Random Thoughts Thread

[asterism42]

Well you know what they say about fish and there being plenty of them

That that's not actually the case anymore due to vast amounts of overfishing?

[Five_X]

i used to wear base caps all the time when i was a kid then my dad told me the bullshit story about how this increases the likelihood of hair loss and i never touched one again

They look awful though so he did you a solid. Good guy I3uster dad.

[Snow]

I don't know what's worse, baseball caps or slouchy beanies.

[I3uster]

speaking of acessories though i need to buy a scarf so i can look moe with a cup in my hand on christmas markets

[Snow]

Knit it!

[I3uster]

i think last time i knitted anything i mustve been like 11

why must gaia forsake me when i need her the most

[GundamFSN]

"Carthage Must Be Destroyed" by Richard Miles is a great history on Carthage. It doesn't strictly cover only Hannibal, and gives an account of the whole timeline of Carthage, but the section on Punic War 2 is very extensive and in particular goes into a lot of detail into Hannibal's propaganda war against Rome and the cultural context of the war in general. There's also Gerhard Herm's "The Phoenicians" which is older and somewhat drier but has oodles of details on Phoenician/Carthaginian culture, along with history.

To think there's a book using that very same phrase. This too is a coincidence. While I've been perusing Hannibal's biography specifically, there were indeed moments where I was wondering what is Carthage doing during Hannibel's brave march in Italy i.e like how they resupplied Hannibal once and only once during all the years he's been in Italy or why did they refuse to send support during Battle of Zama. Your recommendation sounds solid so I'm gonna get those books when the chance arise.

Since the Punic War intricately involved Roman, I'm also juggling it with Roman stuffs. Though I somehow ended up reading about Caesar....(Well, a TED video imparted me that he was a super great dude so great he got stabbed to death by 60 persons or so out of corrupt intent and fear)

Et tu Brute

[Five_X]

With Carthaginian politics and history, it's important to remember that, like Rome, it was a republic. Hannibal's family, the Barcids, were one of a few major political dynasties at the time, though generally considered lesser in stature compared to the Hannonids and Magonids. That changed when Hamilcar, after the first Punic War, decided to head out on an expedition and carve out some land in Spain. This territory was immensely rich, though it was technically Carthaginian territory, even though everyone knew it was sort of a Barcid client kingdom. They controlled their new Spanish territories and their riches, and it was these resources Hannibal used in his invasion of Italy. To the Carthaginian, Hannibal's war wasn't *their* war - it was just a typical dynastic power grab that, like others, they believed they could distance themselves from. Unfortunately, this meant they believed the Romans had a full understanding of Carthaginian internal politics, when they very much did not. The Romans saw the war as being Carthage vs. them, which it technically was, but not to the Carthaginian themselves. To the other political dynasties, Hannibal's war was in a way actually a perfect opportunity: if they distanced themselves as much as possible from the conflict and didn't support Hannibal they wouldn't be involved in it and couldn't be blamed, and Rome would take care of the very troublesome Barcid family. After all, at this point the Magonids and Hannonids were very much in favour of peace with Rome: war was very expensive, especially since their Mediterranean trade would be naturally disadvantaged by another maritime war. If they had their way, they would continue expanding in Africa and develop further trade there and leave Rome to her business.

By the time the Romans landed on African soil, it was too late: the war, they realized, was against them and the Romans had never had any thought they were dealing with an unwanted individual's unsanctioned campaign. The Romans and their allies had won before the Carthaginian even knew they were at truly at war.

Hannibal's hope, on the other hand, was that his victories in Italy would spur the other dynasties to support him. This sort of worked at first, especially after Cannae, but the Carthaginian were always wary of supporting him too much and were very conscious of appearing to the Romans as complicit aggressors. Maybe if they'd been more decisive with helping the Barcids, we would be speaking very different languages today.

[I3uster]

im catching up on my album backlog and found this one i wanted to listen to a while ago and its just actually flawless? like the best thing i heard in whats probably years? now thinking of buying the physical.

someone stop me from setting my meager salary on fire

[SeiKeo]

Just remember, you can always stop when you want to.

[Kirby]

Buy food instead.

[Zurvan]

Don't waste money on useless things

You already quit smoking, (right?) save up for more useful things.

[I3uster]

my smoking budget goes into energy drinks now which cost half

[Spinach]

BOOST UP

[Snow]

Don't waste money on useless things

You already quit smoking, (right?) save up for more useful things.

What's more useful in the grand scheme of things? You'll die anyway.

[SeiKeo]

diversify yo bonds

[Zurvan]

I'd be happier with alcohol or good food then music I can listen to just fine in my phone
I mean you do you, I just think it's a waste, and you probably do too

[Snow]

It's good to support art you appreciate.

[Zurvan]

It is, but if you're not really in a favorable position to do so, I just think it's better not too
Or rather do so when you can be more lenient with your money
Then again, you'll die anyway, if thats how you wish to see things go right ahead

[I3uster]

bury me in the shit i impulse buy