Opinions on the Greatest Battles of Ancient History/Most Important Battles...

Question

You know, like Thermopolyae (spelling), Pharsalus, Kadesh(Qadesh), etc....

Answer 1

Its hard to get past the battles of the Persian wars. Thermopolyae was certainly important, but the naval engagements proved more important than any battle on land. Even the indecisive fighting at Artemisium proved more important than Thermopolyae, to say nothing of Salamis later on which made any Persian conquest of Greece a mute point. But all of this seems even more mute when you consider that if the Greeks had failed to win at Marathon there never would have been a need for further engagements.

From a personal standpoint, i don't think any battle proved more pivotal than the Battle of Myriokephalon in 1176 between the Turks and Byzantines. True, the crucial battle of Manzikert set the stage, but the Byzantines were clearly on a path to reviving their empire, to say nothing of once again dominating Asia Minor and being a force in both the Middle East and Europe. It was their defeat at Myriokephalon which finally doomed Byzantium to its long decline in both spheres, culminating in its status as the "whipping boy" to forces both in the East (Turks) and West (Venetians, Crusaders, Catalans, Serbs).

Answer 2

When Shaka Zulu defeated the English was a pretty good one.

Answer 3

Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker

Answer 4

I agree with Hamster (really good summery). Of course it is possible to add more or take some off, but I think its really good. Instead of the battle in Waterloo, however, I would use the 1812 war. This is where Napoleon was de facto defeated by a clever opponent, resilient guerrilla tactics and (but not as much as we are sometimes lead to believe) the Russian winter. After 1812 the French army was decimated and the final outcome in Waterloo was all but inevitable.  

Answer 5

Kadesh.

Deciding battle of the first world war

Answer 6

hello

I guess an important battle would be one that changes the political scene forever in a single day , and therefore i would choose these ones

1. The Battle of Marathon, 490 BC

o The Greeks managed to defeat the Persians and save Greece and the ancient world from foreign rule

2. The Battle of Gaugamela, 331 BC

o Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian empire

3. The Battle of Tours, 732 AD

o the great victory won by Charles Martel ... gave a decisive check to the career of Arab conquest in Western Europe, rescued Christendom from Islam

4. The Battle of Hastings, 1066 AD

o The overthrow of Anglo Saxon England , and a new era of Norman Kings

5. The Battle of Pultowa, 1709 AD

o Also called the Battle of Poltava.

o This battle ended Swedish domination of the Baltic States

6.      Victory of the Americans over Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1777 AD

o This battle ensured American victory in the War of Independence

7. The Battle of Waterloo, 1815 AD

o The French/Napoleon are finally defeated and europe is freed from French domination