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The photo shows four images of the same Roman iron stylus (pen) one below the other, with knib to the left. This stylus is octagonal in shape, with an inscription dot-punched along its length on four alternate sides. The stylus is 132 mm long and 5 mm thick, and the letters are circa 2 mm high. The four images of the pen show the four lines of inscribed text (highlighted) which read: ‘ab urbe v[e]n[i] munus tibi gratum adf(e)ro acul[eat]um ut habe[a]s memor[ia]m nostra(m) rogo si fortuna dar[e]t quo possem largius ut longa via ceu sacculus est (v)acuus’ Translated as ‘I have come from the City. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me.
I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able (to give) as generously as the way is long (and) as my purse is empty.’ This inscription is generally interpreted by scholars as a humorous, tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment by the giver of the cheapness of the gift. The pen was used to write on wax-filled wooden writing tablets. Found in London (Roman ‘Londinium’) by MOLA, during excavations for Bloomberg’s European Headquarters in 2010–2014 . Photo by Juan Jose Fuldain for MOLA

Timeless humour!

A 2,000 year-old Roman souvenir pen with a joke inscription roughly equivalent to:

“I went to Rome and all I got you was this cheap pen!" 😂

Dated circa 70 AD, this iron stylus pen was recovered in London during excavations by MOLA. 📷 Juan Jose Fuldain/MOLA

#Archaeology

To the Other Partizan today, with @oldmanblakey.bsky.social. got a copy of CoC2, some scenic goodies from Ironclad miniatures, cleared out Grubby Tanks of most of his old stock of SHQ WW2 Japanese, as well as some gripping beast figs, amongst other odds and ends.

Market Garden: Kirriemuir Wargames Club 40th anniversary game YouTube video by The Lead Pile

To celebrate Kirriemuir wargames club’s 40th anniversary we played a big weekend game of Operation Market Garden, here’s the highlights youtu.be/T_CE78C648E?...

Panzer bonanza! Some support for my German troops in TFL'S 'Storming the Citadel' pint sized campaign. If they don't break down, @oldmanblakey.bsky.social might get worried, well perhaps not....

Bailey bridge, Orford Ness

Achtung minen! Finished the minefields for the Chain of Command 'Storming the Citadel' pint sized campaign from TFL. Wee man (20mm) for scale. Now on to the teddy bear fur for the rough ground...

Agree with BA, it's similar to some SHQ ones I have

On Friday, I played CoC against @oldmanblakey.bsky.social, scenario 5 of the '29 let's go' campaign, 'home run at Osmanville'. Victory to the Americans, but campaign win for the Germans

On Thursday the wifeling and I visited Ely. The cathedral was amazing and lunch at the Prince Albert delicious.

Last batch of Fallschirmjager completed ✅

The penultimate batch of Fallschirmjager complete. SHQ figures, mostly NCOs and officers. A bit shiny (I think the second coat of varnish was a bit thick).

After a 5 year wait, @oldmanblakey.bsky.social and I resumed the '29, let's go' PSC. Refight of scenario 4, the radar station at Cardonville. American win, although the Germans conceded to conserve their forces for the last battle. They've already won the campaign, delaying the Americans.

As they defeated him, they heard wedding bells above, can they get get there in time to save the young woman they were supposed to be protecting, now to be married to the vampiric overlord?

Fantastic TTRPG session last night, in the GM's (@oldmanBlakey) own Viking age setting, using Savage Worlds rules. My character (naturally the star of the show) and his sidekicks (the rest of the group) took on the henchman in the dungeons of the castle.

This month's wargaming reading. I've been watching James Holland's and Al Murray's 'walking the ground' videos on YouTube on Arnhem, and their'we have ways' podcasts, which inspired me to read further.

Selection of photos from Salute yesterday

On day two we walked to Minnenglow hill, to look at some bronze age barrows.

The wedding anniversary is approaching, so as a special treat for wifey I took her on some forced marches in the Peak district. Day one we walked along the Monsall trail to Monsall head.

Mostly painting the almost last batch of Falshirmjager. Also returned to the minefield project, added the wire. Used florists wire which is just the right length

The assault group might be worth a look

Plum porter sounds nice

"The Lion, The Witch and The Self-Assembly Wardrobe": a fantasy trilogy, the first two books of which are taken up with putting the wardrobe together.
The third involves a voyage to a fantasy world where none of the doors are straight but everyone's past caring.

Designing Historical Scenarios What follows is an article I originally wrote for Lard Magazine. In the end I didn't submit it because I decided I'd be preaching to the alr...

Just giving this Bluesky thing a whirl.

Here’s an article I did about designing wargames scenarios.

thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.com/2025/01/desi...

Yep, bought some of the tank riders too 😊

At some point hoping to play 'Storming the Citadel' from too fat lardies. Picked up these at the other Partizan last year for one of the scenarios and thought I'd try putting one together this evo. (Borrowed idea from @tacticalpainter.bsky.social)

Book of the week. Don't know much about this so decided to have a read.

I've read Henning's book, I thought it was good. Enjoy.

Back to some painting after the Christmas break. I think the undercoating on these are finished, time to find the right colour khaki! Rajputs from Early War Miniatures, for a future Chain of Command campaign.

Reposting this because JCNC would have loved it and it makes many valid points as applicable to Roman armour as to that of the movie Harkonnen soldiers.