HISTORY SILLY THOUGHTS

[exe ex machina]

The word vagina comes from the sheath that Roman soldiers stored their short swords in.

What did they call the sheaths they stored their long swords in

 

[The_Reaper]

What did they call the sheaths they stored their long swords in

Based from this thread, the bibliotheca

 

[exe ex machina]

 

[JD-Roo]

Can't remember where or when I read it, but I'd always had the impression that standard fighting tactics of those eras was to have the more experienced guys further back. You "earnt" your spot further and further back by surviving battle after battle. As the first-timers all shat themselves at the front, the experienced guys all pushed together from the back, ensuring that the inexperienced guys did the hard yards and the wiser older blokes got to mop up at the end when everyone was exhausted. The Romans were a bit more organised but also used these tactics in front on battles.

So the key was to survive the first one or two battles you were in, then stay on the winning side for the next 20-25 years.

 

[The Dice Man]

It's amazing what they built. I saw radiohead last year at le arena de Nime, google it. It's an old arena where Romans used to play their bloodsports. It's older than Jesus and better preserved than Rome's coliseum. Did my head in to think I'm watching radiohead sitting on the same stone someone built before Jesus.

They really knew how to build shit

 

[Dah_HAWKS!]

Romans had it pretty good when you compare them to the earlier civilisations like the Assyrians. Now they were a pack of cruel, nasty bastards

 

[Sydney Bloods]

Unfortunately, tho, many of their wives worked as librarians. Check your sources.

Really? From what I read it was unusual for married women to work anywhere other then their husbands businesses and to do so was rather taboo.

 

[rocker_oz33]

One of the building in Florence took something like 200 years to build quiet a few life times went into building this building.I thought over that amount of time there would heaps of stuff ups.The building is still standing strong.

 

[JoondalupJ]

The word vagina comes from the sheath that Roman soldiers stored their short swords in.

Didn't know that.

 

[rocker_oz33]

No crossing swords then.

 

[little graham]

but I'd always had the impression that standard fighting tactics of those eras was to have the more experienced guys further back. You "earnt" your spot further and further back by surviving battle after battle. As the first-timers all shat themselves at the front, the experienced guys all pushed together from the back, ensuring that the inexperienced guys did the hard yards and the wiser older blokes got to mop up at the end when everyone was exhausted. .

Nothing much has changed. Tactic has stood the test of time. If you look at Vietnam, there was a habit of sending the dumb or inexperienced guys out as point, or putting them in the fox holes nearest the wire(lots of movies covered this). If you look at ww2, all the armies had shock battalions.In Malaya the Australians had a battalion x, made up of those who had commited crimes, lack of discipline etc etc. Battalion X was shoved in front of an unstoppable advancing Japanese imperial army (not sure if they were the ones the British blew the bridge to Singapore up before they could cross?)I'm pretty sure some of the british military historian buffs here could bring up similar stories/units.

 

[Gough]

If you look at the way Italy is run now, you could argue the place never ran better than under the Romans.
Or perhaps Berlusconi is taking his cues from Caligula? #bungabunga

 

[Kyptastic]

Can't remember where or when I read it, but I'd always had the impression that standard fighting tactics of those eras was to have the more experienced guys further back. You "earnt" your spot further and further back by surviving battle after battle. As the first-timers all shat themselves at the front, the experienced guys all pushed together from the back, ensuring that the inexperienced guys did the hard yards and the wiser older blokes got to mop up at the end when everyone was exhausted. The Romans were a bit more organised but also used these tactics in front on battles.

So the key was to survive the first one or two battles you were in, then stay on the winning side for the winning side for the next 20-25 years.

It depends who you're talking about. The Greek fighting style generally had the best fighters at the front, simply because that's where you got the glory from. The Romans followed the Greek Phalanx style until the early 300s BC, when they came up against the Samnites in the hills of Italy, who were able to run rings around the slow and unwieldy Phalanx.

They changed to the Maniple system, which split the main troops into 3 ranges - the New recruits, generally from 16 to 20, who fought in the front line, 20 to 40 year olds, who were the first reserve and finally the over 40 year olds, who were the final line of defence. They formed into smaller units than the Greek Phalanx, which was basically just one big pack of soldiers, which meant that they could be moved easier to flank an opposing force or reinforce a faltering line. The idea of the different ranks was that the younger soldiers would have more experience behind them to reinforce, as they were the most likely to flee, rather than at the back like the Greek Phalanx which allowed them an easier way of escaping a battle. Because most of the enemies of Rome would fight in a big bunch or expend a lot of energy on a charge at the beginning of the battle, having the more experienced troops at the back allowed them to take advantage of a flagging enemy who had expended a lot in the initial part of the battle.

They were able to build this reserve of veterans because the Maniple system was so successful for 200 years. It was more organised, disciplined, better equipped and led than pretty much all armies they faced at the time. The only times the Roman army would lose using this system was when they went away from their standard system of battle (see Cannae, where the Roman general clumped his army together rather than keeping gaps between the maniples, which meant that when Hannibal started to surround the Roman army, they had no room to maneuver and were slaughtered) or they were led into a trap (see Lake Trasimene, again against Hannibal, where the Carthaginian trapped the army against the lake, again leaving them with no room to maneuver.)

