of armour depended on which type of troop we are talking about.
The Manipular Legion
This formation consisted of several different troop types. Before the main troops would engage, velites would screen their advance, allowing them to deploy in good order. Velites were light troops, armed with javelins, primarily. They were the youngest, and the poorest, of the citizen soldiers, or levies. They were not mainline troops, and were only expected to skirmish with the enemy's lighter troops. When their amunition was spent, they would retire to the rear of the formation.
Next came the main formation, consisting of three broken lines of heavy infantry, arranged in a checker-board pattern. The first line was young men, and poorer land owners. They were called Hastati. They wielded the pila, gladius, and shield, and usually had some armour - a helmet, maybe a breastplate, and maybe more. These were usually young men who had never, or seldom, seen battle before. They were not relied on too heavily, and would usually break from combat when things got heavy.
Behind the line of Hastati, in the gaps in their line, stood the Principes. These were men in their prime, and wealthy land owners (though not the wealthiest - these were the equites, or cavalry). The Principes had similar equipment to the Hastati - pila, gladius, and shield, but usually had more armour, and better quality equipment. The Principes were the main fighting force of the army, and were expected to do the majority of the serious fighting. However, if things got bad, it would go to the Triarii.
Triarii were the most seasoned veterans. Armed with long spears and shields, and wearing the best armour available, they were the most solid fighters available to the manipular legion. They often would not fight in a battle, but were there behind the Principes, providing a solid backstop and veteran leadership. If things did get bad, they would step in, and had the ability to turn the tide, or at least hold their ground long enough for the rest of the army to retreat, rally, and re-engage, saving the army from a rout.
Additionally, there were cavalry, the Equites I mentioned before, and other auxiliary troops, such as archers, and such. However, they were not mainstays, or didn't play a major role in most battles. The cavalry, for example, had no stirrups, and did not coach their spears like medieval knights, and were, thus, not able to be heavy, shock troops, but were relegated to hitting flanks, and chasing down fleeing enemy troops. The battle was usually won, or lost, on the performance of the Hastati and Principes.
Equipment of the Manipular Legion
Pilum - This was a heavy javelin used by the Hastati and Principes. They would throw them before engaging with their Gladius. They had a long tip, made of iron, and if they struck armour, or a shield, they would often stick in and bend on impact, making them hard to dislodge, and impossible to throw back. As mentioned, they were heavy, and, when stuck in a shield, would often make the enemy trooper drop, or lower his shield, exposing himself to attack. The volley of Pila before hand to hand combat often opened up gaps in the enemy formation, which could be exploited by the legionaries, who would press in tight, stabbing with their short swords.
Gladius - The short, straight, double-edged sword was ubiquitous in both legion types. It was primarily a stabbing sword, not a slashing sword. This made them deadly in close quarters, which the legion formation would endeaver to create by pressing in against their foes. This, in addition to the advantages given by the Pila, made them deadly against the Phalanx, which was often employed by the enemies of Rome, or any spear armed troops. Think of it as fighting in a telephone booth, you can't maneuver the spear to stab, but a short sword is perfect.
Shield - These were generally flat, oval shaped, and made of layers of wood, with hide stretched over the face. They were much lighter than the hoplon shield, yet still heavy enough to provide adequate protection. The different layers of wood were overlapped in a criss-cross pattern, sometimes with different types of wood of varying hardness. Therefore, a spear point or arrow might pierce the hide, and the first layer of pine, only to change course on the layer of oak beneath, and snapping off its head, or making it stick or move to the side rather than going through the shield.
Other Equipment - The Triarii used long spears and formed up in a spear and shield wall, similar to a phalanx, but on a much smaller scale. The Equites used cavalry spears, and the velites used a lighter, more conventional javelin.
