Left-handed people

[spiritusdilutus]

So, are there any records on left-handed people in ancient times? Ones specifically mentioning people that favour their other hand, or maybe soldiers in battle wielding a weapon in the left hand.

Were there possibly any custom made swords or axes for the purpose?

[Torvus]

I know that with Rome, they would just train any lefties to use their right hand to fight. as for custom made swords and axes, I don't think so. you pick up a sword, it's going to work just as well whether you are wielding it in your right hand or left.

[G. Septimus]

i Think there is
there must be. but ancient bioghraphy does'nt tell us about the persons left handness

[spiritusdilutus]

I know that with Rome, they would just train any lefties to use their right hand to fight. as for custom made swords and axes, I don't think so. you pick up a sword, it's going to work just as well whether you are wielding it in your right hand or left.

Yeah you`re right. I asked just in case there was a single weapon accustomed only to right-handed people.
Hmm, I could have guessed it was like that with Rome. No making an exception for a small minority, getting them to use the right hand seemed a cheaper and a quicker way around it.

[spiritusdilutus]

i Think there is
there must be. but ancient bioghraphy does'nt tell us about the persons left handness

Ok, I am not looking for the person`s exact description of the preferred hand, just anything recording the phenomena.

[Macilrille]

Difficult to fight left-handers though, as their attacks come from an unexpected angle.

Edited to add, an angle/way that you have not trained as much to reflectively parry.

[A Very Super Market]

I think something with like left-handedness, a genetic trait shared by one tenth of the population, it would be acceptable to assume that it was present in EB's timeframe.

[spiritusdilutus]

Difficult to fight left-handers though, as their attacks come from an unexpected angle.

Edited to add, an angle/way that you have not trained as much to reflectively parry.

Good point

[G. Septimus]

Difficult to fight left-handers though, as their attacks come from an unexpected angle.

Edited to add, an angle/way that you have not trained as much to reflectively parry.

yeah, we think that they're gonna attack from the right, but they attack from the left.
so, if maybe left handed generals attack with there left wing first

[antisocialmunky]

Many warriors during the Middle Ages learned to fight with both hands against people fighting with either hand. Probably the same goes true for the EB period.

[Tellos Athenaios]

A few things:

1. Left or right handedness matters relatively little if it doesn't come down to fine & precise movements; in particular because the world is sort of right-handed by default many left-handed people will have to learn to wield right-handed tools just the same. You'll find that left-handed people often can work with right-handed scissors and similar tools; sometimes so much so that they can not or no longer wield left-handed equivalents. Also many often used movements become ingrained nerve cells of the spine and therefore somewhat disconnected from dexterity. In any case working with tools is about making them a habit.
2. Many fighting styles are quite ambidextrous too: chucking a javelin for instance. So it is really about what hand you happen to learn the movements with.
3. Some fighting styles force the use of the right-hand because the majority prefers the right hand and the formation demands you all use the same hand. Extremely close-order infantry (phalanx and similar shield-walls) or cavalry (knee-to-knee charging formation of some cataphracts) spring to mind.

Also: left-handedness is actually the absence of a genetic trait (right-handedness can be by birth; left-handedness however can't) combined with a better-than-average right brain-half.

[ARCHIPPOS]

well my father was born left-handed... then in primary school the teachers made him use his right hand (we're talking about the 50's) so ever since he can write with both hands. hmmmmm, i don't think that using your "good" left hand would have worked in a phallanx context though...and i've seen no left-handers having problems in modern-day army drills

[DaciaJC]

Look to the Bible:

Judges 20:16 - Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. (KJV)

[Subotan]

If I recall correctly, both Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were left handed, as are Fidel Castro and Queen Elizabeth II

[MButcher]

A few things:
Left or right handedness matters relatively little if it doesn't come down to fine & precise movements; in particular because the world is sort of right-handed by default many left-handed people will have to learn to wield right-handed tools just the same. You'll find that left-handed people often can work with right-handed scissors and similar tools; sometimes so much so that they can not or no longer wield left-handed equivalents. Also many often used movements become ingrained nerve cells of the spine and therefore somewhat disconnected from dexterity. In any case working with tools is about making them a habit.

I can personally attest to this, I'm left handed but my right hand has become dominant in all but writing.

[Azathoth]

I think something with like left-handedness, a genetic trait shared by one tenth of the population, it would be acceptable to assume that it was present in EB's timeframe.

There's actually an interesting trend in human left-handedness. Apparently, when the species first appeared, 150000-200000 years ago, let's say, half the population was left handed. Nowadays, supposedly 1 in 20 are left-handed.

[Ibrahim]

well my father was born left-handed... then in primary school the teachers made him use his right hand (we're talking about the 50's) so ever since he can write with both hands. hmmmmm, i don't think that using your "good" left hand would have worked in a phallanx context though...and i've seen no left-handers having problems in modern-day army drills

same here actually. In the Arab world, its considered unlucky to use the left hand, so my grandmother made sure that I used my right hand to write with in Kindergarden/1st grade. as a result, I also became ambidextrous, but at the same time my left hands writes as I used to write in Kindergarden (no practice). I otherwise do everything else with either hand (drawing, shooting, eating, drinking, etc).

and left handedness is a recessive trait, so its not really the result of the absence of a gene, as it is the absence of dominent alleles in the gene.

