The Greatest General in Antiquity

[RomamVivit]

In your opinion who is the greatest of ancient times? I will define ancient times as the time period of 8000 BCE- 600 CE. I personally believe that Hannibal Barca is the greatest general of antiquity. He brought Rome to its knees after he displayed his tactical genius at the Battle of Cannae. He almost destroyed Rome, but he lacked the necessary siege equipment to finish the job. However, one must ponder the consequences of his actions if he did manage to topple Rome, do you really think we would be living in the world that we are now? For all the aforementioned my contention is that Hannibal is the greatest general of ancient times.

[ruveyn ben yosef]

In your opinion who is the greatest of ancient times? I will define ancient times as the time period of 8000 BCE- 600 CE. I personally believe that Hannibal Barca is the greatest general of antiquity. He brought Rome to its knees after he displayed his tactical genius at the Battle of Cannae. He almost destroyed Rome, but he lacked the necessary siege equipment to finish the job. However, one must ponder the consequences of his actions if he did manage to topple Rome, do you really think we would be living in the world that we are now? For all the aforementioned my contention is that Hannibal is the greatest general of ancient times.

Hannibal Barka was surely one of the top five commanders of ancient times. The man who defeated him, Scipio Africanus is up there too. Hannibal made the same mistake as Isoruko Yammamoto. He awakened a sleeping giant. He did not destroy Rome in his initial attack and Rome emerged stronger than it was. There is an old saying: any blow that does not kill, strengthens.

In the same class as Hannibal was Spartacus. He was outnumber and "outgunned" by Rome, and he gave the Romans holy hell for a while. But he did not defeat Rome. Spartacus made one serious error. He stayed to fight longer tha he should. If he had led his army of ax-slaves north over the Alps, the outcome would have been much different.

But numero uno in the ancient world was Alexander, the son of Phillip, he who was called The Great. Alexander conquered Old Persia and it never could put itself back together again, even after Alexander died. Alexander and his cronies remade the Near East. Ptolemy not only conquered Egypt, he even figured how to become Pharo. And it was he, also tutored by Aristotle, who built Alexander's city in Egypt, which eventually become the Brain Capitol of the World for several hundred years. Indirectly, Alexander gave us Archimedes.

ruveyn

Edited July 4, 2008 by ruveyn ben yosef

[sanjavalen]

This is something of comparing apples to oranges. What kind of objective standard can you establish when the amount, skill and equipment of the troops in the given time period varied by quite a lot?

That in mind, I can't really say.

[Zip]

This is something of comparing apples to oranges. What kind of objective standard can you establish when the amount, skill and equipment of the troops in the given time period varied by quite a lot?

That in mind, I can't really say.

Agreed, I can't help but wonder what Caesar would have been able to do with a Panzer division, or Atilla could have done with an Airborne Brigade.

[Dr. Radiaki]

Agreed, I can't help but wonder what Caesar would have been able to do with a Panzer division, or Atilla could have done with an Airborne Brigade.

Ceaser might have been convinced of the efficacy of armored divisions, but Atilla was so mired in tribal traditions and the warrior cult that he would have roundly rejected metal sky birds, I'm sure.