Ancient army numbers

[Tomenable]

First, a skirmish remains a skirmish even when it lasts more than 6 hours... How would you basically describe Carrhae?

How would I basically describe Carrhae?

As a battle in which cataphracts did most of the killing - not horse archers.

You surely would agree since you already claimed that archers can't kill many.

His infantry was no match for the Macedonians and he very well knew that. This is why he chose not to engage with it but keep it out of harm's way.

OMG you contradict yourself so badly that it starts to be funny. hock: hock:

It is hard to believe that the same guy wrote what is quoted above, and what is quoted below:

Why would the phalanx not advance to trample those poor lines of footmen trapped, commanded to stay, falling on one another...

First you write that Darius commanded his infantry to avoid melee versus Macedonian infantry, then you say that he commanded them to stay and as the result they were trampled by Macedonian phalanx, falling one on another...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Second, the 300,000 dead, certainly an incredible number if the Persians had the chance to make a somewhat effective retreat could be made :

1.if in their panic they trampled each other

Before that you claimed that ACTUAL weapons in the Ancient times had very low lethality, and now you claim that human feet have VERY HIGH lethality - because you claim that 300,000 could be able to trample each other... on a big flat plain with plenty of space to run away in any direction - just not on each other... :roll:

OMG :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have heard about cases of people trampling each other for example while escaping from sinking Titanic or from burning skyscrapper (although never it was a high percentage of those trapped in sinking Titanic or in burning skyscrapper - rather single cases). But i have NEVER EVER heard of people massively trampling each other to death (sic!!! - it is obvious that most cases of being trampled by MEN are wounded - being trampled by A BIGGER ANIMAL like horse or especially elephant might be more harmful) ON AN OPEN FIELD - such as that near Arbela - where there was PLENTY of space.

Besides - it was YOU who claimed that numbers like hundreds of thousands or even million of Persian warriors are "plausible" - and now you claim that the battlefield was so "tight" that men trampled each other... Well - the battlefield was very huge - especially if it had enough place for such a supposedly enormously large Persian army...

3.if orders were given and actually obeyed to even some troops to prohibit the retreat of lines in front of them

Once again you CONTRADICT yourself.

Before that you wrote that Darius gave orders NOT TO ENGAGE with Greek infantry.

And now you claim that he gave orders NOT TO RETREAT from Greek infantry.

Don't you think that these two orders contradict each other???!!! :roll: :roll: :roll:

4.if the men in flight retreated into their respective camps and there were trapped or engaged in looting of their own possessions.

OMG Persians "looting their own possessions".

LOL. You really do consider Persians as barbarians, don't you??? :roll:

etc.

The actual terrain being relatively level and without thick vegetation would actually hamper flight.

LOLOLOLOL - a huge flat terrain would "hamper" flight. Surely! :roll: Especially if chased by slow Macedonian phalangites who can't run more than 100 meters in their heavy armours! :roll: And especially considering that large part of the Persian army was cavalry which can move fast and light infantry which can run fast. :roll:

I am getting tired of these ridiculous theories...

Were there so many dead? Most probably not... Is it possible? Yes, I think it is.

Then WHO BURIED THOSE DEAD. And if nobody buried them - then WHY Macedonian army was NOT decimated by terrible epidemic diseases following the battle, caused by rotting corpses of 300,000 dead Persians scattered everywhere on huge terrain... :roll:

Surely where you have 300,000 rotting corpses you also have 3,000,000,000 flies carrying diseases...