Brad's Battle Maps

Born:  13 July 100 BCE. Died:  15 March 44 BCE.  Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) Julius Caesar is undoubtedly the most famous Roman leader in history. A capable general, he wrote accounts of the Gallic Wars and Roman Civil Wars that remain classics in military history. He was also a capable and far-sighted politician who won the people's support through his public policies and military triumphs. Ultimately, his life served as both an inspiration and a warning to later rulers about

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (left) & Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life (right). Ray Harryhausen was one of cinema’s most beloved special-effects artists. A stop-motion animator who was influenced by the 1933 film King Kong , Harryhausen worked on sixteen feature films between 1949 and 1981. In his 1973 film, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad , he incorporated alchemical themes within the framework of the Tales of the Arabian Nights. This essay will examine these themes and show how

Major battle sites of the Metal Head Wars. The Metal Head Wars were a 300-year-long conflict during Daxter  and Jak II . The two contending factions were the inhabitants of Haven City and the Metal Heads. Why did it happen? Thousands of years before the Haven Era, a mysterious race of beings known as Precursors began travelling throughout the universe to create planets and life. Using their giant robots powered by Light Eco hearts and shielded from Dark Eco, they channelled e

Tsushima (1905) On 27-28 May 1905, the Battle of Tsushima was fought between the Japanese under Togo Heihachiro and the Russians under Zinovi Rozhdestvenski and Nikolai Nebogatov during the Russo-Japanese War. Why did it happen? Following the restoration of the Meiji Emperor in 1868, Japan underwent a period of modernisation and expansion, with its army and navy being reformed along Western lines. In 1898, Russia sought a warm-water port with access to the Pacific for both i

Liegnitz (1241) On 9 April 1241, the Battle of Liegnitz was fought between the Mongols under Prince Kadan and Baidar and Poland under Duke Henry II during the Mongol Invasions. Why did it happen?   After the Mongol victories in Russia between 1223 and 1238, tens of thousands of Cuman refugees fled to Hungary, where they sought the protection of Bela IV. The Mongols saw the Cumans as their subjects and subsequently planned an invasion of Europe. In 1241, General Subedei comman

What Dreams May Come (left) & I Remember Choosing My Life (right). The 1998 film What Dreams May Come  is a beautiful love story inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It is also a visually stunning depiction of the afterlife dimension that won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Indeed, its conceptions of heaven, hell, and reincarnation have parallels with those described by people who have had Near-Death Experiences. This essay will examine these ideas an

Nile (47 BCE) On 27 March 47 BCE, the Battle of the Nile was fought between the Romans under Julius Caesar and the Ptolemies under Ptolemy XIII during the Alexandrian War. Why did it happen?   In 51 BCE, the pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy XII, died, leaving the kingdom to his son, Ptolemy XIII, and his daughter, Cleopatra VII. In 48 BCE, civil war broke out between Ptolemy and Cleopatra, with the latter exiled from Egypt on the orders of Ptolemy’s eunuch, Pothinus. However, when t

Born:  15 August 1769. Died:  5 May 1821. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Napoleon Bonaparte is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most famous generals in history. He conducted over fifty battles, a large proportion of which he won. Indeed, the name Napoleon has become a byword for successful generalship and military genius. Ultimately, the legend he inspired, along with his liberal reforms to Europe’s laws, would make Napoleon one of the most influential men in history. Hist

Joker (left) & Man and His Symbols (right). The 2019 film Joker  and its 2024 sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux , are unique examples of Jungian Psychology. Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Arthur Fleck, suffers from mental illness caused by traumatic events in his childhood and his interactions with those around him. In many ways, they capture the spirit of this age, with both films outlining the problem and the solution to the current epidemic of mental illness in society. This essay

Christopher Robin (left) & The Tao of Pooh (right). The 2018 film Christopher Robin  is a wonderful expression of Taoist philosophy through the art of cinema. The film captures the childlike innocence and timeless principles of Taoism through the milieu and character of Winnie the Pooh. By doing nothing and being himself, Winnie the Pooh helps an adult Christopher Robin reconnect with what he lost and, in the process, with those he loves. This essay will examine the Taoist ph

