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Post by Simon on Feb 24, 2018 12:36:59 GMT
UK members may be interested in a Channel 4 programme tomorrow (Sunday 25 Feb) at 8pm about Hannibal and his elephant army.
Regards
Simon
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Post by elliesdad on Feb 25, 2018 10:31:54 GMT
I'll have to watch this tonight, if only because... well ...
When I first saw the preview advertising this show I thought I heard the narrator say that Hannibal took "elephants and walruses" over the Alps.
What???
OK, was it 1st April (April Fools day in the UK)? No - so it's not a TV prank.
I reasoned that walruses have tusks (as do elephants). But that's surely not what's confusing them.
I re-wound and listened to the clip again. It still sounded like the word "walruses".
I'll hold my hand up and say that, at perilously close to age 60, my hearing isn't 100% - but I will certainly be tuning in tonight to find out exactly WHAT it was that Hannibal crossed the Alps with.
I suspect "warriors" is more likely than "walruses" but, given the fact that walruses and elephants both have tusks, then it could be that the TV people have made a major discovery and that we wargamers really, really need to re-visit those army lists...
Cheers,
Geoff
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Post by Baldie on Feb 25, 2018 11:21:31 GMT
Hannibal in HOTT
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Post by Antigonos on Feb 26, 2018 10:20:28 GMT
The whole show was one swallow making a summer compiled with a load of assumptions and guesses.
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Post by Simon on Feb 26, 2018 12:22:27 GMT
The whole show was one swallow making a summer compiled with a load of assumptions and guesses. I beg to differ. Nice to see them bringing together thinking from the disciplines of zoology, microbiology, geology and links to ancient writings. Simon |
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Post by scottrussell on Feb 26, 2018 12:35:25 GMT
So did we get an answer to the "walrus" question?
I watched it but missed the first couple of minutes. I don't recall any mention of marine mammals at all. Can anybody shed light on this?
I think we should be told.
Scott
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Post by paddy649 on Feb 26, 2018 12:48:32 GMT
I was looking forward to this but thought it was disappointing and added little when compared to Hannibal by Theodore Ayrault Dodge....and he died in 1909!
The only new stuff I noted was the search for and finding of 2000 year old horse shit and conformation about the two different rock falls across his route....but I thought that both of these were rather forced.
For me it lacked analysis of the Alpine battlefields and the search archaeological evidence there? It also lacked any real insight into Hannibal the man and the polyglot nature of his army.
Just my 2p!
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Post by Simon on Feb 26, 2018 13:37:43 GMT
To be fair, the focus was meant to be about the most likely route over the Alps and how whether elephants could have coped rather than other aspects of Hannibal and his army. Given the lack of any archeological evidence to date on this, it's not surprising that they turned to other methods. If you happened to come upon a few skeletons in Carthagenian armour, would that be evidence or could it just be some unlucky blokes nothing to do with the main army! I found the evidence of the massively churned up earth (with loads of manure!) fitting the time period a very innovative approach.
Cheers
Simon
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Post by elliesdad on Feb 26, 2018 20:34:12 GMT
I have recorded it - as the ladies of the household decided we should all watch "Call the Midwife" instead.
I'll save it and watch later in the week, when I can also watch a "Mummies Alive" documentary about Elmer McCurdy.
Cheers,
Geoff
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Post by elliesdad on Mar 4, 2018 15:46:23 GMT
I've finally watched both documentaries.
I can now confirm that in the Hannibal program there was no mention whatsoever of "walruses". N0t a one.
However, I did notice that much of the alleged route followed rivers. Perhaps the walruses simply swam in the rivers? That's just supposition on my part.
The Mummies Alive documentary turned out to be about a mummy called "Sylvester". I had initially assumed the program would be an update about Elmer McCurdy, who is perhaps a tad more infamous. Who'd have guessed? I've never heard of Sylvester before.
I'm in the UK but, out of curiosity, exactly how many mummified cowboys/gunslingers are there in the USA?
Cheers,
Geoff
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