tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post152342237717608956..comments2024-03-28T03:10:23.679-07:00Comments on Polemarch: When is a state not a state?The Polemarchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-88359127630751694502010-11-13T03:37:44.318-08:002010-11-13T03:37:44.318-08:00"I mean, if that is this case, you cannot rea..."I mean, if that is this case, you cannot really argue back from the experience of modern small units to the experience of a Persian spearman or a Viking?"<br /><br />Perfectly correct, of course. I don't know about the Persians or Greeks, but Roman legions had 'tents' of 8, which possibly reproduced the modern 'squad'. I wouldn't want to argue from modern armies to ancient ones, but would wish the gently challenge the idea that contingents from various parts of composite states would be un-motivated.<br />Thanks for your comment.The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-4288397061988266532010-11-09T11:50:26.706-08:002010-11-09T11:50:26.706-08:00"Just because the troops were not fighting fo..."Just because the troops were not fighting for their king and country (at least directly) in our terms, that does not mean that they would automatically be of poor quality. After all, modern studies of fighting men suggest quite strongly that the principal cause they fight for is their mates in the squad. Modern armies spend quite a lot of time engendering loyalty to country and regiment. It is hard to imagine that a contingent from Sardis would not be out to prove themselves better men than those wets from Ephesus, or wherever."<br /><br />Does this not contradict slightly some of your previous thoughts about periods (including different 'periods' within the 'Ancient Era') working in fundamentally different ways? I mean, if that is this case, you cannot really argue back from the experience of modern small units to the experience of a Persian spearman or a Viking? To take your example, it might be that competition within a contingent from Sardis was a greater motivator (but implying a different type of unit discipline) was a greater motivator than more external competition?<br /><br />RegardsJWHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01637785437909299947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-4474002366177480292010-11-08T02:49:29.402-08:002010-11-08T02:49:29.402-08:00There's some good comments here and I cannot r...There's some good comments here and I cannot really add anything other than to note that the cultural concept of the state belongs firmly in my own favourite periods and states too; Anglo-Saxon England and Viking Age Scandinavia. This certainly does not help rate the troop types though. While I think you could probably make some judgements based on the history of the area, perhaps it would be better just to compare their performance in various battles, based on what little evidence there is. That said, any means of rating troops will of necessity be more art than science, because it involves the interpretation of the rather sparse evidence, which is not inherently objective anyway.Ruaridhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003128932063213463noreply@blogger.com