nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) (10/17/90)
From: nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) From: nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) In article <1990Oct15.034315.14142@cbnews.att.com>, woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood) writes: > to the best of my knowledge napoleon never used scorched earth > as an offensive tactic. napoleon didn't try to destroy the > economic base of the countries he invaded. this is what i meant > when referring to total war. corrections welcomed. When the Assyrians of Ninevah took the city of Babylon, they did more than take the city. They killed almost (If memory serves, less than a dozen survivors) everyone. They took the city apart so that no two stones were left one on top the other. They threw the topsoil into the Euphrates river! They were arguably more thorough in their destruction than the bomb was to Hiroshima; Hiroshima had surviors, buildings partly intact, etc. Neil Kirby ...att!archie!nak [mod.note: And I'll mention the Roman destruction of Carthage after that city's fall, so nobody else has to. 8-) - Bill ]
jwm@wdl76.wdl.fac.com (Jon W Meyer) (10/19/90)
From: jwm@wdl76.wdl.fac.com (Jon W Meyer) nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) writes: |In article <1990Oct15.034315.14142@cbnews.att.com>, woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood) writes: |> to the best of my knowledge napoleon never used scorched earth |> as an offensive tactic. |When the Assyrians of Ninevah took the city of Babylon, they did more than |take the city. They killed almost (If memory serves, less than a dozen |survivors) everyone. They took the city apart so that no two stones were |left one on top the other. They threw the topsoil into the Euphrates |river! They were arguably more thorough in their destruction than the bomb |was to Hiroshima; Hiroshima had surviors, buildings partly intact, etc. |[mod.note: And I'll mention the Roman destruction of Carthage after |that city's fall, so nobody else has to. 8-) - Bill ] How about the sack of Kiev? Also, on the conscription issue, I believe the Roman's implemented conscription as part of the Marian reforms, predating the U.S. Civil War conscription just a tad. Jon
michaelm@vax.MCD.3Com.COM (Michael McNeil) (10/24/90)
From: michaelm@vax.MCD.3Com.COM (Michael McNeil) [mod.note: Followups to soc.history. - Bill ] nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) writes: }In article <1990Oct15.034315.14142@cbnews.att.com>, woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov }(Wayne Wood) writes: }> to the best of my knowledge napoleon never used scorched earth }> as an offensive tactic. napoleon didn't try to destroy the }> economic base of the countries he invaded. this is what i meant }> when referring to total war. corrections welcomed. }When the Assyrians of Ninevah took the city of Babylon, they did more than }take the city. They killed almost (If memory serves, less than a dozen }survivors) everyone. They took the city apart so that no two stones were }left one on top the other. They threw the topsoil into the Euphrates }river! They were arguably more thorough in their destruction than the bomb }was to Hiroshima; Hiroshima had surviors, buildings partly intact, etc. If this is true, how could there have been a (revived) Babylonian Empire for the Persians to conquer? How could Babylon, with much of its culture and scientific tradition intact, been thriving on into Hellenistic times (whereas the ruins of Nineveh were hardly even recognizable at the time that Alexander's army marched by)? -- Michael McNeil michaelm@vax.DSD.3Com.COM (3comvax.UUCP) 3Com Corporation ucbvax!hplabs!oliveb!3comvax!michaelm Santa Clara, California work telephone: (408) 492-1790 x 5-208 Whirl is king. Aristophanes