What battle would you be in?

[lost legion23]

I think I'd like to be the Romans at the Battle of Veii in 396 B.C. under the command of Marcus Furius Camillus, or any battle when he was in command really. He was a good commander.

[Legio X]

Ok, thank you all for answer, I really appreciate that

[Maty]

And, given the choice, I would choose to observe the inauguration of the Flavian Amphitheater, and enjoy the fantastical battles staged there. (From the safety of a box seat, of course.)

 

-- Nephele

 

I'll definitely second this one, That would have been an awesome spectacle to behold.

 

I'm starting to feel a little bit sorry for the lame old men now, the midgets have now got cavalry mounts while the lame old men have nothing, so I'm going to propose that we give the lame old men a squadron of one armed archers to even things up a bit!!!!!

 

Now that's entertainment!!

 

Speaking as a lame old man, I'm going to insist on several batteries of those Roman bolt throwers that fire off twenty arrows at a time, or I'm not setting foot in the arena. I'm thinking that those dwarves on boarback are like the wargs in The Two Towers - so there's a thought. Cancel the bolt throwers and give me the Fellowship of the ring for backup.

 

With battles I'd like to be a Parthian at Carrhae, knocking a bit of humility into the legions. It's a tough job firing arrows at people who can't shoot back, but then I'm only in favour of a fair fight as long as I'm not in it.

[Tobias]

As far as Pre-Roman battles are concerned, I would be interested to witness the Echelon formation of the Thebans against the Spartans at Leuctra, which was a battle which pretty much marked the beginning of the end of Spartan power in Greece.

 

As for Roman battles, I would dearly like to see the cunning and strategy of Marius at Aquae Sextiae, the undeniable greatness of Caesar at Alesia and Pharsalus; one of the terrible slogging matches of twilight Western Rome at Chalons, under Aetius against the Huns; Heraclius' victory at Nineveh, one of of Rome's last laughs against Persia; and one of the last great victories of New Rome under Basil II "The Bulgar-Slayer", the Battle of Kleidion against the Bulgars.

Edited February 4, 2009 by Tobias

[CiceroD]

For me personally It would have to be Phillipi. After all it was the largest assembly of Roman Legions in History!

However, I'd have to ask the mad scientist, who let me use his time machine, to furnish me with magic goggles to see through all that dust.

 

If nothing else the fortifications would be cool

[Antiochus III]

Wow, this is he easiest question ever. I'd would have fought as Antiochus the Great at Magnesia.

 

Antiochus the Great

[Maty]

For me personally It would have to be Phillipi. After all it was the largest assembly of Roman Legions in History!

However, I'd have to ask the mad scientist, who let me use his time machine, to furnish me with magic goggles to see through all that dust.

 

If nothing else the fortifications would be cool

If it's just the assembly of legions you want, I think Actium was even larger. Admittedly, most of those present did not fight, but the best place in a battle is on the sidelines.

[WotWotius]

I would have fought alongside Agesilaus in the Tearless Battle of 368 B.C. Being on the side suffering the fewest casualties in history (i.e. none) fits nicely with my cowardice.

[Augustus Caesar]

I'm in my own personal little battle right now - met my fist while walking into the kitchen earlier!!

 

I think as an observer I would like to have visited the battle of Augustus and Anthony and maybe even watched the faces of the troops as Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome. Would it have been excitement or trepidation? After all no-one had done that for many a year!

 

There are so many battles to choose from and I have had difficulty picking any out so will leave it at that.

[Nephele]

I'm in my own personal little battle right now - met my fist while walking into the kitchen earlier!!

 

AC, I hope you smote your fist a mighty blow!

 

Seriously, hope you're okay. Please don't engage your fist in battle anymore.

 

-- Nephele

[Augustus Caesar]

I'm in my own personal little battle right now - met my fist while walking into the kitchen earlier!!

 

AC, I hope you smote your fist a mighty blow!

 

Seriously, hope you're okay. Please don't engage your fist in battle anymore.

 

-- Nephele

 

Being the mighty AC I was able to negotiate that shot with a deft 'duck and dive'. However, my good lady, Livia, has barred me from the kitchen so it won't be a prob in future. (Great way of getting out of dishes duty!!)

 

Oh, and the fist? It got its knuckles wrapped!!!!!!!!!

[caldrail]

I've given this some thought. My answer isn't something entirely Roman at all.

 

The year is AD 825. Egbert, the King of Wessex, has been campaigning in Cornwall to add the realm of the Welsh Princes to his own. However, he also knows that Mercia under King Beornwulf is threatening to annexe the disputed northern territories of Wiltshire.

 

So he marches northeast to confront Beornwulf. As it turns out, Beornwulf did not attack in his absence. He was nervous of the superiority of West Saxon soldiery and may well have been waiting for reinforcements.

 

The armies met at Ellandun, the precise location no longer known, but thought to be between Wroughton and Lydiard Tregoze (Now parts of Swindon, a clue to why I like this idea).

 

Beornwulf and Egbert deployed either side of a shallow valley through which a stream ran. The Mercian army was superior in number, as much as ten times as strong according to the Winchester Scribe. Egbert wasn't keen to waste his army fighting that lot. He held a council and suggested they should give the territory to Mercia hoping that Beornwulf would go away satisfied. The thanes of Wessex were outraged, and demanded to fight. Egbert was outvoted by his noblemen.

 

The battle began with Wessex mounting an attack on the larger Mercian army. The fight went on for hours on a blazing hot summers day. More men were said to suffocated on sweat than blood. All acoounts mention the great slaughter that took place at the stream which ran red with blood.

 

It was a victory for Wessex. After a blood and guts brawl that had lasted so long the morale of the Mercians broke, and the chronicler describes Beornwulf as taking to flight for all he was worth.

 

It's a little known battle, not well documented, but a highly significant victory for Wessex nonetheless as it secured their borders against Mercian ambition.

 

You want rapped knuckles? Just ask Beornwulf.

[Aurelia]

Although I wish the outcome would have been different, I would have liked to observe Boudicca and her rebel coalition take on Suetonius in AD 61 (?). The sight of Boudicca in her chariot inciting a crowd of 200,000 + Britons to fight against Roman oppression must have been awesome.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Aurelia

[S.P.Q.R.]

I would have loved to be there at the Battle of Alesia. 60,000 Roman soldiers, against 80,000 Gauls on one side of them, and 250,000 on the other. What a rush!

 

Plus: Who honestly wouldn't want to fight for Caesar?

[caldrail]

The Gauls I imagine. He was conquering their homeland after all