Invicta

Preview for "History of Hong Kong" video

With the massive protests taking place in Hong Kong I decided to make a video on the region's history for context. As these things do tend to go with me, my context starts in the Neolithic period. Haha! This has been a fascinating study so far and I can't wait to share it with you all on Friday.&...

[ART PACKAGE] Epic Moments in History - Ching Shih, Rise of the Pirate Queen

I've attached the fabulous set of art put together by Beverly Johnson. Love the style and how Ching Shih ended up looking like a historical Azula! Enjoy

How Did War Become a Game?

I continue down the rabbit hole of ancient cartography to explore the first true battle maps. In this episode we talk about Kriegsspiel and the birth of wargaming. This has been absolutely fascinating!

[ART PACKAGE] Did Ancient Battle Maps Exist?

I've attached the digital art download for the latest set of art used in our videos on ancient battle maps. The artwork was created by Gabriel Cassata who has proved capable of making fantastic pieces. Hope you love them as much as I do!

Battlefield Maps

 In our last episode we talked a lot about ancient battle maps. While we concluded that the maps as depicted in Hollywood did not really exist, many of you were quick to point out that rudimentary sand table maps were likely used. I am doing my own research on this topic now and am consideri...

Did Ancient Battlefield Maps Really Exist? (Fact or Fiction)

Its very common to see battlefield commanders huddled around a map in modern media. However in this video we question this Hollywood trope to find out if its more fact or fiction.

How Cyrus went from Sardis to Babylon

I've uploaded an example of an army's march route for context on how people in antiquity described navigation. This was much more like a metro map than a modern bird's eye view map as people were more used to describing travel as series of intervals between landmarks. We will be discussing this a...

Finished My Power Plant in Vietnam!

As some of you may know, I currently work full time as an engineer working on utility scale solar power plants. I just got back from a trip to Vietnam where we have finally completed a project I've been working on for over a year!!!

[TEASER] Did Ancient Generals Really Use Battle Maps?

You may have noticed that in the last couple weeks I've allowed myself to make some videos about Game of Thrones where I apply history to critique the events of the shot. A lot of the time is spent talking about battle plans. I have an upcoming video in the works which will discuss whether ancien...

[ART PACKAGE] Warlords of the Three Kingdoms - Liu Bei

I've attached the HD art download for the latest video on Cao Cao! Please enjoy as these were all possible thanks to Creative Assembly's sponsorship without having to draw on any Patreon charges.

[ART PACKAGE] Warlords of the Three Kingdoms - Cao Cao

I've attached the artwork for the latest Cao Cao documentary we put out. Robbie McSweeney is once again the master behind the art but as you can see he has been changing the style up. I actually like this a bit better than the previous one and am thinking of adding some parallax effects and atmos...

Warlords of the Three Kingdoms - Cao Cao

Just released the next video on the warlords of the Three Kingdoms. This time we cover my favorite character, the Machiavellian Cao Cao! John Zhu once again takes on the narration and gives us the invaluable authentic perspective of someone from Chinese culture. I typically like to do all the nar...

[ART PACKAGE] Warlords of the Three Kingdoms - Dong Zhuo

Artwork for the latest episode on the tyrant warlord Dong Zhuo from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Artwork by Robbie McSweeney but in a slightly different style than usual.

Warlords of the Three Kingdoms - Dong Zhuo

My first episode ever covering ancient chinese history! I'm pleased to have been able to partner with John Zhu of the Three Kingdoms Podcast for both research and narration as he is extremely knowledgeable. I've loved learning about this period and hope this episode helps hook you as well.

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[ART PACKAGE] How They Did It - Telling Time in Ancient Rome

Attached you will find the artwork from our latest episode on Roman time telling. Again a huge thanks to Beverly Johnson for the truly engaging illustrations.

How They Did It - Telling Time in Ancient Rome

I was inspired to make this documentary while trying to estimate the time using the sun while out on a hike. This got me thinking about what tools someone in the past would have had at their disposal. I'm pleased to be able to share with you some of their clever techniques that I discovered.