Rhodes (305-04 BCE) In 305-304 BCE, the Siege of Rhodes was fought between the Antigonids under Demetrius I against the Rhodians under Damoteles and Amyntas during the Wars of the Diadochi. Why did it happen? First settled by Greek traders in the eighth century BCE, the island state of Rhodes became a prominent naval and trading power during the fourth century BCE, establishing links with Rome and Egypt. Because of its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean, “The ci

The Lion King (left) & The Ancient Religion of the Sun (right). The 1994 film The Lion King  is one of Walt Disney’s most beloved stories. Although set on the African savannah, the film incorporates symbolism from the mythology and religion of Ancient Egypt. In addition to solar symbolism, the story of Mufasa being betrayed by his brother Scar before being avenged by his son Simba resembles the myth of Osiris, Seth and Horus. This essay will examine these similarities and det

The Day the Earth Stood Still (left) & Unacknowledged (right). The 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still  is widely regarded as one of the best and most thought-provoking science fiction films of all time. Although chiefly described as an anti-war film, its depiction of extraterrestrials as benevolent contrasts with later depictions in cinema of extraterrestrials as hostile towards humanity. According to Dr. Steven Greer of the Disclosure Project, this change in perception

The Alchemical Marriage by Emily Balivet. In his book Melchizedek and the Mystery of Fire , Manly P. Hall wrote, “When the human race learns to read the language of symbolism, a great veil will fall from the eyes of men” (Hall, 2024). In my past essays, I have often talked about the soul’s ability to be expressed through art and imagination, thereby generating our capacity for self-love. One of the most misunderstood aspects of this spiritual truth is when it comes to fairy t

Midway (1942) On 4 June 1942, the Battle of Midway was fought between the United States under Frank Fletcher and Raymond A. Spruance against the Japanese under Isoroku Yamamoto and Chuichi Nagumo during the Second World War. Why did it happen?   On 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to cripple the US Navy so that it could not interfere with Japan’s conquest of Southeast Asia. The following day, Britain and the United States declared war on Japan, an

2001: A Space Odyssey (left) & The Dark Crystal (right). In the annals of cinema, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Dark Crystal  stand out as exceptional works of art. Considered the magnum opus  of filmmakers Stanley Kubrick and Jim Henson, both have translated the secret alchemical knowledge of human transformation into the art of cinema. As Jay Weidner eloquently explained in his 1999 article Alchemical Kubrick , “Within the tradition of the Great Work of alchemy is the idea

Gallipoli (1915) On 25 April-21 August 1915, the Battle of Gallipoli was fought between the Allies under Ian Hamilton and the Turks under Mustafa Kemal during the First World War. Why did it happen?   By the end of 1914, the trench warfare on the Western Front led Allied generals to look for other ways to break the deadlock. The Gallipoli Campaign was conceived by Winston Churchill in January 1915 as a naval campaign to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a suppl

Wairau (1843) On 17 June 1843, the Battle of Wairau, or Wairau Affray, was fought between the British under Arthur Wakefield and Henry Thompson against the Maori under Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeta during the New Zealand Wars. Why did it happen?   On 6 February 1840, the British Empire signed a treaty with the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, the Maori, known as the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty agreed that while the Maori could keep ownership of their lands, the country

God Speed! by Edmund Leighton. War has always expressed two conflicting emotions within every human being: fascination and repulsion. This was exemplified in 1862 when Robert E. Lee wrote during the Battle of Fredericksburg, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it” (Field, 2010, p.23). It is undeniable that, for better or worse, war has shaped human history as we know it for the past five thousand years. As explained by Saul David, “In truth, war

Agincourt (1415) On 25 October 1415, the Battle of Agincourt was fought between the English under Henry V and the French under Charles d’Albret during the Hundred Years War. Why did it happen?   One of the consequences of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was that England came into conflict with France. William and his long line of successors disliked being vassals of the French kings, and in 1337, the English kings attempted to reclaim the land and the throne of France.