Centurion-Macro

Well we must put these battles in perspective and remember that hundreds of years separated them from one another. Yes, they were horrendous defeats, but they were many generations apart. ~We just have to remember that history is written by the victors. And the writings that have survived about the Roman army don't quote individual skirmishes and small fights. So we will never gain a clear picture. However, we do know the Romans were a disciplined army that conquered and held a republic (and then empire) together for hundreds of years. They fought countless wars in their time, and they won many victories as well as suffering horrendous defeats at time periods in their history. But to judge the legions we just have to judge the place of Rome in the world - which was the best place. The legions were disciplined, courageous and under good leadership from their centurions. So while they weren't the invincible soldiers that TV often says they were, they were a tough army with a lot of skill, that forged an empire out of a small cluster of villages and held that empire together for many centuries.

The Romans suffered some of the worst defeats in military history, and no doubt they lost many skirmishes and small battles in their centuries-long existence. Many a time the armies that Rome faced were untrained and ill-equip for the legions, but many of their enemies were very competent in warfare. Many a time the Roman army showed great resourcefulness and strategy to defeat their enemies even on unfavorable terrain. You just have to read about the defeat of the Veneti fleet to see the skill of the Romans in defeating their foes (no matter who they were). Yeah, they lost a lot. But they conquered an empire, and we should not forget that. The Romans had many defeats, but I still think their legions are among the best soldiers of history.

We need some folk metal here! And I also tend to listen to pretty 'out there' hip hop because I find it better than mainstream stuff.

It sounds like a good idea. I know it would help me a lot. FAQ's are always very helpful when you're dealing with such massive topics such as Roman history.

They would be better off giving equal rights in a marriage instead of having one sex dominating the other. But it seems that people wanting equal rights are in the minority in these countries (and for that matter, many other countries around the world).

Minerva, for her wisdom and her courage.

How familar are you the Indochina War and the Afghan Soviet War?And the American VIetnam War? I studied the first and the third topics in depth, but I have never formally learned about the Soviets in Afghanistan. And from your username, am I to understand you supported the French in the Indochina War?

Happy birthday to you, sir!

My main areas come under three headings (excluding Roman history of course): 1)Ancient Greek History 2)History of Communism 3)World War Two History 4)The History of Literature But although these five (when you include Rome) are my favorite areas, I enjoy most areas of history and I do not confine myself to just my favorite parameters.

Agree. There is very much to learn from the story of these past cultures. Why and how such advanced peoples rose and fell? Definitely. What surprises me is that the average person knows what the epics of Homer are, yet the average person has no idea what Gilgamesh is...I myself would really like for all these empires to be discussed in school rather than just forgetting them. I personally don't know much about the Medes though, as I haven't had time to read about them. But they are definitely on my list of empires to read about.

Could you call an invasion 'offering' and 'encouraging' Roman culture? The Romans did implement Romanization. The whole fact that the Roman Empire existed was because the subjected people in many areas became like Romans. It wasn't only the men in Rome who acted like Romans...

In my opinion, ancient empires such as the Medes and the Babylonians are often overlooked by many people. I think there should be more study on these subjects, because these empires really interest me.

I agree with you. HBO's Rome was far superior, and in comparison Spartacus is just pure nonsense. I liked how you picked up on the linguistics.

Just finished Hesiod's Works and Days and Theogony . Very good reads if you want to understand mythology from one of the oldest poets of Greece. They are quite easy to read because they are not very long, and although I picked him up to kill some time, Hesiod is a brilliant writer, and has been catapulted to one of my favourite ancient poets.

Reading any historian is of benefit. If we still read people like Plutarch and Herodotus, I fail to see why these men should be any different.

But let us not forget that the majority of the plebeian class were not rich and wealthy, even if they could be so.

In reference to why this defeat is remembered above all the rest is because it was the battle that stopped Rome in its tracks. While Cannae was bad, the Romans recovered from that victory to win the war, and Roman armies swept over Africa. However, after the destruction of these three legions in AD 9, the Romans never tried to conquer the territories over the Rhine again. Also, I think the fact it did happen in Europe is a big factor. I have never understood it myself, but it appears that most people are more concerned with European incidents (eg. Teutoberg) than areas not in Europe (eg. Carrhae).

That book is one of my favourites. My only regret was that there was never a sequel.

So far it has been enjoyable, although I the constant sex is ruining it for me, and I find myself fast-forwarding large parts of the episodes.

I must admit, I did not like this one as much as I did the others written by Rosemary Sutcliff. However, it was still a good story.

I remember reading it as a kid, but I do not remember the details of the story. However, I do remember that I enjoyed it immensely. I like those stories that are set in the days of Rome's downfall, because they do have more emotion and depth to their stories.

I am very late for the conversation, but I know that The Germania was a great help to me. It is written by Tacitus, who was a famous Roman in around AD 100. It is baised towards the Romans of course, but it is very helpful for learning the tribe names and the culture of the Germans at the time. So if anyone is looking for information on the Germanic tribes, this book is a good start.

I heard somewhere that the Macedonian army was considered as the first professional military force? Can anyone back this up?

Centurion-Macro is tied as my favourite character in Simon Scarrow's "Eagle" series. I like Centurion-Cato as well, but Centurion-Macro just sounded better to me at the time.

Very interesting! The Roman navy is one of my favourite topics.