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Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Gladiators rarely died in fights, as gladiatorial combat was more about demonstrating physical and mental endurance, martial skill, and athleticism. There were between 20 and 30 different styles of gladiatorial combat. Gladiators would adopt a style based on their body type and the choice of their trainers. Gladiatorial fights had rules, including fighting in rounds. Referees were present to enforce rules, caution fouls, and handle appeals. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the most iconic moments in movie history is when Russell Crowe, dressed in...

First look. Microsoft has released the first public preview build of Windows 10 to include Project Spartan, its new web browser. Is Project Spartan really new? The browser engine, called EdgeHTML, is a fork of the Internet Explorer (IE) web engine, called Trident, though with a key difference: EdgeHTML has no compatibility modes and will simply render the latest web standards Microsoft is able to deliver. The user interface is new but is really the successor to “Modern IE”, the Windows 8 web browser that runs in the don’t-call-it-Metro environment. Users will perceive Project Spartan as new though, since it...

Full Title:Microsoft's Project Spartan browser is HERE (unless you build apps or run VMs, that is) Devs might be wise to skip latest Windows 10 build Microsoft has shipped a new build of Windows 10 that offers a first look at its much-hyped Project Spartan web browser, but the software giant has cautioned that developers may want to hold off upgrading. In a Monday blog post, Redmond man Gabe Aul said Project Spartan is the main feature of Windows 10 Build 10049, which is rolling out now to testers on the Fast release ring of the Windows Insider program. But...

In the English language, the word “Spartan” has come to mean austere. The culture of ancient Sparta was so harsh that mothers would send their sons off to war with the warning, “Return with your shield or on it.” Spartan austerity began at birth. New-born infants were examined and if they were not fit, they were left to die. Infanticide was not unusual in the ancient world. But, in Sparta, it was managed by the state with chilling efficiency. What mattered most was not the individual, but the nation. Weak individuals were not allowed to drain the strength of one...

President Obama’s State of the Union address was disgusting. The president began with a moving tribute to the armed forces and their accomplishments. But as he has done many times now, he celebrated martial virtues not to rally support for the military, but to cover himself in glory — he killed Osama bin Laden! — and to convince the American people that they should fall in line and march in lockstep. He said of the military: “At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They...

Transcript via The Right Scoop: But when you understood what made the Spartan men strong, it was the Spartan women. Because the Spartan women at the age of nine gave up their male sons. And their male sons went into a training that was called the Agoge and they stayed in that training for the next eleven to twelve years. And when they were finally qualified, when they were finally ready to join the ranks for the Spartan army, it was not their father who gave them their cloak and shield. It was their mother who gave them their shield....

Two different kinds of violence Yesterday's article "Because only Spartan women give birth to real men." has produced quite a lot of notice and controversy. Some of the nutroots have come across it, and have showed up to add to the comment thread. And now, as is sometimes the case, the comment thread is almost as interesting as the original article.It's of a decent size, and there are a lot of ideas in it. And certainly there's no reason to give oxygen to the people who can't do any better than things like "cornhole" and "You guys are such a...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 7, 2007 — Most people spend the last few moments of their work day cleaning up their desk and organizing their materials in preparation for the next day with one foot out the door. One company of dedicated engineers in Nangarhar Province, however, is working well after its expected punch-out date. The engineers are even exposing themselves to danger in a manner that exemplifies the Army’s values and all the while keeping their composure. Due to the mission at hand, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan are patrolling and...

Just wanted to give everyone who likes actions type movies the heads up about the new Frank Miller movie depicting the Battle of Thermopylae called 300. No doubt all Freepers knows the story. Either you like FM or you don't. Here is a link to a preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KvXZJ2S5FY Looks interesting, if you don't like movies try the book Gates of Fire, that should get ya to the movie. I hope the movie lays of the whole homo erotic themes.

Our main sources for early Hoplite warfare come from the writings of Herodotus, who was born in the Greek city of Halicarnassus, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, in 484 bc. He was an Ionian Greek who traveled widely and lived for a while in Athens, before settling in Thurii, a Greek colony in southern Italy. He died about 424 BC. We also get information from Thucydides, an Athenian who wrote of the Pelopponnesian Wars. We can also find references in the works of several of the Greek playwrights' material on Hoplite warfare. We can find an account of...

After enduring months of intense heat, long hours, dust and Spartan living conditions since their arrival in May, Army postal units have nearly completed turnover of military postal operations to contractors. The turnover began in October, when the first KBR postal workers began to arrive, said Lt. Col. Steven Heggen, commander of the 461st Personnel Services Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Decatur, Ga. Originally, the Joint Military Mail Terminal here was manned exclusively with soldiers from the 461st PSB and units from the National Guard, Army Reserve and active Army, numbering about 300 in all. Now, except for a...

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center believes it has a winner in the Spartan, an unmanned surface vehicle designed for an array of high-risk missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and mine warfare in the littorals. The remotely controlled Spartan is semi-autonomous, 7 feet to 11 feet in length, and has a rigid hull supported by an inflatable collar, or sponson. Spartan is capable of carrying payloads up to 3,200 pounds at high speed to ranges up to 14 miles, and will be controlled from the parent vessel by a controller using a keyboard or a mouse with a graphical user interface....