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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Sept 21, 2008 13:27:47 GMT 3
Actually, the Arabic and European chronicles are one of the least reliable among medieval sources in cases of numbers given for soldiers that fought in battles. For example, almost every Islamic source depicting the Battle of Manzikert says that the Romans had 300.000 soldiers, but it is a well-known and prooven fact that the Roman Empire could not create and support field armies of that size. The biggest field armies they could send to campaigns had numbers around 100.000 and 150.000, not bigger than that.
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Post by Azadan Januspar on Sept 21, 2008 16:21:10 GMT 3
As for islamic sources I think the thing is that some times you can not differ the history with stories. I know the tradition of exaggeration was an old tradtion in Arabic literature long before Islam itself (maybe a naural solution to preserve narrations of important events).
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Sept 21, 2008 21:33:35 GMT 3
The thing with Arabic history writing is that unlike China which had history-keeping and writing offices in the palaces, they did not have a systematic history-writing center, and thus relied on individual history-writers who collected their info mostly from oral stories (riwâyat).
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Post by mongol194 on Sept 23, 2008 13:33:08 GMT 3
;DJust noticed we haven't listed samurai! The first great samurai leader of note being Oda Nabunaga who started uniting japan. His victory at Okehazama was brilliant when his 2000 men defeated an opposing force of 17000! OK i agree had it not been for poor ships and even poorer weather the mongols would have conquered the japanese becuase they had artillery support. If the mongols hadn't been held by the larger japanese force and left stranded in the storm, there was a big chance of them winning. That said the Samurai had thier own nomadic style horse and foot archers and they had thier own unique japanese longbow. I have several japanese longbows and they are very powerfull, however i find them awkward becuase they are very long one is seven feet four inches! The japanese longbow also has a longer top than bottom? not sure why, but they have a very nice fighting style which is very calm and clinical, it is also very scientific. My personall style is more brutish nothing fancy just plain smash n bash. The Samurai have definately got one thing and thats style, i dont care what historians say, style is a big factor in warriors basically if your not ultra scary or ultra calm in battle you don't fit the bill!
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Post by Temüjin on Sept 23, 2008 22:29:21 GMT 3
Samurai are vastly overrated, they can only defeat themselves and if they don't win they even kill themselves! ;D ;D
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Post by thracianglad on May 7, 2009 23:17:06 GMT 3
I am sad there isn't Bulgarian Patriarch Michael of Siria: There is an meeting between two nation, who have never escaped from the battle. And the Goths and the Bugarians are surprised they found a people as them, and they found a human clan - enemy as them. They, the Bulgarians who have never believe in their loss, who is thinking about the world...! They are the nation, who have had everything what they wants, they are taking titles, who are buying their nobility by the blood of their enemies. People, in them the battlefield make the family glorious, because in their opinion without qlaim for more noble is considered this whose weapon is more bloody in the battles... Mehmed Shukri pasha: There aren't courage as this of teh Bulgarian army. Now I find out there isn't a fortress, which can't be conquered by the Bulgarians. Benet Barley in "Dayly telegraph" I have seen many armies, but I have never seen such a patriotism and devotion like this showed by Bulgarians every hour on the battlefield. "Times" The true hero of the day is the Bulgarian infantryman... Tough, patient, happy, laughing, the Bulgarian soldier don't looks as a model of wonderful skills, but when the moment come, and the knifes are putted on the guns, and loud "Uraaa" rive the air, then Bulgarian soldier is in one amazing view" ... Maybe you could put the Huns Thracians are really fierce They were the greatest gladiators in Rome, I can say that they are hundred times better than Greeks, Azteks and many other.... I accept Turks, Spartans, Germans but where are the Russians and Japanesses. I can't really accept that Bulgarians aren't added in this competition, because after liberation from Ottoman empire the all policy of Bulgaria was the war, something as Sparta, every 5 th was a warrior!
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Post by Subu'atai on May 8, 2009 3:56:07 GMT 3
Samurai are vastly overrated, they can only defeat themselves and if they don't win they even kill themselves! ;D ;D ROFL! ;D
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Post by erik on May 23, 2009 1:07:43 GMT 3
Finns like u say verinen paroni! Hakka päälle pohjan poika! How they survived the Talvi sota and the jatko sota must be one of the greatest militarty achivments in history!! Milloons of russians are comming and they just cant take the sisukas finnish heimo!
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Post by zinnmartina on Sept 11, 2009 21:35:37 GMT 3
I personally think that the mongols were the greatest warriors, because for me they were not only warriors, they were organisators. Sucessfull Organisators in different situations.
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Post by Subu'atai on Sept 12, 2009 15:43:30 GMT 3
Special emphasis on the word "WERE greatest warriors" I guess... since I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too drunk now to staart anything ;D
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Post by mutu on Sept 13, 2009 11:48:03 GMT 3
I think we should add North Korean into this list. They fight against great famine and struggle for live under the strick sunction from western world. Now North Korea have sucessfully built their nuclear bombs and carrier related.
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Post by kenmirzz on Sept 17, 2009 11:06:55 GMT 3
Mr Zimmartina, I couldnt agree more. Their empire that stretched from Korean Peninsula to Hungary was something to ponder upon. My vote goes for them.
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Post by Subu'atai on Sept 18, 2009 15:46:25 GMT 3
How about shaolin monks? They're quite intimidating for little dudes. I still remember one show I watched when a monk literally SNATCHED a tiny piece of glass with two fingers off a whole standing glass-sheet in front of him without the whole thing breaking or cracking. A lifetime studying hand-to-hand combat - purest form of combat I must admit.
Which also brings up the topic - what is better - striking martial arts or grappling martial arts?
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Sept 18, 2009 19:31:16 GMT 3
Hmm, what are the examples of grappling martial arts?
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Post by sarmat on Sept 18, 2009 19:37:59 GMT 3
Hmm, what are the examples of grappling martial arts? Just different types of wrestling.
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