• PugJesus@lemmy.worldOPM
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    62
    ·
    28 days ago

    Explanation: A common tactic of horse archers, especially those ‘born in the saddle’, so to speak, like nomadic tribes, is to feign retreat, especially whilst peppering the chasing enemy with arrows.

    Sedentary armies seem to fall for this trick far more often than they should.

    • Xanthrax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      28 days ago

      I can’t remember where I saw it, but there’s an ancient carving of an Egyptian riding a horse completely wrong, with an explanation on how to take car of horses. Like he’s backward on the ass of the horse. I’d always think of a what’s your in your post, and then this, and then laugh my ass off.

  • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    28 days ago

    It’s pretty wild how many ancient battles involved one side retreating (either intentionally or otherwise), then the other side over-pursuing and ending up being slaughtered (Cannae, Hastings, all of Alexander the Great’s battles etc. etc.). Everybody talks about what you could do going back in time with machine guns, but really you’d just have to tell dudes to sit on their asses and everything would work out.