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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Whatbox: [QB] Tyro, first, I'd like to say, good job. Some of my criticisms and praises ring in different places than the others, so if you will, read on.. [QUOTE]Originally posted by Truthcentric: ARMIES OF ANCIENT AFRICA Since [b]modern[/b] humans [b](Homo sapiens sapiens) evolved[/b] in Africa, that ugly and universal human tradition known as war almost certainly has a longer history on that continent than anywhere else in the world.[/QUOTE]The [b]bolded[/b] phrase and terms - [i][b]modern[/b]-human[/i], [i][b]Homo sapiens sapiens[/b][/i] and [b][i]evolved[/i][/b], respectively - strike me as speech less so common and moreso lingo-ish / jargony, meaning speech very specific to a community -- in this case the scientific and / or nerdy community, and in my humble opinion a little too much so, for the *first* and [i]opening[/i] sentence of a more [b]historically[/b]-focused write-up. This is coming from a major fan of science, by the way. [QUOTE][b]The Egyptians[/b] In the beginning, the ancient Egyptian army was primitive, at least in comparison with the armies of ancient Europe and Asia. The poor equipment and discipline of the nascent Egyptian army was no problem when fighting other Africans, but once confronted by the more technologically advanced armies of Southwest Asia, the Egyptians were forced to upgrade and reform their military.[/QUOTE]First of all, the Egyptians ravaged their enemies regardless of direction, there were a few Asiatic invasions as well as a few Nubian ones (to Indigenous-controlled Dynasties, meaning I'm not counting or at least putting as much weight to invasions that happened when already occupied or a vassal-state). They were top-dog, un-ended for a couple millenia, not mere centuries, how many civilizations can say that? And they in ancient documents are said to have amassed quite an Imperial territory during the line of Sesostris and it's a historical fact they did this during Pax-Aegyptica, top dog, top of the world. So long story short, basic points: [list] [*]If their vanquished spanned different continents, in this context I see no reason to sectionalize people into different continents like this here. In this context. [*]And on the word primitive, could you have used [i]basic[/i] or something, it's less pejorative (I guess). I guess this could be being a lil potatoes potatas here though. [/list] [QUOTE][b]Comparisons and Contrasts[/b] A common theme shared by Egyptian, Mandinka, and Zulu militaries was the particular importance of ranged weapons for foot soldiers. In Egyptian and Mandinka armies, the bow was preferred for the infantry, while the Zulu prior to Shaka used javelins. This African emphasis on ranged weaponry contrasts heavily with the preference for melee weapons that characterized ancient European warriors such as those of Greece, Rome and Gaul. Of the three cultures examined here, the Zulu stand out for not making use of the horse, in contrast to Mandinka horsemen and Egyptian chariots (the uneven terrain of the Zulu country was not conducive to cavalry). However, Egyptians prior to the New Kingdom also did not use the horse, so an early Egyptian army would have been on similar footing to a Zulu army. The Egyptians also shared with the Zulu the use of cowhide for shields and a lack of body armor. With iron chainmail and helmets, the Mandinka had the best armor of our three African militaries, in contrast to the scantily clad Egyptians and Zulu. The heavy importance of horsemen in Mandinka armies would have also given them an advantage even against New Kingdom Egyptian armies, since men directly on horseback can outrun and outmaneuver chariots. In addition, Mandinka archers utilized poison for their arrows, a trick unknown to Egyptian archers and Zulu javelineers. It is because of these advantages that I proclaim the Mandinka to have the strongest army of the three cultures I have surveyed. [/QUOTE]I like how you mention poisoned arrows, a trick existant in West Africa in general in terms of archers. It would have been cool though if you'd mentioned of horses (although this pre-spans the Mali Empire) the ancientness of horses in the general region (the Western Sudan) as per Roman sources (I think). Little point there; good write-up regardless. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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