Rather than continue on to the Centurion legion, I want to discuss why the legion in general was so effective against the phalanx. I would like to describe an imaginary encounter between a legion and a phalanx. The Velites skirmish with the Peltasts, while both armies assemble. The phalanx is having trouble already, due to the broken ground. They want to set up in one big block, but the terrain is rocky and uneven. The legion is used to such ground, and already has gaps in its line. The legion is composed of smaller blocks that fit together. Each block has its own officers and standards, and they quickly assemble. They advance on the phalanx, and the Hastati unleash their pila. The two lines clash, and Hoplites begin to move into the gaps between the maniples of Hastati. They turn to fight, but their spears are long, and it is difficult to bring them to bear. The wall of spearpoints has gaps, because of the uneven ground, and from the casualties of the pila volley, and the Hastati rush into the gaps, perfectly comfortable crammed up against each other, and the enemy. They are able to use their short swords to stab into gaps.
The phalanx has now bulged into the gaps in the legion's line. Hoplites in the gap are cut off from their officers, with enemy on both sides, and their shields, designed to protect their front, and the man to their right, are not effective against attack from the side, or rear. The Principes choose this moment to unleash their own volley of pila. Then they charge the disorganised hoplites in the flank. The battle shifts. The phalanx can't react quickly enough to this new attack, because their officers can't even see all the troops. Suddenly, the Hastati retreat. Thinking they are winning, and unable to see the rest of the battle, the Hoplites rush into the gap, only to become boxed in, again. Now the Hastati, taking heart from the unbroken line of Triarii, and bullied by their officers, rally to their unit standard. They turn and charge back into the fight. They hit the Hoplites in the flank. The Hoplites in the gaps are surrounded on three sides, and stand little chance. They are forced to flee, which creates panic that ripples down the line. Soon they are running, and the Equites move in to chase them.
Of course, this is just a hypothetical battle, and the legion did not always win. However, the tactics of the legion were solid, and allowed the legion to consistently win against the phalanx. Italy, around this time, had several Greek kingdoms, and eventually they were all defeated and Italy was united under Roman rule. An interesting anecdote from this time period is the origin of the term pyrrhic victory. After winning an especially costly victory over the Romans, a Greek king, Pyrrhus, remarked that he could nowise afford another such victory. Sure enough, his kingdom did not last much longer. He won the battle, but lost the war.
And with that I will end this post. Next week I will finish up the Legion with a post on the Centurion Legion.
This week I would like to take a look at the Roman style of warfare. The Romans used the phalanx early on in their military history, but after some time, they developed a new formation that would help them dominate the known world. This was the legion.
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| It's in Spanish...or Italian? But hopefully you get the gist. |
The Manipular Legion
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| A Hastati fighting with his Gladius. |
Next came the main formation, consisting of three broken lines of heavy infantry, arranged in a checker-board pattern. The first line was young men, and poorer land owners. They were called Hastati. They wielded the pila, gladius, and shield, and usually had some armour - a helmet, maybe a breastplate, and maybe more. These were usually young men who had never, or seldom, seen battle before. They were not relied on too heavily, and would usually break from combat when things got heavy.
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| And a Hastati throwing a pilum. |
Triarii were the most seasoned veterans. Armed with long spears and shields, and wearing the best armour available, they were the most solid fighters available to the manipular legion. They often would not fight in a battle, but were there behind the Principes, providing a solid backstop and veteran leadership. If things did get bad, they would step in, and had the ability to turn the tide, or at least hold their ground long enough for the rest of the army to retreat, rally, and re-engage, saving the army from a rout.
Additionally, there were cavalry, the Equites I mentioned before, and other auxiliary troops, such as archers, and such. However, they were not mainstays, or didn't play a major role in most battles. The cavalry, for example, had no stirrups, and did not coach their spears like medieval knights, and were, thus, not able to be heavy, shock troops, but were relegated to hitting flanks, and chasing down fleeing enemy troops. The battle was usually won, or lost, on the performance of the Hastati and Principes.
