We live in a world where our perception of ancient history is constantly changing.

Recently, using CAT scanning technology, historians have began to read the waterlogged papyrus books recovered from Bilbus' villa. Even though 800 scrolls discovered cannot be unrolled, the metallic material in the ink can be seen and Latin letters be discerned. Who knows how this will change our knowledge of Roman History?

Egyptologists and Biblical scholars have both admitted that the Exodus didn't happen as written. The evidence just isn't there. And they have been searching for it since Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Egypt in the late 1700s. Yes, there was settlements of Jews in the river delta, but these are dated far later then the proposed period of Moses leading his people away from captivity, and into the desert.

What does this mean to war gamers? Nothing much. But anytime a legend is put to rest, there is a period of sadness, while people come to grips with the fact our ancestors just didn't like to record facts verbatim. They didn't have a video screen to entertain them so they embellished. Heck, when I was growing up in Minnesota, the former existence of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox was almost a given.

Let us imagine we have a info dark age, postulated as in the TV show "Dark Angel's" scenario. No electronics means that we are thrust back into the position of our ancestors. We will have invent things. Or listen to here say: "And that's where Babe laid down. And he put such a depression in the ground that when the rains came it filled up and became this here lake. And since Babe laid down a lot, that's why we have so many lakes in this state..."

In this issue we will put several legends to rest. The Greek poet Homer had heard the tale of the Trojan War for years, orally passed down from generation to generation, so when he decided to put the epic to paper, he also wanted to make his tale different and exciting. By mixing the two militaries, his and the Acheans', together he attempts for his reading audience answers to questions that other poets couldn't. The army Homer creates is based more on his period, yet he includes elements of the former Achaean to give us a look at both. Which is the right one? Peter Morrison believes that Homer's described army is a transition between the mighty Mycenaean, and the future Greek Classical citizen army. He makes a good case.

We also take on Gladiators. Even though the movie (Gladiator) did not follow historical fact, we will attempt to, tracing the birth of the Gladiator system, understanding why it worked and what it represented to Roman society.

Finally Don Wolff debunks the size of the Carthaginian Army at Cannae, as well as reducing the size of the Roman foe. And I am about to eliminate the Carthaginian pike man, that entered into our war gaming lexicon courtesy of one Peter Connelly.

So read on and enjoy.