Corn?

[gunny]

Reading "The Gallic Wars" by Julius Caesar on my new Kindle. Several references about the food for his Legions was "corn"? Was corn the Latin word for wheat, barley, or what?

[dannan14]

i'm pretty sure that except in the US, corn is a generic term for grain.

[Minimalist]

Check the bio of the translator. In Britain "corn" is general term for "grain."

Roman troops usually ate wheat baked into bread plus whatever else could be scrounged from the area.

[Digit]

What you call corn we call Maize.

Roy.

[gunny]

Translator was British--Ol' JC had, so far, five major battles, 20,000?, in one year. looks like there would be remains scattered all over France.

[gunny]

We used to shudder with the thought of having to use our bayonet---imagine facing thousands with axes, swords, and spears--bigger cajones than me----

[Minimalist]

Just allow that the Commentaries were political documents and, as was common in ancient writing, the tendency to overstate the size of the opponent's army was both omnipresent and unrestrained. The bigger they are the more impressive it looks when you beat them.

Nonetheless, particularly at Alesia...which I guess you haven't gotten to yet... archaeologists have found artifacts.


Totally agree about the weaponry, though.

[gunny]

Speaking of battles---anything more on my previous post on the site of Boudicia?

[Digit]

Wars have become much less personal with the advent of long range weapons without a doubt.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Speaking of battles---anything more on my previous post on the site of Boudicia?

Not that I've heard.