Equipment of the Manipular Legion
Pilum - This was a heavy javelin used by the Hastati and Principes. They would throw them before engaging with their Gladius. They had a long tip, made of iron, and if they struck armour, or a shield, they would often stick in and bend on impact, making them hard to dislodge, and impossible to throw back. As mentioned, they were heavy, and, when stuck in a shield, would often make the enemy trooper drop, or lower his shield, exposing himself to attack. The volley of Pila before hand to hand combat often opened up gaps in the enemy formation, which could be exploited by the legionaries, who would press in tight, stabbing with their short swords.
Gladius - The short, straight, double-edged sword was ubiquitous in both legion types. It was primarily a stabbing sword, not a slashing sword. This made them deadly in close quarters, which the legion formation would endeaver to create by pressing in against their foes. This, in addition to the advantages given by the Pila, made them deadly against the Phalanx, which was often employed by the enemies of Rome, or any spear armed troops. Think of it as fighting in a telephone booth, you can't maneuver the spear to stab, but a short sword is perfect.
Shield - These were generally flat, oval shaped, and made of layers of wood, with hide stretched over the face. They were much lighter than the hoplon shield, yet still heavy enough to provide adequate protection. The different layers of wood were overlapped in a criss-cross pattern, sometimes with different types of wood of varying hardness. Therefore, a spear point or arrow might pierce the hide, and the first layer of pine, only to change course on the layer of oak beneath, and snapping off its head, or making it stick or move to the side rather than going through the shield.
Other Equipment - The Triarii used long spears and formed up in a spear and shield wall, similar to a phalanx, but on a much smaller scale. The Equites used cavalry spears, and the velites used a lighter, more conventional javelin.
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| Even unbroken, the Hoplite's spear would be little use in such close quarters. |
Rather than continue on to the Centurion legion, I want to discuss why the legion in general was so effective against the phalanx. I would like to describe an imaginary encounter between a legion and a phalanx. The Velites skirmish with the Peltasts, while both armies assemble. The phalanx is having trouble already, due to the broken ground. They want to set up in one big block, but the terrain is rocky and uneven. The legion is used to such ground, and already has gaps in its line. The legion is composed of smaller blocks that fit together. Each block has its own officers and standards, and they quickly assemble. They advance on the phalanx, and the Hastati unleash their pila. The two lines clash, and Hoplites begin to move into the gaps between the maniples of Hastati. They turn to fight, but their spears are long, and it is difficult to bring them to bear. The wall of spearpoints has gaps, because of the uneven ground, and from the casualties of the pila volley, and the Hastati rush into the gaps, perfectly comfortable crammed up against each other, and the enemy. They are able to use their short swords to stab into gaps.
The phalanx has now bulged into the gaps in the legion's line. Hoplites in the gap are cut off from their officers, with enemy on both sides, and their shields, designed to protect their front, and the man to their right, are not effective against attack from the side, or rear. The Principes choose this moment to unleash their own volley of pila. Then they charge the disorganised hoplites in the flank. The battle shifts. The phalanx can't react quickly enough to this new attack, because their officers can't even see all the troops. Suddenly, the Hastati retreat. Thinking they are winning, and unable to see the rest of the battle, the Hoplites rush into the gap, only to become boxed in, again. Now the Hastati, taking heart from the unbroken line of Triarii, and bullied by their officers, rally to their unit standard. They turn and charge back into the fight. They hit the Hoplites in the flank. The Hoplites in the gaps are surrounded on three sides, and stand little chance. They are forced to flee, which creates panic that ripples down the line. Soon they are running, and the Equites move in to chase them.
Of course, this is just a hypothetical battle, and the legion did not always win. However, the tactics of the legion were solid, and allowed the legion to consistently win against the phalanx. Italy, around this time, had several Greek kingdoms, and eventually they were all defeated and Italy was united under Roman rule. An interesting anecdote from this time period is the origin of the term pyrrhic victory. After winning an especially costly victory over the Romans, a Greek king, Pyrrhus, remarked that he could nowise afford another such victory. Sure enough, his kingdom did not last much longer. He won the battle, but lost the war.
