Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Romans = great warriors???

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456
Author
azimuth View Drop Down
Caliph
Caliph
Avatar
SlaYer'S SlaYer

Joined: 12-Dec-2004
Location: Neutral Zone
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2979
  Quote azimuth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Romans = great warriors???
    Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 07:19

Originally posted by Romano Nero

 And what's the legacy they left to humanity? The 2nd greatest murderer of all times (Chinghiz Khan)

 

sorry for changing the subject

but who is the 1st greatest murderer of all times?

stalin?

 

 

Back to Top
Imperator Invictus View Drop Down
Caliph
Caliph
Avatar
Retired AE Administrator

Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3151
  Quote Imperator Invictus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 07:12

No, size isn't everything. The Persian Empire was bigger than the Roman Empire.

The Romans probably fought other Romans more than barbarians, but I think they did win more battles than lost. In most cases, their defeats didn't really mater until maybe Adrianople.

http://www.roman-empire.net/diverse/battles.html

 

Back to Top
Romano Nero View Drop Down
Samurai
Samurai
Avatar

Joined: 16-Nov-2004
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 132
  Quote Romano Nero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 06:02

Ah, well... rather innacurate. The Romans did suffer the defeats you mention but despite those defeats, the managed to carve the largest single empire until the Mongols got the stick in the 13th century.

That, by itself, is an admirable fact: Rome was just a city-state, starting from a backwater locale in central Italy (the "center of the world" at the time was located in the eastern mediteranean) and managing, over a course of a few centuries, to create a huge, stable, progressive, greatly administered empire. The real strength of Rome didn't lie with the (admirably effective, although you belittle them a bit too much) legions, it lied within the publicum Romanum itself. The Romans got trashed three times by Hannibal, their manpower exhausted... any other city would succumb to its fate, but not Rome. They came back and a few years later razed Carthago to the ground and started building their empire.

Compare that with, say, the Mongols. Great warriors, ruthless, swift, effective - unstoppable. Their empire lived... how long? 100 years? And what's the legacy they left to humanity? The 2nd greatest murderer of all times (Chinghiz Khan) and... the yurt.

What did the Romans leave? An Empire that lasted (if we add it's eastern reincarnation) for 1600 years, a host of Roman-derived languages and cultures, the best legal and administrative system until the industrial revolution, the basis for the "Western" world...

...all in all, quite a record for those "lousy warriors"



Edited by Romano Nero
Back to Top
Mangudai View Drop Down
Consul
Consul
Avatar

Joined: 09-Aug-2004
Location: Sweden
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 368
  Quote Mangudai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 05:44

Why have the romans earned the reputations as great warriors, when they in fact constantly suffered terrible defeats? Cannae, Carrhae, Gergovia, Teutoburgerwald, Arausio, Adrianople, Sarmizegetusa, the battles against the helvetii, Arretium, Rhandeia, Hatra, Nisibis, Abrittus, Edessa, Placentia, Reims, Amida - the list is of defeats is never-ending. Most roman "victories" were in fact victories against other roman armies or against other mediterranian armies who fought in an old-fashioned way. Most times when the romans engaged in battle with "barbarians" they were bested, and the occasional victories over the "barbarians" were small and pathetic in comparison with their huge and catastrophic defeats

To me the romans were lousy warriors. Despite their extraordinary training, great numbers, discipline and organisation they were crushed. Just like the equally advanced Chinese were crushed time and time again by nomad hordes or other foreign powers. The greater the civilisation and culture are - the lousier the warriors were...

 



Edited by Mangudai
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.094 seconds.