DNA evidence of Alexander's army?

Jim Clifton wrote -

"I believe Sparta used the short sword to great use before the Romans."

The Spartans did indeed use a shorter sword than most Greek nations for a time. According to (IIRC) Pausanias, a foreign visitor once asked a Spartan general why their swords were so short. "Well," the Spartan replied, "we like to fight close to the enemy..."

 
Another note; the Greeks were required to furnish their own Panoply to have full citizenship priveleges. In other words, to be a full citizen, they would have to furnish their own armor, hoplon (shield), spear, sword, helmet, and greaves. Now, I wold guess that they would want the most effective and the best designed and quality weapons they could get, seeing as how their lives depended on their choices! Is it any wonder that the kopis was so popular? Or that the kopis was the favored sword of Alexander's men? And if we had to provide the same today, I'd choose a HI khukuri for my panoply!

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Kevan "Raven" Taylor-Perry
 
This thread just keeps getting better.

The article noted that the Hunza and Kalash lived in the area where the three largest mountain ranges of the world ( iirc ): the Karakoram Range; the Hindu Kush; and the Himalayas all converge.

Also converging around the area are Tajikhistan, the Afghanistan panhandle, China, Pakistan, and India not that far off. ( In fact the river down into India is, amazingly, called the Indus. You don't suppose Indus and India...)

No offense intended to anyone, but I think I'd pass on taking a tour through there even with a tank as my transportation. Too many cultures, too many religions, too many people schooled in too many various methods of them staying alive ( by making their opponents dead ). And I do remember the night the guy who owned the local market here got stabbed to death in a mainstreet bar.

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You can crop a jackasses' ears, but that still don't give him no horse sense.

Himalayan Imports Website
 
Kev,
Once more about the Spartans,How many times in history has the best of one army met the best of anothers? The Spartans did!The Persians put up their "Immortals"against only "300" Spartians!End result was,Spartans kicked their ***** & said"IS THAT THE BEST YOU HAVE"!The Immortals,by the way,outnumbered the Spartans!The Bladework had to be "AWESOME"!
jim

 
Jim: Yes! The Spartans are actually very fascinating to me (and believe it or not, I even try to re-create their famous "black broth" in my kitchen!!") Philip of Macedon wrote to the Spartans, "if I enter Laconia, I shall level it to the ground." The Spartans replied, "If." the Spartans always claimed the only walls Sparta needed were the shield-walls of it's hoplite. And interestingly enough, Spartan women had more freedom than Athenian women. The Spartan women would exhort the warriors as they left for battle: "Return with your shield or on it!" I think one of the few Greek city-state units that could match them was the Theban Sacred Band. It was the Sacred Band where the term "Death Before Dishonor" hails from. Well, off to work.... Great thread! Ave Alexander!

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Kevan "Raven" Taylor-Perry
 
Kev,
In my coll. days, had one of the best Prof. on Greek & Roman history ,Spata was one of my "Special" subjects!Prof. Andrews DIED MANY YEARS AGO BUT THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAD ON SPARTA VS.ATHENS & ROME!We never agreed! ALMOST LIKE BILL & ME! If the Spartans had HI K's,oh my!
jim
 
Awe, adventure, myth and legend. Robert Service on the American and Canadian North.
Rudyard Kipling on the east, Jack London on the tall ships, Hemingway, Ruark, H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs on Africa...

Those are fiction, reality is more fascinating and strange. I don't know the half of even the own local history where I live.

The ghost towns of Aurora, Bodie, the mine strike in Tonopah in the early 20th century broken up when the Governor created the State Police to send in, Wyatt Earp running bars in Tonopah and Goldfield, the 1890's Ghost Dance movement that began on the rez I worked on for 5 years and ended at Wounded Knee.

I'm constantly learning more and more of how much I don't know. TELL ME MORE!



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You can crop a jackasses' ears, but that still don't give him no horse sense.

Himalayan Imports Website
 
A guy over at sword forums gave me this link,when i was asking for REAL kopi pics.

http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/thrace/swords_main.htm

Fascinating stuff here,lots of old old blades,some resemble khukuris more than others.I dont think i will doubt the origin on the khukuri after seeing these pics.
 
Wow! Uncle Bill!
That is one insightful comment! Do you mid if I use it amongst my friends and colleagues?
rofl, David

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 09-20-2000).]
 
Robert Cole: Great link! It's on my "favorites" now! Jim Clifton, feel free to e-mail me whenever you need a Greco-Roman military history chat fix! Ave Alexander!

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Kevan "Raven" Taylor-Perry
 
speaking of Sparta and Alexander, Sparta was left alone by Alexander.Eithere out of respect for her past,because she was small at the time or because the Macedonians were related to the Spartans(Both Dorian Hellenes) I dont know the reason.
 
"Uncle Bill's HI Star Wars Cantina and Stage Stop" should perhaps be renamed "Uncle Bill's HI Star Wars Cantina, College/( or maybe better ) College of Knowlege*, and Stage Stop.


*as in "funny farm" "happy home" and "college of knowlege".

Funny thing, as I understand it, is that college came from collegium which boiled down to a lot of guys who knew a little getting together at a forum to swap "recipes". Someone who knows more than me tell us what I missed or where I put my foot in my mouth.

But I don't kid when I wistfully wish they gave college and graduate credit for what's learned here.

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Himalayan Imports Website

[This message has been edited by Rusty (edited 09-24-2000).]
 
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