And with that I will end this post. Next week I will finish up the Legion with a post on the Centurion Legion.
Ancient Battle Formations - Phalanx Part II
Last week I wrote about the hoplite phalanx. This week I'm going to write about an evolution of the phalanx, the Macedonian phalanx. Phalangites were the troops who made up the Macedonian phalanx. Their equipment was similar to that of the hoplite, but had a few key differences. Rather than an 8 foot long spear, they used a pike that was at least 12 feet long. Their shields were generally much smaller, and lighter, as well. This allowed the phalangites to bring up their left hands to help steady the long pike. The longer reach allowed them to keep the enemy at a distance, even an enemy using a hoplite phalanx. It did not have the same power to push, using the massed ranks, but that wasn't what was required, because the role of the formation had shifted. The Macedonian phalanx was not the main offensive force of the army, it was only a part.Think of the hoplite phalanx as a bulldozer. Its main objective is to push. Its main weapon is the shield, and its ranks. The spear is secondary, any man you stab will not push back as hard, whether he dies, or is merely wounded. When it is clear who has won the shoving match, the other side will usually break and run. Cavalry is then used to pick off the infantry as they run, and scatter them so they can't rally.
The Macedonian army used a different strategy. Their phalanx was used to march forward, engage the enemy infantry, and pin them in place. Hoplites were citizen soldiers, phalangites were (usually) simpler men, peasants. The Macedonian nobility rode to battle. They were not knights. They did not have the stirrup, and thus could not be as heavily armoured; neither could they couch their spears to put all the impact of the charging horse into to spearpoint. However, there was no cavalry in the world finer than the Macedonian Companian Cavalry in their day. While the phalanx pinned the enemy in place, the cavalry would ride wide around to the rear, and charge in wedge formation. This was no bulldozer, it was a hammer and anvil.
How effective were these tactics? Against the hoplite phalanxes of the Greek city-states, they were deadly, and Greece was unified under Macedonian rule. Greece, which had thrown back the vast armies that had come to conquer them from the massive Persian empire, fell to a backwater (Macedon was seen as barbaric by the Greeks), tiny country to the north. However, the success of the Macedonian phalanx was not limited to Greece. It proved equally effective against the varied armies of Persia, which utilised spearmen, archers, chariots, and all manor of fighting men from a wide variety of lands and peoples. Macedon conquered all under the leadership of Alexander the Great. Eventually, the entire Persian empire was added to his domains.
Long years after his death, several successor states, ruled by his generals, would continue to use the phalanx tactics practiced by the all conquering Macedonian army. It wasn't until the Romans arrived that things would change drastically.
Sorry this post took so long. I started it soon after the last one, and just forgot to post it. I may come back and edit it later.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Book Recommendations
I thought it might be good to recommend a book or two to go along with my previous post. I'm a huge fan of Steven Pressfield's work, so this week I will focus on his books, especially sincea lot of them are set in ancient Greece.
Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield
Hands down the best fictional representation of the Battle of Thermopylae, and the last stand of the 300 Spartans.
Last of the Amazons - Steven Pressfield
Another great book featuring the Phalanx.
Tides of War - Steven Pressfield
Although I haven't read it, I intend to. It's set in the midst of the Peloponnesian War (between Athens and Sparta), and is sure to contain some great phalanx vs phlanx action.
Here is a link to Steven Pressfield's website. http://www.stevenpressfield.com/books/ There are also some good books featuring the Macedonian Phalanx, but I'll put them in the next set of recommendations.
Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield
Hands down the best fictional representation of the Battle of Thermopylae, and the last stand of the 300 Spartans.
Last of the Amazons - Steven Pressfield
Another great book featuring the Phalanx.