[Macilrille]

yeah, we think that they're gonna attack from the right, but they attack from the left.
so, if maybe left handed generals attack with there left wing first

Nope not at all like that, it is only in duels/ one-on-one fights. You have trained against 90% right-handed people, if unlucky only against them. That means that the reflective defensive reactions you have trained is partly useless when it comes to facing a lefthander as his natural attacks come from the opposite places you are used to. And they come in from the weapon side instead of from the shield side.

It is a bit hard to explain, but I hope I succeeded somewhat, it goes even for people who are lefthanded themselves and for people like me who have trained to fight with both hands and/or two weapons. A part of Christopher "Lefty" Cold-Ravnkilde's fame comes from being left-handed, he is extremely good, but that he is a lefty only adds to it.

[Macilrille]

There's actually an interesting trend in human left-handedness. Apparently, when the species first appeared, 150000-200000 years ago, let's say, half the population was left handed. Nowadays, supposedly 1 in 20 are left-handed.

How on earth can we talk about how large a % of people were left-handed then? Who says the finds we have are representative of the population then? That is the problem with all archeology as we all know; "how representative is it?".

Not dizzing you, merely curious and pointing out problems.

[HunGeneral]

I'm not sure how much reality might be behind this, but if I recall then there was a character (I think Scaevola or something) in early roman legend who was sent to an Italian King whose Army was beseiging Rome. After the King asked what made him think that the romans were anything special the messenger answered by puttinh his right hand into a nearby campfire/torch and made no sound while his arm burned to ashes. After that the King gave up the siege - he knew he couldn't win over a people so determined and hardy.

If I remember right then the messenger survived and used his left hand from there on - that also gave him his nickname Scaevola which means as much as left handed.

[spiritusdilutus]

I'm not sure how much reality might be behind this, but if I recall then there was a character (I think Scaevola or something) in early roman legend who was sent to an Italian King whose Army was beseiging Rome. After the King asked what made him think that the romans were anything special the messenger answered by puttinh his right hand into a nearby campfire/torch and made no sound while his arm burned to ashes. After that the King gave up the siege - he knew he couldn't win over a people so determined and hardy.

If I remember right then the messenger survived and used his left hand from there on - that also gave him his nickname Scaevola which means as much as left handed.

Actually the story is a bit different than you retold it.... , however it`s a good example you gave. I almost forgot about Scaevola from the early history of Rome.

[Cute Wolf]

In formation it was assumed all soldiers use the right hand to grab thair weapons and the left to use their shield.... well, it doesn't matter which hand did u use to write, but if you are trained to fight with swords on your right and shield on your left.... maybe you'll try to slam your enemy with your shield more than right handed men. Just remember that the Roman legionaries' fighting style using their shields as much as the main course of attack, gladius is just for finishers.

[Ludens]

I know that with Rome, they would just train any lefties to use their right hand to fight.

Could you cite a source for this? It seems logical, but I don't think we know this for sure. The obsession with forcing children to use their right hand may be something of the last two centuries.

There's actually an interesting trend in human left-handedness. Apparently, when the species first appeared, 150000-200000 years ago, let's say, half the population was left handed. Nowadays, supposedly 1 in 20 are left-handed.

I rather doubt that, since mammals (and even birds) also have a preference for the left or right side. Handedness is not an uniquely human trait, so presumably there was a bias in our direct ancestor that would have been transferred to our species. Also, the percentage of left-handedness varies between cultures.

[antisocialmunky]

Actually handedness seems to be present in most creatures with bilateral symmetry. '_'

Its even been theorized that Trilobites were 'right handed' because they always favored turning right when predators attacked them. Apparantly its because of that almost all trilobite fossils with bite damage have it on the right side.

[bobbin]

AFIAK the romans thought being left handed was unlucky, hence the use of sinister (derived form the latin for left) today to mean something that is evil.

[Subotan]

AFIAK, the Romans had special cohorts for left handed people.

[antisocialmunky]

Special cohorts in the good way or bad way? Did they just stick them on the right flank so they better shield the right side?

[Azathoth]

How on earth can we talk about how large a % of people were left-handed then? Who says the finds we have are representative of the population then? That is the problem with all archeology as we all know; "how representative is it?".

Not dizzing you, merely curious and pointing out problems.

Well, I concede that to you. It's interesting to think about, at least, and might point to a progressive decline in left-handedness.

[Subotan]

Special cohorts in the good way or bad way? Did they just stick them on the right flank so they better shield the right side?

That way. They weren't some Super-Duper Leftie Elite.

[IrishHitman]

Look to the Bible:

Judges 20:16 - Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. (KJV)

Interesting.
Where's the "peaceful" part in slinging stones accurately.....

Oh, the Bible, what an amusing text...

Still, some interesting answers on the leftie front so far.