Surprisingly advanced or bizarre tactics from the Ancient Era?

[Escape Zeppelin]

I think we probably don't understand them. It seems entirely logical as a DEFENSIVE measure - no light cavalry or infantry skirmisher can get close enough to deliver a passing blow

And probably just as importantly, they're scary looking and don't hinder performance.

 

[Fabius Maximus]

Oddest (and cold-blooded) tactics definitely bring Olga of Kiev to mind. According to the Tales of Past Years/Primary Chronicle Olga of Kiev was left the official regent of Kiev Rus when her husband was killed by Drevlians when their son was only three years old. The Drevlians wanted Olga to marry their prince. The Drevlians sent twenty of their best men to persuade her to marry and effectively give up power over Kiev Rus. She had them buried alive and then sent word to the prince she would accept his offer, but required the most distinguished Drevlians to join her on the journey so her people might accept the marriage. When the prince and his men arrived, Olga invited them to clean up in their bathhouse. Once they were inside she locked the doors and burned them alive.

Olga then invited yet more Drevlians to attend their funerals. Once she had them drunk her soldiers killed more than 5,000 of them. Olga then amassed an army and besieged their village to kill off the survivors. The Drevlians begged for mercy. Olga decided three pigeons and three sparrows from each household would be tribute enough. The Drevlians complied. Then Olga had sulfur tied to every bird and ordered them released. When the birds flew back to their nests, they set the village on fire to flush out whatever Drevlians were left. Even if parts of this story were fabricated or exaggerated later on, there still has to be some real bizarre tactics at the core of it all.

Man, you'd think those guys would've learnt not to bother negotiating with her...

I think we probably don't understand them. It seems entirely logical as a DEFENSIVE measure - no light cavalry or infantry skirmisher can get close enough to deliver a passing blow

Cavalry maybe not, but skirmishers were pretty much the go-to counter for chariots. When it comes to range, bow/sling/javelin > spiky wheels.

 

[shanlung]

You all heard of SunZi and his Art of War.
Few here heard of the 36 stratagems that would go hand in hand with that.

36 Stratagem 三十六計



Besiege Wèi to rescue Zhào

• (圍魏救趙／围魏救赵, Wéi Wèi jiù Zhào)
• When the enemy is too strong to be attacked directly, then attack something he holds dear. Know that he cannot be superior in all things. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead. The idea here is to avoid a head-on battle with a strong enemy, and instead strike at his weakness elsewhere. This will force the strong enemy to retreat in order to support his weakness. Battling against the now tired and low-morale enemy will give a much higher chance of success.

Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree

• (指桑罵槐／指桑骂槐, Zhǐ sāng mà huái)
• To discipline, control, or warn others whose status or position excludes them from direct confrontation; use analogy and innuendo. Without directly naming names, those accused cannot retaliate without revealing their complicity.

Kill with a borrowed knife

• (借刀殺人／借刀杀人, Jiè dāo shā rén)
• Attack using the strength of another (in a situation where using one's own strength is not favourable). Trick an ally into attacking him, bribe an official to turn traitor, or use the enemy's own strength against him. The idea here is to cause damage to the enemy by getting a third party to do the deed.

Watch the fires burning across the river

• (隔岸觀火／隔岸观火, Gé àn guān huǒ)
• Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves. Then go in at full strength and pick up the pieces.

Hide a knife behind a smile

• (笑裏藏刀／笑里藏刀, Xiào lǐ cáng dāo)
• Charm and ingratiate yourself with your enemy. When you have gained his trust, move against him in secret.

Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree

• (李代桃僵, Lǐ dài táo jiāng)
• There are circumstances in which you must sacrifice short-term objectives in order to gain the long-term goal. This is the scapegoat strategy whereby someone else suffers the consequences so that the rest do not.

Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul

• (借屍還魂／借尸还魂, Jiè shī huán hún)
• Take an institution, a technology, a method, or even an ideology that has been forgotten or discarded and appropriate it for your own purpose. Revive something from the past by giving it a new purpose or bring to life old ideas, customs, or traditions and reinterpret them to fit your purposes.

Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem

• (拋磚引玉／抛砖引玉, Pāo zhuān yǐn yù)
• Bait someone by making him believe he gains something or just make him react to it ("toss out a brick") and obtain something valuable from him in return ("get a jade gem").

Disturb the water and catch a fish

• (渾水摸魚／浑水摸鱼 or 混水摸鱼, Hún shuǐ mō yú)
• Create confusion and use this confusion to further your own goals.

And the very last and favorite stratagem treasured by many who still live.

If all else fails, retreat

• (走為上計／走为上计, Zǒu wéi shàng jì)
• If it becomes obvious that your current course of action will lead to defeat, then retreat and regroup. When your side is losing, there are only three choices remaining: surrender, compromise, or escape. Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, but escape is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you still have a chance. This is the most famous of the stratagems, immortalized in the form of a Chinese idiom: "Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best" (三十六計，走为上計／三十六計，走为上計,ㄙㄢ ㄕˊ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄐㄧˋ ， ㄗㄡˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄐㄧˋ , Sānshíliù jì, zǒu wéi shàng jì).

 

[Tibi088]

The most bizarre strategy that was ever mentioned to me was in regards of ancient sieges.
I had a course where the professor used Heliodorus of Emesa's Aethiopica to demonstrate how the ancient hellas was culturally etc. The novel describes the siege of Syene - they basically flooded (I dont think this is the best word for this) the fort - built trenches etc in a way that the water rose around the cities wall - I cant describe it very well. At this point the professor said that a similar siege really happened - the romans flooded a fort and basically sailed in. I dont remember the name of the siege but I think it was somewhere in Mesopotamia.