JGolomb Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Gotta be honest...I'm a sucker for "Top" Lists. The UNRV community will probably enjoy this one and should be able to come up with more/better. Missing In Action: 5 Armies That Vanished From History Thanks to GPS, satellite imaging and digital communication systems, it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylla Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Gotta be honest...I'm a sucker for "Top" Lists. The UNRV community will probably enjoy this one and should be able to come up with more/better.Missing In Action: 5 Armies That Vanished From History Thanks to GPS, satellite imaging and digital communication systems, it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGolomb Posted December 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 The legions of Crassus and Varus must be a tie here, simply because we know with reasonable certainty why and how they "vanished". The writer addresses myths and reality. So the title is misleading in that the armies aren't necessarily still vanished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 The interesting thing about VIIII Hispana is that it disappeared, was found by archaeological evidence, and disappeared again. Prior to more recent evidence the main theory was that it was destroyed by the Picts in the 110's, leading to Hadrian's wall project. However, later archaeology showed that it did in fact survive, at least in some form, only to disappear sometime around the Jewish revolts of the 130's CE. The Crassus legions are more interesting to me than those of Varus. While the Varus legions were largely destroyed, enslaved, etc., there is that interesting element of mystery about the Crassus legions that ended up in Persia, China, etc. [EDIT: I guess the original story also says this, but I posted before I actually bothered to read it =P] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion-Macro Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I think the IX Hispania is interesting. Although we can probably guess what happened to them, we do not know a lot. I agree with Primus. Some of Crassus's troops ended up in China and the Middle East while most of the survivors of the Varus tragedy were either enslaved or killed in rituals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) I get the feeling that on the whole the article has gone for quickly researched Western options in choosing the 'five vanished armies'. The inclusion of the Norfolk Regiment is suprising as I would not really have considered it an 'army' in the same sense as the others listed. Even if not 'complete' (most of the other 'armies' listed weren't total losses either) the loss of the majority of Kublai Khan's invasion fleets in 1274 and 1281 (destroyed by typhoons of off Japan) would have been better 'armies' to include. I do also have reservations about the suggestion that members of Crassus's army ended up in China (or at least in any number). There are several much nearer possible places of origins for 'fair' haired people who may have moved into that part of China in pre-history. Although I may be proved wrong, currently the fact that the results of DNA testing of the 'fair' haired' people in question, apparently carried out 2 years ago, have never been released makes me even more doubtful that any 'Roman' connection will be 'proved'. Edited December 23, 2009 by Melvadius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.