Not really history I know, but seemed closest fit. Apparently the UN has declared this to be the Year of the Camelids. Whether this will prompt any academic historical papers will be interesting.
https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/ships-desert-awareness-event-international-year-camelids
as Barry Norman would say
"and why not...?"
Despite the nod at the start to the S.American branches the article only really deals with Old World camels. I wonder if there is also anything going on in S.America that the Jordan Times has not noted. Likely perhaps to be in the Spanish speaking news. These are all very interesting animals.
The madaxeman paints some camelphracts and the UN just has to get in on the act.
;D ;D ;D
No mention of the now extinct North American camel.
Really, for relevance, we do need more on the military significance of camelids. For example, were camels more important logistically than in combat?
Quote from: Erpingham on May 14, 2024, 01:54:05 PMReally, for relevance, we do need more on the military significance of camelids. For example, were camels more important logistically than in combat?
With the camel I would say that they were far more important logistically, but what about the horse?
Yes the horse was vital on the Mongol battlefield, if without the horse transporting people to the battle, feeding them, providing the logistical backup, would there even have been a battlefield for the horse to be important on?
We wargame battles far more than we wargame logistics. But I remember reading about Arthur Wellesley's campaigns in India where nothing happened until he'd got enough bullocks to underpin his next move forward
I suspect he would have regarded the bullock as more important than the horse ;)
at least we aren't talking about cameltoes
Quote from: Ian61 on May 14, 2024, 08:28:08 AMDespite the nod at the start to the S.American branches the article only really deals with Old World camels. I wonder if there is also anything going on in S.America that the Jordan Times has not noted. Likely perhaps to be in the Spanish speaking news. These are all very interesting animals.
All good points. After all, there were llamas at Troy in the Bronze Age, as documented in a certain epic portrayal of the Trojan War...
Quote from: Erpingham on May 14, 2024, 01:54:05 PMReally, for relevance, we do need more on the military significance of camelids. For example, were camels more important logistically than in combat?
For example, the apparent variations in Roman auxiliary employment - some attestations have the odd dromedarius listed at then end of an infantry century, at least one has the chap tacked onto a cavalry turma. Are they scouts in ones or twos to give combat units a better recce capability in certain locations, or are they perhaps the pack camel master riding a lead animal, as opposed to an otherwise undistinguished (in terms of attestation) soldier leading a string of pack mules on foot in other units?
I am also reminded that at Hatra there is (or was before Daesh terrorists moved in) a suspected depiction of a one and a half humped camel - ie a cross breed of Arabian and Bactrian. Hatra was probably one of the cross over points - local animals are dromedaries of course, but some Bactrians may have made it to the very end, as it were, of the "Silk Road" (if one does not get too hung up on the accuracy of the concept per se).