>And now, upon the first arrival of our army, they made frequent sallies from the stronghold, and engaged in petty encounters with our troops. Afterwards, when they had round them a fortified rampart of •fifteen thousand feet in circumference, with forts at close interval, they kept within the town. When our mantlets had been pushed up and a ramp constructed, and they saw a tower set up in the distance, they first of all laughed at us from the wall, and loudly railed upon us for erecting so great an engine at so great a distance. By what handiwork, said they, by what strength could men, especially of so puny a stature (for, as a rule, our stature, short by comparison with their own huge physique, is despised of the Gauls), hope to set so heavy a tower on the wall?

>But when they saw that it was moving and approaching the walls, they were alarmed at the novel and extraordinary sight, and sent deputies to Caesar to treat of peace, who spake after this fashion: They supposed that the Romans did not wage war without divine aid, inasmuch as they could move forward at so great a speed engines of so great a height; they therefore submitted themselves and all they had to the power of Rome. - Julius Caesar - Commentarii de Bello Gallico

>>17869463 (OP)
5’8” is the most optimum height for human strength, pound for pound.
And this is compounded when warfare revolves around physical pushing matches.
Taller bodies are better at launching spears - when throwing spears was the primary mode of warfare, height was more advantageous than strength.
Also the invention of projectile weapons aside from the spear (the bow and especially the sling) helped decouple tall height from success in violent conflict. Being short (I.e. below 5’5”) was still a detriment though.

The smaller you are, the less likely you are to get hit

>The Gauls made an incursion into Roman territory and the Romans appointed a dictator—an office only instituted in times of national crisis. The dictator suspended all public business and quickly hurried north to meet the Gallic threat. The two armies met near the Anio River (which is not too far from Rome) and several skirmishes took place near an important bridge over the River.

>Then a Gaul,[5] exceptionally large in stature, stepped forward onto the empty bridge and shouted as loudly as he could, “Let the strongest man Rome has come forward to fight so that the outcome between the two of us will show which race is better in war.” For a long time there was silence among the young Roman nobles, because they were both afraid to refuse to fight and they did not want to volunteer for such a dangerous task. Finally Titus Manlius, the son of Lucius, who had freed his father from the tribune’s ill-treatment,[6]left his station and went to the dictator. “Without your order sir,” he said, “I would never fight out of rank, not even if I was sure of the victory. If you will allow it, I wish to show to that savage who struts about exulting in front of the standards that I come from that family that threw the Gallic army down from the Tarpeian Rock.” Then the dictator replied, “Bless you, Titus Manlius, for your bravery and devotion to your father and your country. Go and with the gods’ help show that the name of Rome is invincible.”

>Then his friends armed the young man; he took up a shield and girded himself with a Spanish sword, appropriate for hand-to-hand combat. Thus armed and adorned he stood against the foolishly joyful Gaul—and some of the ancients felt it was worth noting that he even stuck out his tongue in mockery. Both men took themselves to their places and were left alone between the two armies, as if they were in a show rather than observing the laws of warfare.

>>17869548
>They looked completely unequal in appearance. The body of one was exceptionally large, wearing colorful clothes and armor inlaid with shining gold. The other was of medium stature for a soldier and wore armor suitable more for fighting rather than decorative appearance; he did not sing or leap about, uselessly waving his weapons around, but his heart was full of courage and quiet bravery. He held back all his ferocity for the critical moment of the duel.

>When they were set between the two armies, the minds of those observing were heavy with hope and fear. The massive Gaul overshadowed his opponent and, holding his shield in his left hand, smashed his sword down with a loud clash on the arms of his adversary, but to no effect. The Roman, his sword at the ready, pushed up the bottom of his enemy’s shield with his own and, inserting himself between the Gaul’s armor and his body, thus making it difficult for his enemy to wound him, he drained his belly and groin with repeated thrusts, and his enemy fell, spreading out over a large area. Leaving the fallen body intact and free from all ill-treatment, he took a single torque, which was sprinkled with blood, and placed it around his own neck. Fear and admiration had transfixed the Gauls, but the excited Romans ran forward from where they had been watching their soldier and, congratulating and praising him, they led him to the dictator. Among the soldiers’ jesting chants, the nickname 'Torquatus' was heard; this name was given as an honor even to his posterity. The dictator added a gift of a golden crown and recounted his fight before the assembled troops with great praise. Livy - History of Rome

Bump

>>17869548
>Titus Manlius
unreal

French men are like 5'9 average

Anyone actually believe that Gauls were "towering in stature"? Lmao. People north of the Rhine I get it but not fucking Gauls

>>17871274
Consider that French men aren't Gauls.

>>17871274
Yeah after being romanized

>>17871274
Gauls are effectively extinct as of today, like the celts before them. Modern french are roman rapebabies more related to the english than the germans.

>>17869463 (OP)
Having better equipment > size and strength. It's like being surprised that a 6'5" spearchucker loses to 5'2" manlet with a rifle.

>>17869463 (OP)
smaller guys have always made better soldiers because actually soldiery isn't about mma fighting and being a big badass
it's 95% percent- especially in the past- carrying around weight and marching with your endurance; surviving the elements, enduring sickness and living with inconsistent food
manlets are better at all that
they're also quicker and harder to hit

>>17871523
6'0" britain with long sword and chariot loses to 5'2" manlet with stubby sword and a shield

>>17869463 (OP)
>manlets

>great at ancient warfare