04-08-2009, 10:48 PM
Yes, Saturday night is evidently going to prove interesting ! But time will be short, and having pretty much exhausted the textual side of 'depth', there will be a myriad of other subjects to discuss, details of sources of information to be exchanged ( it would seem we both have libraries on the subject - mine, I suspect not as extensive ( at least on Ancient History) as that of Paralus.
But on the subject of depth, tied up as we have been with (some!!) of the textual evidence, I have not yet turned to the subject of 'optimum depth', or why given two roughly equal bodies of Hoplites, those 4 deep in close order would generally beat those 8 deep in close order. Then there is the third limb to my argument, the physical size of known battlefields.......all of these produce results that are consistent.....
Then there are the difficulties/impossibilities of moving lines of men, a kilometre long, across typical Greek terrain in 'close order' ........( c.f. Polybius' criticisms of Callisthenes referred to ante) :wink:
But on the subject of depth, tied up as we have been with (some!!) of the textual evidence, I have not yet turned to the subject of 'optimum depth', or why given two roughly equal bodies of Hoplites, those 4 deep in close order would generally beat those 8 deep in close order. Then there is the third limb to my argument, the physical size of known battlefields.......all of these produce results that are consistent.....
Then there are the difficulties/impossibilities of moving lines of men, a kilometre long, across typical Greek terrain in 'close order' ........( c.f. Polybius' criticisms of Callisthenes referred to ante) :wink:
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
