Comments by "" (@craigkdillon) on "Flash Point History" channel.

Not by everyone. The great military historian, B.H. Liddel-Hart, wrote a book about Scipio where he declared him to be the greatest general in history -- over Alexander, Bonaparte, and Caesar. He makes a good case. Read his book.
13
Starting with 50,000 ---- loses 24,000 crossing the Alps --- and still keeps his army together -- Amazing. How did Hannibal motivate a mercenary army to sacrifice so much??? Hannibal must have been a phenomenal motivator and leader, not merely a great field general.
10
Do you remember the goal of Thanos in the Avengers, to kill 1/2 of everything, and thus free up resources for a bright new world????? Well, I think that was inspired by the Black Plague. True, it was horrific, and killed 1/2 of people. This new shortage of people changed Europe. 1.) Labor became more valuable. Serfs were now sought by other Lords. The Serf system broke down, and people became free to move. 2.) Thus, towns grew. Also, pay grew, since labor was more valuable. Europe became free because of the Black Death. Ended Serfdom, creating the situation enabling the Renaissance. So, Thanos wasn't such a bad guy after all, was he??
9
@FlashPointHx None other than the great military historian B H Liddell-Hart declared Scipio Africanus as the best general in history, and he wrote a book to back it up.
4
B H Liddel Hart, the great military historian. Stated that Scipio was the best general in history. Won every battle. Defeated great generals
4
The great military historian, B H Liddel Hart, declared that Scipio Africanus was better than Hannibal. More than that, he declared Scipio Africanus to be the greatest general in all history. Better than Alexander. Better than Napoleon. And better than Caesar. He made this declaration in the book he wrote about Scipio. Scipio NEVER lost. Scipio defeated other great generals of history - namely Hannibal. He defeated Hannibal with fewer troops, and on Hannibal's home ground. Scipio was definitely better than Hannibal. FYI - B H Liddel Hart is the most respected military historian of the 20th Century. I recommend any of his many books.
3
Black Death??? Is that as bad as Covid-19 or The Zombie Apocalypse?
2
Interesting. Read several comments about people protesting the usage of "BCE". Some people have odd priorities. As if that is very important.
2
If you read the Roman epic, the Ainead, you will see that the Romans knew of the 7 head waters of the Ganges. India was well known to Romans. The Mediterranean world and Indian world were united. Islam ended that. Knowledge of India and Asia became lost.
2
Which don't you like?? Before Christian Era??? OR -- Before Common Era??? What dating system would you like??? Mayan?? Chinese??
2
I LOVE whack-a-mole. I regret you not giving us the play by play, blow by blow, hit by hit, description of what happened to Hannibal in Italy, post Cannae. It would be fun.
2
Interesting that the drawings and painting used to depict the Romans show many with beards. I believe that Romans, at that time, viewed beards as barbaric, and the same with tattoos. They had Greek ideals of the human body. I wonder how many of the depictions of ancient Greeks with beards are accurate??
2
B H Liddel-Hart wrote that Scipio Africanus was the best general in history. Better than Caesar. Better than Napoleon. Better than Alexander. Etc etc etc. Read his book.
2
Annually extorted tribute??? Oh, right.... you mean taxes.
2
Excellent. Can you please do an episode on the most important and, to me, the most interesting part of Roman history -- 600 BC to the Punic Wars. That was the time that Roman civilization was formed. 1. How did Rome evolve from being ruled by Etruscan Kings to having a Republic run by a Senate? 2. Why did they send a delegation to talk to Solon in Greece to get the laws and constitution of their Republic? 3. How and why did the Romans have the balls to leave Rome, and let the Senate rule an empty city, until they established the office of the Tribune of the Plebs, who had the power of VETO over the Senate. I mean, what kind of people have such courage?? 4. How did the Romans use Campus Mars? It was a field in the city of Rome, where Romans assembled and trained for combat, war, and command. I believe they trained ALL THE F**KING TIME. 5. According to Livy, Rome was at war every year from 500 to 200, with only a handful of years of peace. WHY??? What drove Romans to be at war ALL THE TIME? Did their economy demand it? Were they driven by the desire to get slaves?? Was it plunder?? Was it pride? 6. Was their any people as warlike and martial as the Romans?? Mongols, maybe? For me, that is the most interesting time. I think the peak of its power as a people was the Punic Wars. After that, it started going downhill. The Civil Wars that started with Marius, and didn't end until Augustus became the first emperor was the time when its doom was sealed. For after Augustus, Rome started assassinating its possible leaders, like Germanicus, and started having mad rulers, like Caligula. It took 4.5 centuries for it to finally collapse. Isn't that a testament to the strength and will of the Roman people who constructed Rome in the 5th and 6th Centuries BC??
1
@FlashPointHx great. Do a whole episode on Solon and the December's. And another on the abandoning of Rome and the creation of the Tribune of the Plebs.
1
@williamconto6977 Zama was NOT a close call. It was an utter and COMPLETE defeat of Hannibal. I advise you to read Hart's book on Scipio. I also advise you to read any of the good accounts of the 2nd Punic War. Hannibal was great at the start. But, after his his wintering in the South of Italy, he never won again. The Romans had him outfoxed. The Fabian strategy worked. Scipio did take 2 years to train his legions. But, that is part of being a good general -- making sure your army is prepared. Total reliance on mercenaries was a weakness, IMO, of the Carthaginian military.
1
BTW..I have read both Polybius and Levy. Excellent. But, it must be remembered - they were not true historians in the modern sense. To me their books are also artifacts of the ancient world. Although not reliably accurate, they were the histories the Romans themselves read and considered truth. Remember, the writings of Polybius, Levy, and even Caesar were political tracts -- meant to spin the truth to the benefit of Rome. They were tools of propaganda.
1
@FlashPointHx I understand that. But, to me, that makes it even more amazing. If I was a paid mercenary, and I saw my leader sacrifice some units, I think I might not feel so secure. Could he sacrifice me?? After all, that would save him some money, wouldn't it?? For me, losing half his army in the Alps, and still having a functioning army was his most amazing achievement. BTW -- I still agree with B H Liddel-Hart, that Africanus was the better general.
1
stl26mo Yes. and big brass balls.
1
@FlashPointHx I differentiate them. Caesar's Gallic Wars was a political document to increase his popularity. Like our Gen'l MacArthur was a horrible field general, but was great at domestic propaganda. For me, Africanus #1, Marius #2, Caesar #3.
1
First, Numidian horsemen had great reputation. Second, Romans used Cavalry to protect their flanks, not so much as a primary attacking force, I believe. Rome seemed to rely mostly on infantry formation of the legion. During Roman era, infantry dominated cavalry.
1
Good question. Flanking seems have been successful in many eras. The Dutch square and Spanish Turcio seem to be formations specifically designed to deal with flanking.
1
Part of it was Bordin's Polovtsian Dances.
1
Huh??? I don't think Marx had anything to do with dating protocols. BCE can mean Before Christian Era or Before Common Era. Or, would you prefer the Mayan or Chinese Calendars??
1