The Maniple system only collapses with the rise of large estates being run by slaves, which meant that their were fewer citizen soldiers who owned enough land to be eligible for military service, leading to the Marian reforms, which occurred around 100 BC and the professional army that led to the Empire. Soldiers of different experiences were mixed together, to allow for better organisation, training and motivation. A lot of the basic fighting tactics remained the same to the earlier system.

 

[Gough]

There was still that little village in Gaul that held out against them.

 

[exe ex machina]

It depends who you're talking about. The Greek fighting style generally had the best fighters at the front, simply because that's where you got the glory from. The Romans followed the Greek Phalanx style until the early 300s BC, when they came up against the Samnites in the hills of Italy, who were able to run rings around the slow and unwieldy Phalanx.

They changed to the Maniple system, which split the main troops into 3 ranges - the New recruits, generally from 16 to 20, who fought in the front line, 20 to 40 year olds, who were the first reserve and finally the over 40 year olds, who were the final line of defence. They formed into smaller units than the Greek Phalanx, which was basically just one big pack of soldiers, which meant that they could be moved easier to flank an opposing force or reinforce a faltering line. The idea of the different ranks was that the younger soldiers would have more experience behind them to reinforce, as they were the most likely to flee, rather than at the back like the Greek Phalanx which allowed them an easier way of escaping a battle. Because most of the enemies of Rome would fight in a big bunch or expend a lot of energy on a charge at the beginning of the battle, having the more experienced troops at the back allowed them to take advantage of a flagging enemy who had expended a lot in the initial part of the battle.

They were able to build this reserve of veterans because the Maniple system was so successful for 200 years. It was more organised, disciplined, better equipped and led than pretty much all armies they faced at the time. The only times the Roman army would lose using this system was when they went away from their standard system of battle (see Cannae, where the Roman general clumped his army together rather than keeping gaps between the maniples, which meant that when Hannibal started to surround the Roman army, they had no room to maneuver and were slaughtered) or they were led into a trap (see Lake Trasimene, again against Hannibal, where the Carthaginian trapped the army against the lake, again leaving them with no room to maneuver.)

The Maniple system only collapses with the rise of large estates being run by slaves, which meant that their were fewer citizen soldiers who owned enough land to be eligible for military service, leading to the Marian reforms, which occurred around 100 BC and the professional army that led to the Empire. Soldiers of different experiences were mixed together, to allow for better organisation, training and motivation. A lot of the basic fighting tactics remained the same to the earlier system.

No one likes a know-it-all

 

[little graham]

There was this division, it belonged to a notorious christian army, yet apart from its commanding officers, was made up of Muslims. It was kept in the rear, in its homeland, keeping the peace and engaging partisans (who were renowned for centuries). It did a very good job until the Wehrmacht fell back from Kursk in 43. Slowly but surely the soldiers of this SS division disappeared back to their families.

Not many know about this.

 

[Kyptastic]

No one likes a know-it-all

Sorry Can't help myself when people are talking History.

 

[exe ex machina]

Sorry Can't help myself when people are talking History.

So maybe you can confirm/deny the rumor that the wives of Roman soldiers worked as librarians

 

[JD-Roo]

It depends ................. A lot of the basic fighting tactics remained the same to the earlier system.

Great work, Kyp!! Learn something new everyday! Thanks!!

 

[Kyptastic]

So maybe you can confirm/deny the rumor that the wives of Roman soldiers worked as librarians

Doubtful. Majority of soldiers in the Republic were farmers, whilst those of the Empire either lived in the frontier provinces or were of barbarian extraction, lifestyles that generally preclude someone from working within the vicinity of a library.

Would rather be a woman in ancient Rome than ancient Greece however.

 

[exe ex machina]

Doubtful. Majority of soldiers in the Republic were farmers, whilst those of the Empire either lived in the frontier provinces or were of barbarian extraction, lifestyles that generally preclude someone from working within the vicinity of a library.

Would rather be a woman in ancient Rome than ancient Greece however.

So you're saying there is a chance?!

And do tell....why not Greece?

 

[Kyptastic]

So you're saying there is a chance?!

And do tell....why not Greece?

You could enjoy a semblance of public life in Rome. In Greece, you were basically locked inside your fathers house until you got married, when you would then be locked inside your husbands house until you died. Fun times.

 

[exe ex machina]

You could enjoy a semblance of public life in Rome. In Greece, you were basically locked inside your fathers house until you got married, when you would then be locked inside your husbands house until you died. Fun times.

So basically exactly the same as modern western society. Except add some bells-and-whistles to distract them of their slavery like cell phones, shopping malls, etc.

 

[Kyptastic]

So basically exactly the same as modern western society. Except add some bells-and-whistles to distract them of their slavery like cell phones, shopping malls, etc.

As the saying goes, history repeats itself

 

[Plugger35]

It's amazing what they built. I saw radiohead last year at le arena de Nime, google it. It's an old arena where Romans used to play their bloodsports. It's older than Jesus and better preserved than Rome's coliseum. Did my head in to think I'm watching radiohead sitting on the same stone someone built before Jesus.

They really knew how to build shit

The Colosseum is still pretty impressive even though it's decayed a bit.

On the tour we went on they took us down to the chambers below the stadium where they would keep the lions, tigers. leopards etc and crank them up on lifts to the stadium during gladitorial fights so the gladiators would suddenly have to deal with a wild maneating beast trying to kill them as well as their opponent.

Would've been a hell of a show but not much fun for the gladiators.