Tides of War - Steven Pressfield
Although I haven't read it, I intend to. It's set in the midst of the Peloponnesian War (between Athens and Sparta), and is sure to contain some great phalanx vs phlanx action.
Here is a link to Steven Pressfield's website. http://www.stevenpressfield.com/books/ There are also some good books featuring the Macedonian Phalanx, but I'll put them in the next set of recommendations.
Ancient Battle Formations - Phalanx Part I
Hey, it's Monday, that means it's time to post. This week I want to write about the rise and fall of the Phalanx. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it's a formation used primarily by the ancient Greeks. The troops that made up a phalanx were known as hoplites. A hoplite was armed with a spear (usually 8 feet long) and a large, round shield. Often they had other armour as well, like a breastplate, a helm, and maybe something to protect their legs (greaves), but the main piece of armour was the shield. In fact, the name hoplite comes from the name of their shield, the hoplon. The hoplon shield was round, shaped like a shallow bowl. When the hoplites formed a phalanx, each man's shield protected himself, and the men to his left. Because of this, each man would often edge to his right, and this meant that the advancing phalanx would move to the right as is moved forward. The curved shape of the shield allowed each hoplite to press his shield into the back of the man in front of them. This turned the formation into a solid block that was hard to drive back, and had a lot of pushing power.The guy on the right is typical of a Hoplite. His shield indicates he is from the Lacedaemonia region, which was centered around Sparta.
The shields were usually quite solid and heavy - generally made of oak and bronze, and were hard to pierce with projectiles. In addition, the way the hoplites formed up presented a solid wall of shields, with few gaps. Furthermore, the phalanx presented the enemy with a wall of sharp spears. The first two ranks would level their spears straight forward, while the rear ranks would angle them up at a 45 degree angle. When faced with incoming arrows or javelins, the hoplites would wave their spears, and raise their shields above their heads to knock the projectiles aside. When they engaged the enemy, the formation would push with their shields, and thrust their spears into any gaps in the enemy's line. When two phalanx formations met, it would often turn into a pushing match until one side broke.
Later, tactics evolved where the commanders would place their best troops on one flank, usually the right flank, and try to smash the enemy's flank and fold their line, attacking them in the side and rear. Why the right flank? Well, I mentioned before that The phalanx would often creep to the right as it advanced. If the most solid troops were placed on the right, it could help to curb this creep. The opposing general would usually do the same, putting his best troops on the right flank, trying to turn the enemy's weak flank first. One city state gained an advantage simply by lengthening their spears. The extra foot of spear length allowed the weaker troops to effectively hold the enemy's best at bay, allowing time to turn the other flank. Alternatively, they would mirror the enemy, placing their best troops on the left flank, and pitting their best troops against the enemy's best, but their best had longer spears.There is a misconception about the phalanx surrounding the battle of Thermopylae. This is where the 300 Spartans made their last stand. First I should mention that while there were only 300 Spartan hoplites at the battle, there were maybe 2000-3000 other hoplites from other city-states around greece. Futhermore, while we often look back on that conflict as the turning point in western history, because democracy came from ancient Greece, and if they had been absorbed into the Persian empire, it might not have survived in it's present form, we shouldn't look at the Persians as evil bad guys, and the Greeks as angelic saviours. Make no mistake, this wasn't a battle of good vs evil. The foundations for this conflict go back further, so I'll start a bit earlier.
The Persian empire was massive. It encompassed the middle east, modern day Iran, much of Afghanistan, and Turkey. Greece, in comparison, was tiny, and disunited. On the edge of the empire, in a place called Ionia, on the western edge of what is now Turkey, there were several Greek cities. Some of the city-states in Greece, Athens in particular, were engaging in, what we would today call, terrorist activities, trying to help the Ionian Greeks break away from Persia. The Persians assembled an army. After crushing the Ionian revolt, they took ship for mainland Greece, threatening to burn down Athens. They were defeated at the battle of Marathon (480 BCE), in one of the great underdog victories of history. The Athenians proved the efectiveness of the Hoplite Phalanx. The Persians would be back though, and in much greater numbers.
