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If you are interested in a long (very long) history of Rome from the beginnings to the final sacks, you should look up the history of Rome podcast at http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/ or look for it through iTunes. There are 179 20-40 minute episodes and for an amateur podcast was done with the professionalism of a modern lecturer. I am listening to the last five episodes now. Great stuff if you want a huge overview. OP, can you go into depth about how many of the citizens in the mid to late empire became what amount to beggars via the old patron/client system? Also, can you go more into the myth of the battle which Constantine supposedly ordered his soldiers to paint a cross on their shields? I know it has some basis in fact but much of it has been mythologized and hijacked by Christian scholars. What's the actual facts as recorded by history here?
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May 24, 2012 18:26
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Dan Carlin actually did a Hardcore History podcast on the Mongols recently since you're on the topic of horse archers. Here are some awesome facts about them. I would seriously take a look at his podcast as he did five episodes on the fall of the Roman Republic just recently. The pull on their bows was roughly 160 pounds. It's like a bowflex machine that shoots arrows. The longest range one could shoot at was roughly half a kilometer, although actually hitting anything at that range was a big loving deal. The Mongols would use swarm tactics. On flat land they would wreck anything that wasn't also horse archers as no one could hit them, nor could you fire for effect as there was no mass to shoot at. Archers could sometimes hit horse archers, but archers rarely make up a bulk of the forces of an army, while all of the forces of the mongols were horse archers. Usually this meant isolating the archers and taking them down with sabres. The Mongols had several horses in order to refresh their mounts in battle. It could range from three to twenty. How do you corral twenty horses? Well, you don't. You teach them to follow you around like dogs. It's easier that way. The bows did not react well to water. The glue was water soluble so damp or rainy conditions could ruin a bow which took literally weeks or months to make. The mongols had two main tactics. Forming a sort of crescent formation that they would attack from (giving way to swarming) and the feigned retreat. The Mongols would fake a rout and when the enemy gave chase they'd turn around and wreck them as they changed formation. Mongolian armies could ride up to 100 miles a day. Furthermore, they often took limited food and rations with them. Their horses were their food supply. Horses could be milked and tiny cuts could also be made on them in order to drink limited quantities of horse blood. How do you counter horse archers? Hire more horse archers. The steppe normally wasn't unified and it was in the interest of the powers that be (Eastern Roman Empire for example) to keep them fighting amongst themselves. A unified steppe got you Genghis Khan and others just like him. What could stop a horse archer? A couple things could. Rain was one, but you don't get a lot of that on the steppe and rain is rarely reliable. They also weren't that great on defense. They were used to choosing the terrain and the time of battle, so being on defense could be a major disadvantage. The tribes were also stopped by walls. Siege warfare was alien to nomadic barbarian tribesmen and it wasn't until Genghis Khan hired out that the problem was ever fixed. In later years, especially in Europe, grassland would be burned to deny grazing ground. It didn't work immediately, but it had a serious effect on their ability to stay in the field for prolonged periods of time as horses were not only their mounts, but also their food supply. Starve the horses, starve the men. Finally, gunpowder weapons spelled the doom of horse archers. Horse archers took too long to train. Gunpowder units took just a few months. They just couldn't replace their archers quickly enough.
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Jun 27, 2012 16:26
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Keep in mind that professional armies are incredibly hard to train, field, pay and maintain. Only a few nations before the 17th and 18th century had them. A professional soldier is often not doing much at all. He isn't working a farm and he isn't siring children (at least not with his wife). During the Moorish invasion the man on the Christian side (name escapes me) who proposed training a standing army nearly got his neck cut and excommunicated if memory serves. No one wants to pay for them. Sure they perform well, but if all you're fighting are levees then why not just round up a bunch of dirt farmers and throw them against other poor dirt farmers? The Roman Empire was so large and so wealthy and so well organized that it could field these enormous armies. However, it took significant logistical support and treasure to keep them.
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Jun 27, 2012 17:39
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