Dachspmg

Yep, same here, for another side project I'm trying. I just joined the forums after having lurked for awhile at the fringes of the site, and am amazed at the quality of writing and the sheer knowledge you people have.

I wonder what would have happened if the Byzantines had won at Yarmuk. That would definitely be on the list if Heraclius could get over his chronic illness and command in the field at that point. Of those not mentioned, I think Alexius Comnenus' victory over the Pechenegs at Levunium on Monday, 28 April 1091 was pretty impressive, a combination of diplomacy, strategic, and tactical maneuvering to both secure Cuman allies and get the Pechenegs into a rough spot from which they did not return.

I like Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, because he invented the harpax, which was the only real naval technological development between the Punic Wars and the fall of the West...and he wasn't that bad of a general, either. Greatest should go to Pompey because he was literally named for it.