September 11th, a rather nasty recession in the printing business, a computer crash and a burglary/vandalism are in and of themselves difficult but not insurmountable obstacles , but combined together has made the production of this particular issue a test of patience, all of our patience. So we do apologize for the lateness of this issue of STRATEGIKON Magazine, yet after all here it is.

9/11: it still reverberates today, well after the initial shock has wom off for those of us outside the immediate areas of New York City and the Pentagon. Even today, as I look at the very rushed Time-Life encapsulation of the events in pictures, I still get angry with the most irrational of angers; a long slow Irish burn of anything bigoted enough to kill thousands of our fellow citizens, and fellow international co-workers, for ninth century religious and philosophical differences!!!! The next time one of my Irish friends expresses sympathy for the 'poor bombers' who toss pipe-bombs at Protestant little girls in Northern Ireland, I may just rip his lungs out. Taking a page from Viking punishments, if you get a chance look up something called the "blood eagle." That is an appropriate punishment for bigots of any kind or color, but that's just my opinion, of course.

Enough back to STRATEGIKON. Barnett's article on Greek Cavalry is of particular interest. We have again found an author with a viewpoint that is not in line with the current thinking about the particular subject. Read his work with care, you may or may not agree with his points, nevertheless they are cogently handled.

Next comes Part 2 of Steve Phenow's article on the Munus, the Gladiatorial Contest. I was especially drawn to the description of the 'Pampa' processional with its various figures of symbolism. I wonder if the same sort of thing happens at a NASCAR race'?

For your gaming pleasure we've included a WarHammer Ancient Battles scenario for Spartacus fans and afficionados.

Also, in a pull-out center insert, is a set of rules developed for the fathers (and mothers dare I say) of young children they would like to introduce to their hobby of miniature soldiers. A warning to the purists amongst you: these rules were designed for young children, who couldn't care less about the length of a gladius or the penetration of a cloth yard shaft against plate armor. The historical tidbits can come later; just getting them sitting down at a kitchen table painting figures along with Dad or Mom is just too priceless to pass up. On the magazine website is a set of starter armies, some pictures of figures painted by children and some games played at a local Game Day.

One more thing: pictures. We've included some pictures from our travels. You might even recognize some of the folks captured digitally.