The ancient Egyptian ( kemet and deshret ) historic enemies. Nubian ,kush, Ethiopians, Libya, Syria, Iraq, sea people ( Greece and Cyprus)

The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC is remembered as one of Rome's worst military disasters. Hannibal's famous double envelopment destroyed one of the largest Roman armies ever assembled. Polybius reports that around 70,000 Romans and their allies were killed, while another 10,000 were captured. Only about 3,000 infantry and 370 cavalry escaped to nearby towns such as Canusium. Rome had suffered a catastrophe on an extraordinary scale.

Yet Rome did not surrender. It continued the fight.

But what happened to the soldiers who actually survived Cannae?

Instead of being welcomed home, many of the survivors were punished and sent to Sicily, where they were forced to continue serving for years without the privileges normally granted to Roman soldiers. Their survival was associated with military disgrace, and Rome treated them as men who had failed in their duty.

They had survived Hannibal's greatest victory, only to discover that Rome itself would punish them for surviving.

Yet their story didn't end there.

More than a decade later, Scipio Africanus recognized something Rome had previously overlooked: these disgraced soldiers had become experienced veterans after years of continued military service. Scipio incorporated the Cannae survivors into his army as he prepared to take the war to Africa.

Their story is therefore far more complicated than simply being the “cowards” of Cannae. They survived one of the ancient world's most catastrophic battles, endured years of punishment, and eventually found themselves serving under the Roman commander who would take the war to Hannibal's homeland.

So what do you think? Was Rome's treatment of the Cannae survivors a harsh injustice—or a necessary measure to preserve discipline during an existential crisis?

Feel free to read the full article on my site for more about the fate of the survivors of Cannae. I'd love to hear your views in the comments.

As explained in the title, Blind Witnesses goes about historic places. The following are some places, which I think, fit for the subreddit.

Tophet of Salammbo: a well-preserved Carthaginian burial chamber.

Hahoe Village: named the "traditional capital of South Korea".

Phnom Kulen: a Hindu-sacred and Buddhist-sacred hill where the Khmer Empire was born

Tassili N'Ajjer: a Saharian areal with over 1500 cave paintings depicting the flourishing oasis this place once was.

Kizhi Pogost: an open-air museum that shows buildings from Russia's prominent wooden architecture.

Alexander carved out a massive empire in only 13 years. However, his empire crumbled as quickly as it was formed. And his tomb was lost to history never to be recovered again. Till date we are not sure about the whereabouts of his tomb but there are several theories put forth by modern historians and archeologists. 

Alexander the Great’s death in Babylon in 323 BC was only the beginning of the story. His embalmed body became a political prize and the one who controlled his body would have claim over his vast empire. Ptolemy intercepted the spectacular funeral procession and took over his remains to Egypt.

Alexander was eventually buried in Alexandria, where his tomb was visited by figures such as Augustus and Caracalla. Yet sometime in late antiquity, the tomb disappeared, and despite centuries of searching, archaeologists still cannot say with certainty where Alexander’s remains are today.

Feel free to go through the article for more information on the mystery surrounding Alexander's final resting place. Comment your thoughts on what could have happened to Alexander's remains.

In 2023, the Hong Kong Museum of Art received a generous donation of 490 groups of Chinese snuff bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection, presented by Mrs. Alice Sin as a permanent collection. This is the largest and most comprehensive donation of snuff bottles in the history of Hong Kong's museum sector. Featuring exceptional quality and abundance, the exhibition brings together exquisite Chinese craftsmanship and represents a generous gift from the Sins to Hong Kong.

The Mary and George Bloch Collection was established by the late Hong Kong collector George Sin. It stands as one of the most important private Chinese snuff bottle collections internationally, holding a significant global standing.

The Hong Kong Museum of Art is committed to collaborating with local Hong Kong private collectors to jointly chronicle the story of Chinese art collecting in the city, allowing the general public to appreciate the beauty of this Chinese art form.