Rolf Devinci

 Legions of Rome - The Definitive History of Every Imperial Legion by Stephen Dando-Collins. Purchased on Amazon this hardcover edition published by St. Martin's Press does not disappoint. Slightly oversized this book is definitely an impressive work of research. Not only does it offer chapters on the history of each imperial legion it also discusses the manpower, organization and tactics of the Roman empire. It also addresses the history of specific battles in detail.  To compliment the text are numerous illustrations, photos and maps. For such a grandiose subject it is an nformative, enjoyable and pleasant read. It is a fantastic resource and a must have for any fan of Roman history. Highly recommended.

 Purchased Gioal Canestrelli's Celtic Warfare from Amazon.  Published by Pen & Sword this is an excellent analysis on a subject that is often overlooked - the examination of Celtic martial culture from the fifth century BC to the first century AD. Too often the Celts of Europe are considered supporting actors and often overshadowed by the Roman empire. The irony being the influence the Celts had within the Roman world in terms of arms, armors and culture. The book is well constructed with bright white crisp pages and an easy to read text. It possesses an attractive cover art and comes with color plates depicting the evolution of Celtic military panoply. It also has numerous supporting illustrations of the text which is very helpful for the reader. Easy to read and follow as the author has presented the research in a nice chronological order. Great read. Recommended.

 Having purchased an actual straw archery target to replace my worn out DIY target bags I decided to take the plunge and acquire an archery specific backstop netting. Made from a tightly knitted synthetic fabric it was marketed as a netting to stop field point arrows. Currently I was using some kind of felted material as part of a permanent backstop which was showing its age after many years exposed to the elements. I liked the idea of a portable netting that could be carried to a location and set up between two trees or poles. It could add some diversity to my shooting and roving of the woods. A extra large beach bag would complete the ensemble of netting and target and let me discreetly transport both to a shooting location. The question was whether it would perform as advertised so off to the woods I went to do a product review. Using some paracord and the preholed grommets it was simple to hang the tarp as instructed with the bottom unsecured so it could billow and absorb the impac

 Although often over shadowed by its sibling, Lorica Segmentata, the chain maile haubert Lorica Hamata was extensively used by legionaries of both the Roman Republic and Empire.Originating with the Celtic tribes of Europe the Roman's quickly realized the protective qualities of maile and adopted the use of the armor for their legions. Not only does maile offer good protection from slashing weapons but it is far more comfortable to wear and field repair. Maile is heavy but the use of a waist belt supports the weight upon the hips not unlike a modern rucksack. More importantly maile moves with the body so is far less restrictive than a stiff linothorax or plated armors. Additional protection from blunt force trauma can be gained by wearing padded clothing under the mail in addition to the usual linen or wool tunic. It is surmised that legionaries may have worn a subarmalis, an early variant of the medieval gamberson.   Maile was also modified to suit the military tactics of the Roman

 Heading into Spring I was looking for better options for archery targets. Up to now I was using animal feed bags filled with leaves and other materials but they were not (really) portable and were starting to disintegrate due to use and exposure to weather.   Found these traditional targets on Amazon made from dried grasses. Environmentally friendly they are easier to carry over a synthetic archery block target and were less expensive. I opted to purchase one triple layered target for testing purposes.   First thing I noticed is how convenient it was to carry the target. I placed it in a black shoulder bag to be discreet when heading into the local woods. Relatively light weight but how would it hold up to arrows from my bows which are all in the 45 - 55 pound range?   I was using my Alibow #45@28 short Turkish bow along with field point wooden arrows from Flagella Dei.The arrows made a resounding and somewhat pleasant "thunk" when hitting the target. Surprisingly they easil

 In the glass is a new to me Barbados rum from the Mount Gay distillery. This spirit is blended from rums distilled in copper pots and column stills, matured in American whiskey casks then finished in charred bourbon barrels. Coming in at a 43% APV this rum shows gold in the glass with a hint of amber. A step up from the entry level Eclipse rum this spirit possesses smoke upon the palate no doubt from aging in charred wood. There is no age statement on the classic Mount Gay bottle and label but a little research indicates it is matured between three and seven years. I definitely taste the bourbon influence in this rum but also some caramel and banana. Mouth feel is verging upon a harshness and there is a degree of roughness in the finish. Not unpleasant but I prefer a little ice melt to open up the spirit and smooth out the finish. One needs to ask whether it justifies the $60 CDN price point over it's Eclipse sibling that retails for twenty less dollars? With an added ice cube I c

Gifted a bottle of the 1796 solara rum so I was looking forward to completing this review. I believe this is my first experience with a solara rum although I may have sampled one unknowingly upon a Carribean cruise to the Dutch Antilles. In the glass is a 1796 Santa Theresa rum from Venezuela distilled by the Vollmer family to celebrate the bicentennial of the Hacienda Santa Theresa. Packaged in an attractive tube the heavy bottle has an unique shape complete with a dipped waxed neck and cork. Classic labeling to complete a traditional saloon look. In a simplified description of the solara system it basically requires inter-connected barrels of rum tiered upon each other with the oldest aged rum on the bottom and newer (less aged) kegs ascending to the top. When a percentage of the bottom barrel aged rum is bottled rums from the other kegs will descend thus replenishing all the tiered barrels. The top (youngest) keg then gets topped up with new rum. The resulting spirit is a blend of o