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Body Count of the Roman Empire

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Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#41

Post by formula1 »

davidreiss wrote: post #36

The numbers attributed to genghis khan and the mongols are pretty much scientifically impossible. It's propaganda/folk lore than real. > It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. Estimated based on what? Myth? > Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens. And the mongols turned the peoples they conquered into t…

I remember reading/hearing somewhere that Ghengis Kahn used to catipult dead bodies into cities which would then spread desiese.

In addition, it's my understanding he killed most of the men then slept with as many women as he wanted.

One could say a crater from a nuclear bomb was quite peaceful.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#42

Post by saiya-jin »

formula1 wrote: post #41
davidreiss wrote: post #36

The numbers attributed to genghis khan and the mongols are pretty much scientifically impossible. It's propaganda/folk lore than real. > It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. Estimated based on what? Myth? > Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens. And the mongols turned the peoples they conquered into t…

I remember reading/hearing somewhere that Ghengis Kahn used to catipult dead bodies into cities which would then spread desiese. In addition, it's my understanding he killed most of the men then slept with as many women as he wanted. One could say a crater from a nuclear bomb was quite peaceful.

the catapulting of some diseased bodies into besieged cities/fortresses was a common medieval tactic all around the world. it doesn't take a genius to figure this out during sieges.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#43

Post by usefulcat »

Red_Tarsius wrote: post #26

If the numbers are true, Genghis Khan killed more people in a few decades than the Romans did in a thousand years. It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/2... Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens.

Just to add a bit of context: that 15M figure averages out to a quarter million people every single month for five years.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#44

Post by boomboomsubban »

EGreg wrote: post #31
FlashGit wrote: post #25

The Romans weren't afraid to win wars by attrition. Some of their generals were definitely good but they could just swarm any opposing force with highly disciplined, well armed troops. Hannibal crushed the Romans several times, it didn't matter. Carthage still got wiped off the map.

Who dealt Rome the most damage? Spartacus and the Slave Wars Hannibal and Carthage Bar Kohkba and the Judaic Wars?

Persians, only the Romans can compete. They only stopped being a problem when the Muslims replaced them.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#45

Post by abecedarius »

davidreiss wrote: post #36

The numbers attributed to genghis khan and the mongols are pretty much scientifically impossible. It's propaganda/folk lore than real. > It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. Estimated based on what? Myth? > Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens. And the mongols turned the peoples they conquered into t…

Another benefit: they were even CO2-negative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_under_the_Mongol_E...

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#46

Post by EGreg »

yk wrote: post #37
EGreg wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who dealt Rome the most damage? Spartacus and the Slave Wars Hannibal and Carthage Bar Kohkba and the Judaic Wars?

In a single event, the Roman navy during the first Punic war. Rome lost the entire invasion fleet with estimates of more than 90.000 drowned during a storm. (It is still the second worst maritime disaster in history as Wikipedia counts. [0] Wikipedia lists the Mongol invasion of Japan as the worst, with more than 100.000 lives lost.) The bloodiest war in Roman history was the second Punic war, that is the battles los…

What about the sinking of the Spanish armada invading Britain? As far as maritime disasters it was pretty huge. And that seems to have turned the tide of history.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#47

Post by Red_Tarsius »

usefulcat wrote: post #43
Red_Tarsius wrote: post #26

If the numbers are true, Genghis Khan killed more people in a few decades than the Romans did in a thousand years. It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/2... Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens.

Just to add a bit of context: that 15M figure averages out to a quarter million people every single month for five years .

Jack Weatherford, author of the controversial Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, wrote that "...more conservative scholars place the number of dead from Genghis Khan's invasion of central Asia at 15 million within five years." But he strongly disagrees with that estimate. https://books.google.it/books?id=A8Y9B5uHQcAC&pg=PA118&lpg=P...

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#48

Post by jacquesc »

davidreiss wrote: post #40
DanAndersen wrote: post #11

Relevant: Dan Carlin just came out with a new episode of Hardcore History called "The Celtic Holocaust," which deals with the subject of the Roman subjugation of Gaul and the Celtic people. http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-60-the-cel...

Just an FYI: Dan Carlin isn't a historian and most of his podcasts are closer to exciting/interesting fiction/myth than actual history. So please keep that in mind when listening to his stuff. Though I do enjoy his podcasts, it's more entertainment than history.

Most "actual history" is closer to fiction/myth than we want to believe. Dan Carlin is usually up front about this.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#49

Post by _delirium »

EGreg wrote: post #46
yk wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a single event, the Roman navy during the first Punic war. Rome lost the entire invasion fleet with estimates of more than 90.000 drowned during a storm. (It is still the second worst maritime disaster in history as Wikipedia counts. [0] Wikipedia lists the Mongol invasion of Japan as the worst, with more than 100.000 lives lost.) The bloodiest war in Roman history was the second Punic war, that is the battles los…

What about the sinking of the Spanish armada invading Britain? As far as maritime disasters it was pretty huge. And that seems to have turned the tide of history.

That's third on the list linked above, with estimated 15-20k men lost.

Re: Body Count of the Roman Empire

#50

Post by [deleted] »

davidreiss wrote: post #36

The numbers attributed to genghis khan and the mongols are pretty much scientifically impossible. It's propaganda/folk lore than real. > It's estimated that 15M died in the Mongols' five-year invasion of central Asia. Estimated based on what? Myth? > Rome used to turn the defeated tribes into slaves (though it was not a permanent status) or tax-paying citizens. And the mongols turned the peoples they conquered into t…

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