Hannibal

[Sgt_B]

Some of you who are really interested in the tactical aspect of his game may be interested in a special on the Discovery. channel. It covers the life of Hannibal as a general, and goes over quite a few of his famous battles. If your big on tactics, check it out. Discovery usually replays their specials 3-4 times a week (seems like). Check it out, you might be interested.

[Crimson Castle]

I think the History Channel is doing a special on the Spartans.

[Heggs]

Cool. I saw one on Julius Caesar before. He was one nasty bastid, but if he was on your side you were sorted http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

[Sepiche]

Yeah that special on Hannibal was great. Had some nive insights, neat little annimations of the battles. There are some amazing tactics he was able to pull off.

Highly recomended,
Sepiche

[Sgt_B]

Hey Sepiche,
How about the one where he had the Gaul infantry give way in the middle, then bent the outside around the Romans. Finally bringing up the rear with his heavy cav. That was just amazing to me that he could see that in his mind, and then actually execute it properly. I can't believe 60,000 Romans died in that one battle.

[Ckrisz]

Ahh, Cannae, the "Perfect Battle." It so obsessed generals throughout the years ... John Keegan says that it (specifically Schlieffen's obsession with it) helped cause the First World War.

[AcePylut]

When is the special on the Spartans?

I just read "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield, and fell in love with the Spartans.

If you haven't read it, pick it up, it's a great read that details the Battle of Thermopaylae, where 300 Spartans (and assorted other greeks - sum total of 4k soldiers and helots) held the Persian might (numbering around 1-2 million, but history thinks Herodotus got his numbers off by a factor of 10 and there were only 300k Persians) for a week at the mountain pass.

The book is just a great read... I recommend it to anyone interested in history.

[IRONPAW]

AcePylut,

If you like Spartans check out "Thermopaylae" the book it is a fictional type history, it goes allot into the spartans customs, it is told in the perspective of a slave who becomes a squire. It came out about two years ago.

[solypsist]

moved to History forum.

[Sepiche]

Yeah, that was really the battle I was thinking of. That blew my mind. The fact he was able to pull that off was incedible and the disipline of his troops was unbelievable.

How about the part where the Roman soldier rode into his camp and threw his brothers head on the ground and rode out? I can't believe they didn't hear his huge steel balls clanking together as he rode up. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

Sepiche

[Wellington]

Two very good related articles (first one posed as a question, the second the replies) from the Society of Ancients discussing Cannae and the resons for the Roman catastrophe -
http://www.soa.org.uk/main/resource/articles/cannaeroman.htm
http://www.soa.org.uk/main/resource/articles/cannaereprise.htm


Well worth a read!

[Wavesword]

I wonder if Hannibal said after Cannae "I love it when the plan comes together."

------------------
Lay your sleeping head, my love,
Human on my faithless arm;
Time and fevers burn away
Individual beauty from
Thoughtful children, and the grave
Proves the child ephemeral:
But in my arms till break of day
Let the living creature lie,
Mortal, guilty, but to me
The entirely beautiful.

[nokhor]

lol @ wavesword

and B.A. replies 'i'm not getting on that elephant, hannibal.'

------------------
indeed

[clansman]

I hear they're going to make a Hollywood blockbuster about Hannibal due for release next year. Apparently that Van Diesel bloke (Triple X), you know the freak from Pitch Black, is going to play Hannibal. Here's hoping its a stonking flim!
Can anyone confirm this or am I talking PAP.........again!