03-09-2013, 01:55 AM
To clarify, I wasn't talking about what-if scenarios.
I was thinking of Delbrück's use of modern road space requirements, or Engels' use of modern estimates of the carrying capacity and food requirements of pack animals, as rough proxies for ancient ones.
I was thinking of 'barbarian' army sizes, and the problems of estimating the actual population, and what proportion of the population might reasonably be in arms. I don't think we can rely on Greek and Roman sources to accurately describe 'barbarian' populations and army sizes, so I think we need cross-cultural comparison either with Greek and Roman examples, or with other examples, until enough archaeological evidence is available.
I was thinking of Sabin's, Zhmodikov's, and Thorne's attempts to reconstruct battle dynamics. It's probably one of the more challenging issues, and so much is open to multiple interpretations. I just want some way to help make sure these yield more light than heat.
I was thinking of Delbrück's use of modern road space requirements, or Engels' use of modern estimates of the carrying capacity and food requirements of pack animals, as rough proxies for ancient ones.
I was thinking of 'barbarian' army sizes, and the problems of estimating the actual population, and what proportion of the population might reasonably be in arms. I don't think we can rely on Greek and Roman sources to accurately describe 'barbarian' populations and army sizes, so I think we need cross-cultural comparison either with Greek and Roman examples, or with other examples, until enough archaeological evidence is available.
I was thinking of Sabin's, Zhmodikov's, and Thorne's attempts to reconstruct battle dynamics. It's probably one of the more challenging issues, and so much is open to multiple interpretations. I just want some way to help make sure these yield more light than heat.