Carthage wasn’t exactly a model of internal harmony. Tensions simmered between two powerful groups: the wealthy trading aristocracy and the land-owning elite. Meanwhile, the Libyan farmers—the backbone of Carthaginian agriculture—weren’t happy campers either. They frequently rose up in rebellion, frustrated by a government too weak to keep things in check. To make matters worse, the outer cities of the empire grew increasingly indifferent, watching from the sidelines as the central government fumbled.
Historic Crumbs
Crumbs of the Past, Food for Thought
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Was the Habsburg Empire in 1714 a Rising Power—or a Patchwork Struggling to Hold Together?
In the southeastern part of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire was still present. Even after the Peace of Szatmár, the Turks still ruled over the Banat region. This means that the Ottoman Empire was not yet in decline—it would only begin to weaken in the second half of the 19th century. In 1714, there was still a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the northeast. France was the only country that was a compact, integrated, and significant territorial entity. North of Italy, there was a highly fragmented conglomeration of states, compared to which Hungary could stand tall.
Monday, March 3, 2025
Why were the 1960s so Eventful Years?
The 1960s were a decade of turbulence, change, and awakening. Across the globe—and especially in the United States and Europe—people stood up against oppression, inequality, and war. From the fight for civil rights to anti-war protests and student revolts, the spirit of rebellion shaped a generation determined to challenge the status quo.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Who Truly Ended the Roman Empire?
In 451 CE, on the vast plains of Gaul, the fate of Western Europe teetered on the edge of a sword. Attila the Hun, the so-called "Scourge of God," had led his fearsome army deep into Roman territory, leaving scorched fields and ruined cities in his wake. At the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, a desperate coalition formed—Romans under Flavius Aetius, Visigoths under King Theodoric, and Burgundians—who together halted the Hunnic advance. It was one of the last great victories of the Western Roman Empire. But this was not a triumph in the old sense. Rome had once ruled by its own strength; now it relied on its former enemies to survive. The empire was no longer truly Roman—it was a hollowed-out shell, propped up by mercenary warlords.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Did the Byzantines Ever Truly Win?
For centuries, the Byzantine Empire stood as the heir to Rome, the last bastion of ancient civilization in a world increasingly shaped by new powers. Its capital, Constantinople, was a city of golden domes and towering walls, a bridge between East and West. But power is never permanent, and the empire found itself locked in a cycle of war, expansion, and retreat, forever battling to secure its place in history.