Which ancient empire is the most interesting to you?

The question is simple.I still cant find the answer to that in my head.I think every single one is uniqe.

I'd have to say the Sumerians are the most interesting to me. They're one of the oldest and had some really interesting belief's and an interesting religion (the necronomicon was based off of ancient sunerian texts i believe) also many other civ's branched off of them and incorporated much of their culture into their own. Even some stories from the bible were originally sumerian parables or stories. That's why i Sumerian's are the coolest ancient civ.

Either Japan or Germanic countrys, wayyy back in the day. They both were very interesting with their legends and wars and the likes.

The Germanic tribes were pretty efficient. I seem to remember Caesar Augustus sending out three legions to deal with a group of them. The legions were never seen again. If you can kick the arses of three Roman legions, you must be pretty good.

The Celtic empire, is foremost in my interest of the ancient people. In a strong second would be the Native Americans, who like the Celts held on to a strong oral(oration/spoken) tradition of legends.

[Edited on 20-4-2004 by ADVISOR]

I seem to remember Caesar Augustus sending out three legions to deal with a group of them. The legions were never seen again

Hah, reminds me of a quote from my German teacher;

"The Romans just made all the ancient German tribes angry, and they came and smashed EVERYTHING. Now there is nothing left. Thats why they have names like wolfgang, because they could run into forests like a wolf and hide"

Quite... not well said in English, but it was good fun.

I have a lot. Here they are in order. From favorite to least favorite: Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Russians, Sumerians/Babylonians, Persians, Macedonia, Myans, Incas, Aztecs, Indus, abd the Chinese.

Almost all -- but right now I'm learning to read Middle Kingdom (ancient Egyptian) hieroglyphics.

I've always been interested in the Greek and Egyptian emps. Peoples I would like to know more about ancient China and the Picts, pre-Roman.

i would have to say the romans

for enlightenment-the greeks
for warfare-the celts
for architecture-the egyptians

by the way you're right, its difficult to pick just one.



[Edited on 20-4-2004 by Bleys]

I would have to say the Egyptians(view of afterlife), Greeks(Philosophers) and Romans(war and political strategies). Also, lots of romance and drama going on in thier cultures, esp between Cleopatra and the Roman leaders!

Originally posted by Narnia
I would have to say the Egyptians(view of afterlife), Greeks(Philosophers) and Romans(war and political strategies). Also, lots of romance and drama going on in thier cultures, esp between Cleopatra and the Roman leaders!

She beat me to it !

But the Romans mostly. I'm not a real big history buff but there's something that draws me to the ancient romans.

When I was in England with Pisky he took me to a couple places that were ancient roman sites. One was the Viriconium, a site of a small town, including bathes and marketplace. And a pub in York that has ancient baths underneath it that you can go downstairs to visit.

I really can't say what I find so fascinating. I'm American and none of this should even relate to me. I'm positive that my fascination has something to do with a past life.

The Picts are another interesting civilisation. They stopped the mighty Roman Empire in its tracks. Antoninus Pius managed to get slightly farther along from Hadrian, but still couldn't conquer the Picts.

Originally posted by Pisky
The Germanic tribes were pretty efficient. I seem to remember Caesar Augustus sending out three legions to deal with a group of them. The legions were never seen again. If you can kick the arses of three Roman legions, you must be pretty good.

Aaaah, Teutoberg Forest. Arminius set up an ambush for the Romans in the year 9 CE, trapping them between a marshland and the hills. The ending result was the annihilation of 3 Roman Legions, or around 20000 men. The soldiers families were also killed. The Roman Governor of the time, Varus, committed suicide, rather than being captured. This ended Rome's attempt to colonize the Germanic tribes.

Yes, the Germanic tribes are also my favorite!!!!

Originally posted by Pisky
The Germanic tribes were pretty efficient. I seem to remember Caesar Augustus sending out three legions to deal with a group of them. The legions were never seen again. If you can kick the arses of three Roman legions, you must be pretty good.

I saw a doco on this a while ago. The 'barbarians attacked the rear of the line and slowly worked their way to the front, by which time the romans were deep in the woods of germany and completely screwed. This only worked because there was a massive distance between the leaders at the front and the stragglers at the back, more than an entire days walk. Very effective.

was Augustus' plea upon discovering what happened to the three legions lost. The XVII, XVIII and XIX.

I found this thread about Arminius on the AncientWorld site.

In 1985 archaeologists digging near the Kalkrieseberg began to uncover what probably happened next. A remnant of Varus' army, possibly including (the now badly wounded) Varus himself, tried to round the northern flank of the Kalkriese hill and pass between it and the moorlands to the north.

Arminius had known they would try to pass that way, however.

He placed a force of fresh warriors in their path to stop them and then attacked down the hill towards them, pinning them against the swamp. Normally this terrain would suit the Romans, because here the Germanics were finally out in the open and fighting on the Romans' terms. But three days and nights of constant attacks had worn them down. And Arminius had also used some Roman military training to his advantage.

He had prepared the ground at Kalkriese - building a long turf rampart parallel to the path the Romans were travelling on. He cut drainage through this wall to drain off the water coming down the hill after all the rains and to make the path even boggier than usual. Whenever the Romans counterattacked the Germanics retreated behind their wall. When they fell back, the Germanics attacked again.

Exactly how long this went on for is not known, but the final remnant of the army was now trapped. Dio tells us that, perhaps at this point or some other time towards the end of the battle, Varus decided that defeat and destruction were inevitable. No noble Roman could live with the shame of defeat, so, like his father Sextus before him, Varus fell on his sword while his officers committed suicide around him in a similar fashion.

With their commander and senior officers dead, the remaining soldiers made an attempt at a funeral pyre for Varus and waited for the final assault.

They didn't quite fight to a man - we know some at least were captured and probably surrendered. Many, however, made a last stand around the Eagles. This was partly because of their military tradition of defending the sacred standards to the last but it was also for another reason - the Germanics tended to offer up captives as thanks offerings to their war gods. Taking a spear was preferable to slow strangulation, crucifixion or being burnt alive to Tiwaz and Wodanaz.

Two of the Eagles fell into the enemy's hands, but according to the Roman historian Florus the standard bearer of the third Eagle was determined that his would not. Detaching it from it's staff, he hooked it to his belt and made a break for the marshlands, with Germanic warriors in hot pursuit. He waded out into the bog and deliberately drowned himself with the Eagle to keep it from the enemy.

With the battle over, many of the captive survivors faced a grim fate. The "lucky" ones were taken as slaves, some of them were liberated decades later when they were old men. Most weren't. The unlucky ones were tortured, massacred and sacrificed in an orgy of blood vengeance. Florus writes:

Some were blinded, others had their hands cut off, they sewed the mouth of one after cutting off his tongue, and the savage holding it in his hand, said: "Finally you stop hissing, you viper!"

The bodies of the dead were stripped of anything of value- especially prized Roman weapons, armour and helmets - and then left to rot - their bones were found scattered through the forest seven years later.

The ancient simerians where the beginers of civilization any civilization after them was just a copy of them if you look to any civilization history acount they are all similar because they originated from the simerians.

It is very very dificult to pick just one... On an equal level of interest, I'd say Incas, Mayas, Romans, Egyptians, Sumerians, Indians and Chinese. They all developped in different places, and at different times, but so many things are similar... Get the 7 history of all of them and you've got the world as we know it!

The Incas have something I like, even though I can't say exactly what...

Originally posted by SpookyVince


The Incas have something I like, even though I can't say exactly what...

Ok, I hate omisions, tell do tell. What is it they have that you are unable to say?