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Did Barbarians lack common sense teamwork tactics (I distract him,you backstab him)? - Printable Version

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Did Barbarians lack common sense teamwork tactics (I distract him,you backstab him)? - Wrangler29 - 02-21-2017

An interesting post I found online.

http://lustyvenusianjuuza.deviantart.com/journal/Individual-Fighter-Warrior-Culture-and-Team-Work-581995798

Although the writer focuses on criminal activities and civilian violence, he does have a point.

I mean if drunkards in a bar are able to work together in such coordination that one angry customer pins you down while his drinking buddies are stomping on you.......

It makes me doubt the notion the barbarian tribes who lost to Roman Legions such as the Celts lacked any notion of team work. I can understand the Romans being far superior in their coordination and team-based tactics.

But after reading the link's statements about lower class civilians able to work together in riots-despite typically being individual brawlers in most fights they participated in and lacking ANY TRAINING what so ever- it makes doubt that barbarians fought completely as individuals who only knew how to battles as one-on-one duelists.

If civilians like prisoners, angry farmers in a riot, and even some people drinking at a bar could work together to surround youa nd hit you from blind angles  or stomp you on the ground while you try groundfighting with BJJ , I find it ridiculous  barbarians wouldn't think of something as simple as "my friends throw javelins at those Roman legions to distract them while I attack the from behind their shieldwalls where they are exposed!"

I mean not just many movie but even many history books even describe barbarians as lacking the common sense to do something as basic as dogphile a Roman Legionnaire who was knocked to the ground and stab said Roman soldier to death.

Which is sounds utter BS to me because guys at bar do such teamwork all the time. Hell even high school jocks (who tend to be egotistic enough to prefer one-on-one fights) can call their friends to surround you should you prove too tough to take on!

So I seriously doubt warriors who fight for a living couldn't think of something as simple as  "I duel this Roman Legionnaire" while other Celt warriors sneak behind him and cut the Roman soldier from behind.

I have no doubt Barbarians tend to train more as individuals and Romans are far better organized in their teamwork. But to claim barbarians only knew to fight as individuals and lack any sense of teamwork is a slap in the face against human nature because even untrained civilians who never been in a fight before could work together to overwhelm a much tougher opponent using basic "common sense" teamwork moves like my friend  rearchokes that jerk from behind while I beat him up.


RE: Did Barbarians lack common sense teamwork tactics (I distract him,you backstab him)? - Nathan Ross - 02-22-2017

(02-21-2017, 02:40 PM)Wrangler29 Wrote: "I duel this Roman Legionnaire" while other Celt warriors sneak behind him and cut the Roman soldier from behind.

Ancient battles were not mass brawls (although they often appear that way in movies!) - when you have several thousand armoured troops with shields in close formation four or eight men deep, every man trained to protect the soldier beside or in front of him, it's pretty difficult to sneak up behind anybody!

But the 'barbarians' (of whatever sort) were not crazed berserkers either - even if Roman historians tend to describe them that way... Except in cases of rout, when every man is trying to save himself, men in close combat will instinctively bunch together for mutual protection and assistance. So even relatively untrained men, armed with shield and spear, will tend to adopt a form of rudimentary small-unit tactics, rather than just flinging themselves at the enemy.

Close combat was exhausting, and probably rather brief and sporadic, with the lines clashing and then drawing apart to regroup and rest before clashing again. Once one or other side broke formation, the fight turned into more of a general slaughter. On the rare occasions when it was Romans who broke first (and it did happen - the legions were not invincible), then doubtless individual legionaries could find themselves surrounded and outmatched by several barbarians at once. But that would not be the usual pattern of battle.

There have been a number of studies and hypotheses about what might have happened on the ancient battlefield. You might be interested in this summary of recent theories:

http://www.garyb.0catch.com/intro_update/intro_update.html


RE: Did Barbarians lack common sense teamwork tactics (I distract him,you backstab him)? - Robert Vermaat - 02-23-2017

(02-21-2017, 02:40 PM)Wrangler29 Wrote: But to claim barbarians only knew to fight as individuals and lack any sense of teamwork is a slap in the face against human nature because even untrained civilians who never been in a fight before could work together to overwhelm a much tougher opponent using basic "common sense" teamwork moves like my friend  rearchokes that jerk from behind while I beat him up.

Exactly, it's nonsense. Also the people who think of a scenario where enemies can 'duel a Roman soldier while other sneak up behind' have no clue about ancient warfare. At all. best ignore such 'theories'.