Ancient warfare thread Lets discuss ancient weaponry and tactics

>>30279460
Why was Belisarius so effective despite the adversity of the Byzantium royalty virtually screwing him over?

>>30279460
Hannibal a shit

I heard he sucks Nubian cock, LOL

Scipio is the one general that doesn't suck

>>30279698
Scipio wasn't even that great, if you look over his battles, hannibal was just very very lucky early on.

>>30279460
Gaugamela was a giant fuckup. I can't understand how it was possible to lose and I've read multiple accounts of the battle.

Suspect that the Persian army numbers are fake.

>>30279998
I dont, but they were a levy that didn't want to fight, not because they were slave soldiers or any of that hollywood nonsense, but because the leaders we're obviously incompitent, the enemy were better armed and better trained, and they were, as ive said, a levy.

Darius II was just that stupid.
>oh fuck me, tight formations of armoured greeks with 20 foot long spears
>I KNOW! ill run them over with my horses!

>>30279998
also so close to quints

File: IMG_20160503_095139840.jpg (2MB, 3264x1836px) Image search: [Google]

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I have a mildly related image from a book I was reading awhile ago. Yes I took the picture because it said faggots

>FUCK GAUL, AVE CAESAR

>>30279460
>History is written by the victor
I wouldn't believe any of that shit, besides the outcome. Even then, most outcomes are forged or completely erased all together.

what best sword for village defense

>>30282154
Depends, really. A lot of the time, the general events they're talking about are true, it's just they're exaggerated later.

Like there's no doubt that the numbers always cited for Persian armies are embellished, but at the same time it's likely that they were able to levy large numbers of men compared to the Macedonians.

>>30279998
You have to understand that the Persian army wasn't really all that homogenous. Instead of being a bunch of men all levied directly by the king, it generally consisted of troops loyal to whatever satrap they're from. The result is a massive army that's poorly coordinated and likely poorly disciplined, while the only thing that holds it together is the tenuous loyalty to the king.

You had a similar situation almost a hundred years prior with Xenophon's Ten Thousand. A pretender to the Persian throne had levied an army from satraps loyal to him (complete with 10,000 greek volunteers), but the minute the pretender was killed in battle, the army dissolved.

>>30282204
Ban assault gladii now

>>30285762
Ban blacksmithing now

>>30285762
>>30285786
Nobody needs a spatha

>>30279913
Scipio was great in that he was both bolder and faster thinking than any of his contemporaries. In almost all great generals throughout history, these are two of their most defining traits.

Hannibal however, didn't have much in the way of eitherof these qualities. He knew his enemies and how to exploit their weaknesses (most especially pride) but he had no boldness to follow through on his victories. And because of that, his opportunity to win was never seized.

File: roman oil lamp.jpg (409KB, 1040x1358px) Image search: [Google]

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>>30285762
>>30285786
>>30286655
>Romans are literally this cuckolded
Enjoy your gaulic migrants, barbaros.