10-28-2011, 02:28 PM
Quote:I think this would be a very extreme position. Who says so? There are many examples of Greeks fighting while having numerical advantage.
First of all, we would have to exclude every conflict between Greeks, since one of them would probably have a numerical advantage...
"Barbarians" were the enemy I believe in the original post. I suspect the point is that Helleno-centric sources have brave Greeks and Macedonians outfight myriads of barbarians. The rubbish began with Herodotus and was carried on by a clearly silly Xenophon who might have had 1,200,000 Persians at Cunaxa had the king's bastard brother fronted. Arrian's 600,000 at Issus is a fantasy as is his 1,000,000 at Gaugamela.
"You shouldn't have speared him! Always remember, we're Greek hoplites!" (They'll run away...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2_tMhgisd8
Paralus|Michael Park
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους
Wicked men, you are sinning against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander!
Academia.edu
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους
Wicked men, you are sinning against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander!
Academia.edu
