Tag: podcast

Ancient Greek Warfare archaeology and history book – “The Fortifications of Arkadian City-States in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods” (Oxford University Press, 2017) – Matt Maher interview

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Dr. Matt Maher is an instructor at the University of Winnipeg. His specialty is ancient Greek military architecture. We discussed his latest book on the fortifications of Arkadian city-states.

0:56 – Matt talks about how he started studying classical Greek archaeology.

2:51 – Matt talks about how the book is laid out. He covers nineteen sites in detail in the book out of the forty or so cities that existed in ancient times.

5:41 – The book covers from about the end of the Persian wars to the death of Alexander the Great.

7:33 – Matt talks about how new technologies like catapults affected fortification construction.

12:23 – Matt talks about the material of the walls and what affected how they were physically built.

17:10 – Matt talks about the three different types of fortifications he divides the sites into.

22:56 – Matt talks about how he used Google Earth to find some of the cities that he examined.

29:51 – Matt talks about excavating the fill of the walls he looked at.

31:20 – Matt talks about how he did his research for the book.

36:20 – Matt talks about the vegetation he found around the sites and what vegetation might have existed in ancient Greece.

39:36 – Matt talks about some suprises he encountered as he did his research.

44:00 – Matt talks about how the fortified cities reinforced each other.

48:38 – Matt talks about dependent polis and how they might have been part of the defensive network.

59:51 – Matt is on academia.edu. He’s on twitter @drmattmaher. The book has links to other publications too.

Links of interest

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-fortifications-of-arkadian-city-states-in-the-classical-and-hellenistic-periods-9780198786597?cc=us&lang=en&

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: Matt Maher

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, Ancient Greece, Arcadian League, Greek warfare, fortifications, catapults, warfare, spartans, sparta, megalopolis

American Revolution history book – “Valley Forge” (Simon & Schuster, 2018) – Tom Clavin interview

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Tom Clavin is a prolific history writer who’s been on the New York Times Bestsllers list. We talk about his latest book co-authored with Bob Drury, Valley Forge.

0:41 – Tom talks about how he got into co-authoring a book on Valley Forge during the American Revolution.

3:05 – Tom talks about how the book is laid out and describes each of the three parts.

7:51 – Tom talks about the ways Washington was able to keep his troops at Valley Forge.

10:44 – Tom talks about Lafayette and Von Steuben.

14:14 – Tom talks about Washington’s feelings of fatherliness to the men in his army and to the country.

17:02 – Tom talks about the British plans and the effects of winter on campaigning.

19:58 – Tom talks about Washington’s plans for the time at Valley Forge and after. He also describes Von Steuben and what he did for the army.

24:19 – Tom talks about how Washignton managed an army made up of people from all over the country and also of other nationalities. There were also hundreds of black troops in the army.

29:00 – Tom talks about what they used to research the book.

31:55 – Tom talks about visiting the site of Valley Forge.

34:55 – Tom tells the sad story of John Lawrence, one of Washington’s favorites.

38:15 – The Americans deployed an attack submarine during Valley Forge. As wild as that sounds, Tom explains.

39:40 – Tom talks about the effort to usurp Washington.

43:54 – Tom talks about how camp followers were taken care of.

45:29 – Tom talks about the huge population of people at Valley Forge at the time.

47:04 – Tom talks about Washington’s experience in managing this large number of people.

53:45 – He has a website tomclavin.com

Links of interest

http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Valley-Forge/Bob-Drury/9781501152719

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: Tom Clavin

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book. George Washington, Lafayette, Von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, Howe, British, Continental Army, Continental Congress, Franklin, American Revolution

WWII and Vichy France history book – “Deposition 1940-1944” (Oxford University Press, 2018) – David Ball interview

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David Ball has studied the French language and French life for many years and has taught it as a Professor. We talk about the book he recently translated, a memoir by Jewish Frenchman and acclaimed author Leon Werth about his life hiding in occupied France.

1:04 – David Ball talks about how he got into translating French and translating this work.

4:11 – David talks about he edited a 700 page diary down to elements English readers would be interested in. He focuses on daily life in Vichy France.

6:00 – David compares this work to a memoir titled “The Dark Years.”

8:40 – David talks about participation in the French Resistance.

10:32 – David talks about how Leon Werth ended up in the village in which he was hiding.

14:20 – David talks about leon’s attitudes towards the crushing defeat in 1940.

18:54 – David talks about the language used in the diary and how he translated it.

23:45 – David talks about what kind of man Leon Werth was.

31:05 – David talks about Leon’s experiences and writings in WWI.

32:24 – David talks about how Leon recorded the Battle of Stalingrad.

39:03 – David talks about how Leon was worried about Hitler’s New World Order. He was also worried about a post-war civil war in France.

46:54 – David talks about Leon’s early awareness of the existence of the concentration camps.

58:13 – David talks about the passages on the liberation of Paris and reads them. The Germans and the Vichy government called the Resistance fighters terrorists.

Links of interest

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/deposition-1940-1944-9780190499549?cc=us&lang=en&

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/diary-of-the-dark-years-1940-1944-9780199970865?cc=us&lang=en&

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: David Ball

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, leon Werth, Vichy France, Occupied France, Germany, WWII, World War 2, de Gaulle, concentration camps, Liberation of Paris