Elite Warriors of their time (MATCHUP)

[Dante510]

Lets have a real discussion on who would win this battle.
a 1v1 fight between a Spartan Hoplite and a Praetorian Guardsman

I want historical facts and thinkin. I dont want people blabbin about the spartans cause they saw 300.
Also im not taking bout the lazy praetorians who gained the position through money of influence. Im talking about the ones that earned themselves that rank and job. Im talking romes elite soldiers with a capital E

It has begun!

 

[LastRoman]

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,118448.0.html

 

[Evilknightz]

Praetorians were just nicely equipped squad soldiers. Spartans were killers and nothing else. So spartan

/thread

 

[FrisianDude]

Spartans were underfed ******s who were little better than their contemporary Greeks. Praetorians were at first an elite unit of Legionnaires and later became a strong political force in the Empire.

\thread.

 

[Seltus]

They would both deliver a fatal blow to the other at the exact same time, leaving no winner.

\/thread

 

[LastRoman]

Praetorians may have been greedy, but they were also skilled soldiers who could be relied upon in a combat. Spartans were just a bit better than their countrymen because of their harsh training, but they were defeated much more than once by less famous enemies (on the other hand, Praetorians weren't invincible too).

Praetorians.

/\/thread

 

[Urlik]

Praetorian had better armour making it harder for the Spartan to deliver a killing blow.

 

[LastRoman]

C-C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

 

[AWdeV]

In a one-on-one fight Pretorians win hands down. The hoplite would have a large shield unsuitable for anything but formation fighting and a large spear unsuitable for anything but formation fighting. The Pretorian would likely have superiour armour, a shield that, while at its best in formation, is handy enough to use outside formation (I think) AND a short sword.  Pretorian uses shield to push aways the hoplites' doru, then shanks the everloving **** out of him because he can't keep up with his shield.

The end.

 

[Captain Pyjama Shark]

A Spartan.  FROM HALO

 

[FrisianDude]

Loooo000oool. :I

 

[Lord Burgess1]

/thread

Oh wait I'm supposed to add something


300 is real

/thread

 

[Garluch]

I think to really know we would have to capture about 10 young boys for each side, raise them under the same given conditions, train them accordingly, and then pit them against each other in mortal combat one at a time. The group who wins the best out of twenty is declared better. If its a tie they're all executed.

 

[nikosierra125]

-It would never be fair as armour and weapons are a few hundred years apart,

-Also didn't romans have an early form of steel by then?

-And Spartans are mainly trained for phalanx, relying on his friends for protection, while from what i know of praetorian guard they where also chosen specifically for their one on one skills

I VOTE PRAETORIAN!

 

[kweassa]

How are we supposed to use "historical facts and thinking" when the basic question itself is totally ahistorical.

The typical "Spartan" as a part of an elite warrior-society meets its peak around 5th century BCE.
The typical "Praetorian Guard" we speak of hails from the days of Augustus.

That's at least some 400~500 years apart, if not more.

 

[Night Ninja]

Well, the OP does seem to be a bit of a twit...

 

[Alexandru_cel_Mare]

in a very simplified sketch...
Thebes defeated Sparta, Thebes was defeated by Macedonians and Macedonians by the Romans....

The Spartans were definetly good fighters, especially against Persians armed whith whicker shields or fellow Greek Cityes who fielded citizen armies and not armies composed of proffesionals. But when facing a tough, professional army like the Sacred Band of Thebes, they lost. If presumably they would have ever met the Romans on battlefield, they would have lost against them as well.

The Roman Legions where probably the best soldiers in history. I have seen whith my own eyes the difficulty of the terrain they had to conquer and the fortresses they stormed in the Dacian Wars, to give just an example. They fought a battle against the Dacian zealots in mountains as high as 2000 meters, they built castra on top of peaks which can barely be ascended today.... They have done works of military enginering that would be most difficult for even a modern day army. There is nothing in the ancient world that can be compared to the Roman Legions.

 

[nikosierra125]

in a very simplified sketch...
Thebes defeated Sparta, Thebes was defeated by Macedonians and Macedonians by the Romans....

The Spartans were definetly good fighters, especially against Persians armed whith whicker shields or fellow Greek Cityes who fielded citizen armies and not armies composed of proffesionals. But when facing a tough, professional army like the Sacred Band of Thebes, they lost. If presumably they would have ever met the Romans on battlefield, they would have lost against them as well.

The Roman Legions where probably the best soldiers in history. I have seen whith my own eyes the difficulty of the terrain they had to conquer and the fortresses they stormed in the Dacian Wars, to give just an example. They fought a battle against the Dacian zealots in mountains as high as 2000 meters, they built castra on top of peaks which can barely be ascended today.... They have done works of military enginering that would be most difficult for even a modern day army. There is nothing in the ancient world that can be compared to the Roman Legions.

ib elieve if they had , by some unlicky twist of fate encountered the CHILDRENS CRUSADE they not have the reputation they havve now and would be turning in their graves from such a shamefull defeat!

 

[Majhudeen]

Spartan Hoplites are very overrated and thats due to exaggeration done by films (most notoriously 300)

The Preatorians were elitist Soldiers personally picked by the Emperor as his personal guard. They held power for hundreds of years, and were infamously corrupt.

Spartans on the other hand were a Military City State governed by two Kings that run eithier Economical or Military means with a Council for each king.

The whole city state of Sparta was comprised mainly of Slaves, called Helots who were nothing more then labourers that ran the country and in comabt were Militiamen, the bulk of the actaul Spartan Military.

The Hoplites were proffessional soldiers who trained rigoursly, but they were as said before regimented for Drilled Phalanx fighting. Sure they learned how to be self sufficient, but any man with a brain will figure out how to given enough time.

I'd say Preatorian Guards for this one, due to the fact that they had better organization, and if say Hypothetically Rome and Sparta went to war, of which they did, Would get conqeured by Romes superior Infranstructure and organization.



I got another Warrior vs Warrior matchup.

Try a Bedioun (Bedioun being in my bloodline too ) Warrior from the Crusades Era, famous for their involvement on the Saracen side And, a bit off topic, in numerous later wars such as the First World War against the Ottoman Empire and even in the second World War against General Rommels Afrika Corps, against a Keivan Rus Varangian Guard, which were famously employed by the Byzantines as well as the Early Russians who near sacked the city of Constantinople, proving to be powerful fighters.

 

[Gabeed]

This "Deadliest Warrior" crap that often permeates the Sage's Guild is one of the worst things about this forum.