History of Notre Dame and Paris

Just this week the a fire broke out at the Notre Dame in Paris. In response I created a video to highlight the history which is at stake. I've received some comments asking for more documentaries on how cities were founded. I think that would be quite a cool series actually. 

[ART PACKAGE] Inventive Moments in History - Mithridates, the Poison King

Attached you will find the artwork for our latest episode on Mithridates. Once again we can thank Robbie McSweeney for his amazing illustrations. For those of you interested in following him, he actually has a YouTube channel now with some documentaries and historical reenactment videos:   2019-03-18 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post

Inventive Moments in History - Mithridates, The Poison King

Mithridates is one of the most fascinating kings of antiquity. In this video we explore his legacy in the field of toxicology which culminated in his supposed creation of a universal antidote called Mithridatium. It became so popular that pharmacies were even selling it in the last century. For m...

"The First King" - A Movie about Romulus and Remus

A new Italian film was just released which covers the legendary founding of Rome. In this quick episode I discuss the myth, its origins, and the history behind it.

[ART PACKAGE] How They Did It - Growing Up Aztec

Attached you will find all the custom art that was created by Beverly Johnson for our latest episode on "Growing Up Aztec". I love her art style and think its a perfect fit for conveying the everyday nature of the subject. Thanks again for all your support which makes this channel possible!

How They Did It - Growing Up Aztec

Kids almost never show up in traditional history and so it's with great joy that I bring you this video on what it was like to grow up in the Aztec world. The charming artwork was done by Beverly Johnson.

There will be NO PATRON charge on this video as we were actually sponsored by The Grea...

[Update] Wrapping Up Editing on "Growing Up Aztec"

I am just wrapping up editing the last few minutes of the "Growing Up Aztec" video. Next I'll do a quick quality check, overlay the audio, add music, create a thumbnail, and we are off to the races! I plan on releasing the video this upcoming Friday.

[PREVIEW] How They Did It - Growing Up Aztec

Happy to report that we have a new documentary coming out to cover what it was like to grow up Aztec. This will include birth rituals, child rearing, education, and more! Also I'm very excited to have Beverly Johnson illustrating once more. I love her work!

Up next will be some content on t...

Army Ranks and Promotion (Aztec History)

Mesoamerican armies are often portrayed as disorganized bands of raiders. In this video we attempt to correct this misconception by focusing on their highly organized system of ranks. Now you will get to understand what it meant to be an Eagle or Jaguar warrior and be acquainted with other elite ...

Upcoming video on "Growing Up Aztec"

I've decided to dwell on the Aztecs a bit longer and actually have several more videos on them in production. The next one will cover what it was like to grow up as an Aztec! We will discuss many aspects of daily life that I hope will be both interesting and humanizing. Other videos will be looki...

Ahuizotl - The Water Beast (Aztec Mythology)

I've been quite fascinated by the Aztecs lately and decided to make another quick video. I was curious about the glyph associated with the Emperor Ahuizotl and it turns out he was named after a quite fearsome mythological creature. In this video we take a look at the legend.

NOTE: THIS IS N...

Rise of the Aztecs - Q & A

Tomorrow I will be sitting down for a discussion with our Aztec history researcher. I have some of my own topics for discussions but wanted to open up the floor to you all. What sorts of questions do you want me to ask about? 

Update on my Whereabouts

Just wanted to let everyone know why things have been a little slow lately. In my full time job I actually design solar power plants and was over in Vietnam kicking of the construction of a 50 MW project. Was a great trip and I got to eat with the locals who shared some of their amazing fish sauce w...

Mesoamerican Ball Game

I love the movie "The Road to El Dorado" and decided to make a quick video discussing the history behind the ball game depicted in one of my favorite scenes. Hope you enjoy this follow up to our introduction video on the Aztecs.

Note: This is NOT A PATRON CHARGE