Long and very interesting series of posts debunking the myths around Sparta. Where we learn it was a very unequal society... and that on top of being very violent... turns out, once again, all that violence was for nothing. The end of the regime is actually fairly pathetic.

Still somehow they managed to build a myth thanks to a few accomplices. That served them somewhat well but didn't last long. And now that myth is permeating pop culture and inspires toxic masculinity.

Smoke and mirrors.

Now that's a fairly surprising situation. In some way this is logical though and can be seen through recent history. Unsurprisingly, this comes with its own clique effects challenges like discrimination or overprotecting "your group".

EN: Surprising history little article about how even on something as important as declaring a war as over, sometimes simply... we forget.

FR: Article historique inattendu sur ou comment même sur quelque chose d'aussi important que de déclarer une guerre comme finie, parfois simplement... on oublie.

Fascinating piece on how Japan dealt with the arrival of westerners. But also how the westerners did (and still) perceive the relationship with a lot of delusion due to arrogance and racism biases. It is a good example on how the winners tend to attempt to rewrite history.

It also shows how Japan somewhat turned into an inspiration for other Asian countries. I learned a lot.