Let's say they were even matched. You have the greatest commanders in the world, who would win? Personally I think Caesar. The Legions are more flexable than Hoptile warfare. But Caesar is a better politician than Alexander. Anyone?
shareWhich Caesar we talking about? The one that just took it up the ass by Tiberius ?
shareNo, the one who played in Rome.
shareCaesar (I assume you refer to Julius) was not the best General - that was Agrippa, with Agricola one of the frontrunners.
shareJulius Caesar was a good general, although I believe he was a better politican. I agree Agrippa was good at both. It's great that you mentioned Agrippa. Not that many do.
shareJulius Caesar was most fortunate to have had the lifelong friendship of Agrippa, a man overlooked in Roman history by some.
Not many recognise Agrippa, as they fail to read enough about Roman history and the Caesars who shaped the ancient world.
Julius Caesar never met Agrippa. His adopted son Octavius (later Augustus) was friends with Agrippa and eventually made him his general. Octavius was a great politician who was able to appease the Senate throughout his entire reign but not a great general. That's where Agrippa comes in. Without Agrippa, there is no telling what would have become of Octavius.
Julius Caesar, on the other hand, was a great general. The stories of his accomplishments as a general are so many that no one could tell them all in a forum like this. He conquered all of Gaul, at times under some pretty tough conditions. He built a bridge to cross the Rhine, twice, in ten days each time to show the germanic tribes that they were not outside of the reach of Rome. And he crushed Pompey in a civil war in which he was greatly outmanned. Its a disservice to say he wasnt much of a general.
Note that Julius Caesar, as is the case with most Romans of the time, had great respect for Alexander's accomplishments. He visited his tomb, if I remember correctly.
Uh, Agrippa fought in the Battle of Munda for Caesar. It was Caesar who put Agrippa and Octavian together when he sent both of them to Greece in 45 BC. They were both there when Caesar was assassinated.
shareA very good point, couldn't have said it better.
I think you may be referring to the story of when a young-ish Julius saw Alexander's statue in a square and fell down crying.
When asked why he cried, he stated "By my age this man had conquered most of the known world, what am I to this greatness?" (If I remember my history classes well enough)
Andskotinn!
A very good point, couldn't have said it better.
I think you may be referring to the story of when a young-ish Julius saw Alexander's statue in a square and fell down crying.
When asked why he cried, he stated "By my age this man had conquered most of the known world, what am I to this greatness?" (If I remember my history classes well enough)
Andskotinn!
I'd say Alexander. Caesar was skilled and the Roman military system was more advanced than the Macedonian one. But Alexander was one of the most tenacious and versatile commanders of the ancient world. He also had the upper hand in cavalry, which he used to great effect.
shareSomething of a juvenile question but I will play along with it.
Alexander was a master tactician and strategist ; his battle tactics were, at least up until a decade ago, taught at Sandhurst Military Academy.
How's that for a legacy!
He got all that and more from his rich dad... He was just a bored rich gay kid with Philips army
I'm the guy who makes the "worst movie ever" thread in your favorite movie board
I was recently shot down in flames for stating Alexander was gay by a poster on another imdb site ; he almost yelled, there is no proof, no proof!
I still agree with you that he was, in all probability, gay, although they had no term then for gayness then.
I will disagree with you that he was only a rich kid using his late father's Army. He achieved far more than his father ever did. He was a splendid Leader, knowing all of his numerous Officers and some of his men by their names.
In their middle years, the Greeks had the "tradition" of becoming "gay" in the process of educating youths in "wisdom" or some art. They had these symposia where they discussed philosophy, drank, got hammered and probably engaged in you know what.
I was recently shot down in flames for stating Alexander was gay by a poster on another imdb site ; he almost yelled, there is no proof, no proof!
Not only modern Greeks & Macedonians, even supposedly intellectual Western posters, all frothing at the mouth at the mere suggestion Alexander was "probably" gay. Seems obvious enough to me. Of course, there is no written proof as there were no labels for gay or bisexual in those times, but we do know about their customs and lifestyles.
These posters are only giving away their own prejudices and bigotry and probably the idea that the greatest Militarist and General who ever lived was, shock, horror......gay, or at the very least,bisexual!
These people prefer to live under an illusion Alexander and Hephaestion were "just very good friends".
Strange Marc Antony and Cleopatra have never been written of as "close friends"! :))
Alexander, Caesar is a dumbass who got appointed to rule the rome and then refused to step down from the throne. Thats what i heard.
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Caesar certainly led troops. Pompey was his rival, not his general. Caesar conquered France, then beat the armies of Pompey and the optimates. Often outnumbered 3/1 and even 4/1.
Alexander is one of the greatest generals in history so he'd probably beat him, but Caesar was definitely no slouch. Went undefeated in his time.
ceasar got a few times beaten my freind and specially by his arch nemisis pompey; it is alexander who never suffered defeat
shareGeneral George S. Patton of course. Those tanks would make mincemeat of soldiers prancing about in skirts.
sharePatton was the most ghastly of men.
"Soldiers prancing around in skirts" you wrote - the Germans in WWI called the Scottish regiments "the men from Hell in skirts". There was one piper, in WWI, who went over the trenches with the others, only piping, the others firing off like hell, and the Germans slowly retreated. The mad (read brave)soldier lived to tell the tale!!
Major Mandella would whomp his butt tho!
shareWell do remember Alexander and his father, Phillip of Macedon, took on and whipped the phalanxes of Thebes at Chaeronea. A real baptism of fire for a still very young Alexander who fought with real credit.
shareAlexander, no contest.... Alexander led from the front and invented most of the strategies used by Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar famously visited Alexanders tomb and cried because he was unable to match him..
Caesar was Alexanders beeeatch... and Caesar knew it.
Except that Alexander's army was not made up of regular phalanx hoplites. His troops were elite pikemen with 7 meters-long spears also known as sarissas. A well defended army with protected flanks of a pikemen army with the elite companion cavalry are capable of decimating any Roman legion if an intelligent and capable commander is at the head. Unfortunatly more Macedon, when they fought the Romans in the Macedonian wars, they had incompetent leaders.
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