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> Invincible on flat ground as long as its flanks were protected, the phalanx was dangerously exposed on hillsides. Highly manoeuvrable, veterans of the Hanniba
by everdev 8y ago
> Invincible on flat ground as long as its flanks were protected, the phalanx was dangerously exposed on hillsides. Highly manoeuvrable, veterans of the Hannibalic war, the legionaries wreaked a terrible slaughter.
It's amazing how much terrain has affected the arc of history.
- photojosh 8y agoI've just finished McCann's 1491 and on to 1493, about pre- and post-Columbian Exchange, respectively. Something that stood out was the commentary on why Americans never invented the wheel (given they independently invented agriculture and government)... and the answer was exactly that; terrain. Plus lack of horses... when you have llamas instead, you build your empire's "roads" for walking, not for carriages.