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lilljonas posted:Sorry, I thought Teutoberg and wrote Tannenberg. But no, I don't think that it is bullshit that cultures who have used two handed weapons that were used for wide, cleaving movements (two handed swords, two handed axes) have generally been known to be taller (Germanics, Scots etc.). Of course this doesn't cover every two handed weapon: a poleaxe is a very different weapon than a Zweihänder. You don't see many Mediterranean cultures going "oh geez, if we could just have these really long swords to swing around, that would be awesome!". All of the cultures you have mentioned have been based entirely around spear warfare. The Germanic tribes that clashed with the Romans mainly used javelin, spear and shield. The Vikings and Scots also mainly used spear and shield, and so the popularity of two handed axes is really a counter to that style of warfare, like the popularity of later two handed swords being a counter to pike based warfare that was becoming more prevalent. Perestroika, doppelsoldners were used against pikemen rather than spearmen. Furthermore, the most dangerous job would most likely be the Forlorn Hope, the soldiers used to lead an assault on defended enemy positions/the breach in castle walls/other suicide missions.
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| # ¿ Oct 31, 2011 12:13 |
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| # ¿ May 25, 2013 09:55 |
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Puukko naamassa posted:IIRC some nations (Armenians, Numidians and the Selceucids come to mind) did try to copy them by forming similar units, but nothing much ever came out of it. Imitation Legionaries were not copied from the Romans but developed independently, despite the name. I feel it is quite important to note that. It is also important to note that the style of infantry that the Romans made famous was both developed and mastered by the Iberian tribes. Everything from the swords to the style of javelins was influenced by the Iberian style of warfare. The Romans were masters of adaption.
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| # ¿ Nov 2, 2011 13:55 |
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Nenonen posted:Was it William the Conqueror's victory in Hastings and the resulting surge of French that resulted in English spelling being so gently caressing illogical, or was the language doomed already before that? Was there ever a peasant rebellion that, where it to succeed, would have simplified the spelling like the Bolsheviks did in Russia and Maoists in China? Discuss. Even before William came over there was already a complete mess of people living in the British Isles so adding Norman to the mix wouldn't have caused that much more trouble than there already was. Plus the Normans were really cool.
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| # ¿ Nov 4, 2011 00:07 |
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