Ten years later, the stage is set for the invasion of Greece. A massive army consisting of troops from all over the Persian Empire approaches. They attack from the north, looking for passage through the mountains, while their fleet keeps them supplied. They find their path blocked by the 300 Spartans and their allies and the battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) commences. The Greeks hold out for two days, inflicting massive casualties on the enemy. On the third day, most of the Greeks were sent away, knowing that they would soon be encircled. The Spartans stayed, and fought to the last man. This is probably the most spectacular military defeat of all time. The odds against the Greeks were, perhaps, as high as 100 000 to 1, but probably closer to 100-1, and yet the casualties were anywhere from 10-1 to 100-1 in favour of the Greeks.
After the battle of Thermopylae, the Persians pressed on, into Greece. They were delayed again, however, when their fleet was smashed at the battle of Salamis (480 BCE). They then had to wait for supplies to come overland, and this delay gave time for the Greeks to organise their defenses. The Persians were whittled down and defeated, never again to invade Greece.
Greece, however, was not a united country, as I touched on before, and once the outside threat of Persia is absent, Sparta and Athens are soon at war. Sparta is eventually victorious, and their hoplite phalanx is probably the pinacle of the hoplite phalanx. However, the hoplite phalanx isn't the only type of phalanx, as we will see. I am going to pause to post now. I may continue to write throughout the day, or continue on another day. Next time I will discuss the Macedonian Phalanx, made up of troops called Phalangites. Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, used these troops to conquer Greece, and the Persian Empire.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Writing practice
This blog is mainly just to provide a place and a medium for me to practice my writing. I will take suggestions for what to write about, but in the end I will make the decisions myself. I will probably start with a bit of historical research, and write about some era of history that interests me.
For now I'll just keep it short in order to introduce myself, and the blog. My name is Michael Stockdale. I am an aspiring writer, not yet published. My main areas of interest, and what I would like to write about, are history and fantasy. I may also write some general fiction, possibly with an autobiographical bent. I have been out of school (University) for a year now. I took several years of a BA degree, but haven't finished. I decided to take a semester off last year, and it turned into two semesters, and now I'm not sure if or when I will go back. I intend to finish my degree at some point, but I don't know when, and it may turn out that I don't do it.
Another area of interest, for me, is language. I have become fluent in German after four years of University courses, plus a few more courses in German literature, translation, and German for business. There are a number of other languages that I would like to learn in addition. One of the most interesting aspects of language, for me, is etymology. Learning the history of the words, how they connect with other words, and how they connect with the culture, and the history of the people who use(d) them is so fascinating to me.
Well, that should just about do it for the first post. As promised, I have kept it short. The next post will be more meaty, and will follow a theme, although I haven't decided what that will be yet.
MS
For now I'll just keep it short in order to introduce myself, and the blog. My name is Michael Stockdale. I am an aspiring writer, not yet published. My main areas of interest, and what I would like to write about, are history and fantasy. I may also write some general fiction, possibly with an autobiographical bent. I have been out of school (University) for a year now. I took several years of a BA degree, but haven't finished. I decided to take a semester off last year, and it turned into two semesters, and now I'm not sure if or when I will go back. I intend to finish my degree at some point, but I don't know when, and it may turn out that I don't do it.
Another area of interest, for me, is language. I have become fluent in German after four years of University courses, plus a few more courses in German literature, translation, and German for business. There are a number of other languages that I would like to learn in addition. One of the most interesting aspects of language, for me, is etymology. Learning the history of the words, how they connect with other words, and how they connect with the culture, and the history of the people who use(d) them is so fascinating to me.
Well, that should just about do it for the first post. As promised, I have kept it short. The next post will be more meaty, and will follow a theme, although I haven't decided what that will be yet.
MS
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