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The Army Of Sparta

2009-06-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Sparta, an ancient Greek city-state, was all about war. Male citizens had one duty and goal in life: to fight and die for Sparta. The women were born to breed more Spartan men to become soldiers. Sparta had no art, literature or architecture and little emphasis on exploration and commerce. Instead, the society was focused on developing its warriors.

Sickly babies were abandoned and left to die, while healthy boys began military and athletic training at age 7, becoming wards of the state. The brutal training program were intended to develop physical strength, military prowess, communal bonds, discipline and obedience. The boys wore no clothes and food was deliberately rationed so they were forced to steal more. Those who were discovered stealing would be punished, not for stealing itself, but for getting caught. Soldiers lived together in barracks until the age of 30, even if they were married.

Spartans believed power came from the group, not the individual. Armed with spears, pikes and shields, Spartans fought in a rectangular, mass formation called the Phalanx. Composed of tight lines of soldiers often eight deep, the Phalanx was designed to push forward until the enemy line was broken then maintain a solid front after opposing sides collided.

Did you know?

A popular dinner of Spartan warriors was melas zomos, or black soup, made from boiled pigs' blood and vinegar.
Some Spartans wore helmets with a horsehair crest, which served both a decorative and psychology purpose, making the soldier seem taller to his enemy.
Spartans were able to focus on being warriors because they had slaves called Helots who farmed and took care of daily tasks. The Spartans maintained control over the helots, through fear tactics, including random executions. The Helots would accompany the Spartans in battles and provide ranged support, for the Spartans perceived archery as unfit for a true warrior.

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The Legend Of William Wallace

2009-06-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sir William Wallace of Elerslie, hero of Scotland and true patriot, his desire for peace and freedom united the clans, gained the loyalty of the people, struck fear into his enemies and defied the cruel hand of an evil, waring and invading King - Edward 'Longshanks' Plantagenet I of England.

His reputation runs like a fault line through later medieval chronicles. For the Scots, William Wallace was an exemplar of unbending commitment to Scotland’s independence who died a martyr to the cause.

Along with Andrew Murray, he defeated an English army at Stirling, and became Guardian of Scotland, serving until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk. After several years in hiding, Wallace was eventually found and captured in Robroyston near Glasgow and handed over to Edward I of England, who had him executed for treason.

He was found guilty and condemned to death with the sentence being carried out on the same day in the most inhumane way possible. He was dragged through the streets of London to a gallows erected in Elms in Smithfield. After being hanged for a short time he was taken down still breathing and his bowels torn out and burned. His head was then struck off, and his body divided into quarters, the punishment known as 'hanged, drawn and quartered'. His head was placed on a pole on London Bridge, his right arm above the bridge in Newcastle, his left arm was sent to Berwick, his right foot and limb to Perth and his left quarter to Aberdeen where it was buried in what is now the wall at St. Machars Cathedral. He bore his fate with a magnanimity that secured the admiration even of his enemies, and his name will be held in everlasting honor by the truehearted friends of freedom in every age and country.

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The Gladiators Of Rome

2009-06-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

Roman gladiatorial combat originated as a religious event. The first Roman gladiatorial games were held in 246 BCE by Marcus and Decimus Brutus in honor of their father, Junius Brutus, as a munus or funeral gift for the dead. From their religious origins, gladiatorial games evolved into defining symbols of Roman culture and became an integral part of that culture for nearly seven centuries.

In general, gladiators were condemned criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves bought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat by a lanista, or owner of gladiators. Professional gladiators were free men who volunteered to participate in the games. Condemned criminals, the damnati ad mortem who committed a capital crime, entered the gladiatorial arena weaponless. Those criminals who did not commit a capital crime were trained in private gladiator schools, ludi. At these private and imperial schools, gladiators became specialist in combat techniques that disabled and captured their opponents rather than killed them quickly. Criminals trained in gladiator schools fought with the weapons and armor of their choice and could earn their freedom if they survived three to five years of combat. Though a gladiator was only required to fight two or three times a year, few survived the three to five years.

Gladiators fought in arenas, the most famous of which was the Colosseum built by the Flavians. When one opponent is wounded, the crowd would typically shout "habet, hoc habet," he has had it. An opponent who felt he was defeated would raise his left hand with one finger extended as a request for mercy.

If the decision was for death, the defeated opponent would ceremoniously grasp the thigh of his conqueror who would slay the loser by stabbing his sword into the neck. The dead body was removed by costumed attendants,one dressed as the ferry man Charon and the other as Mercury. Charon struck the dead body with a hammer and Mercury poked with a hot iron disguised as his wand to assure the loser was dead. The winner would receive a symbol of their victory, such as golden bowl, crown or gold coin, along with a palm leaf symbolizing victory.

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The Myth Of Icarus

2009-06-22T23:52:00.001-07:00

Icarus' father, Daedalus, a talented and remarkable craftsman, attempted to escape from his exile in the place of Crete, where he and his son were imprisoned at the hands of King Minos, the king for whom he had built the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur.

Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, or too close to the sea.

Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos

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CDs For Sale

2007-08-20T23:15:00.001-07:00

*2 more titles & samples to be added soon...

DARK MOOR - Dark Moor (Digi Pack)
Full Length, 2003
Total playing time 01:00:45
13 tracks
Selling Price: $15.00

DERDIAN - New Era Pt. 1
Full Length, 2005
Total playing time 54:44
11 tracks
Selling Price: $19.00

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DRAGONLAND - Holy War
Full Length, 2002
Total playing time 51:53
10 Tracks
Selling Price: $14.00

FRETERNIA - A Nightmare Story
Full Length, 2002
Total playing time 50:00
9 tracks
Selling Price: $16.00

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GUARDIANS OF TIME - Machines Of Mental Design
Full Length, 2004
Total playing time 61:27
13 tracks
Selling Price: $17.00

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BUNDLE OFFERS:

Any 2 Titles (Free: Sonata Artica - Winterheart's Guild)
Any 3 Titles (Free: DragonForce - Sonic Firestorm)
4 or 5 Titles (Free: Winterheart's Guild & Sonic Firestorm)