How did people differentiate friend from foe in a melee before uniforms and such? Once the battle is joined, and everyone is covered in blood, mud, and sweat (and in cases of civil wars, speaks the same tounge), how do you sort out who to strike at and who not to strike at once the lines break?
Armies used same color scarfs, bands and other dress items (for example, sewn crosses or other marks) for friend identification. Also infantry usually fought in formation (shieldwall and other - depending on epoch) and melee was orderly and formations were maintained to the critical point, than shown on Hollywood films.
And if cloth was unavailable, flowers, leaves, twigs & twine tied to specific shoulders/helmet parts, etc., frequently agreed to with the enemy in pre-battle formalities.Originally Posted by Robmel
Of course, these twigs didn't always stay put. So there was slogans/passwords at encounters. Also just plain familiarity did its bit. Armies did they always rush around the entire field. You know your friends by face & accent.
"For the lust of the goat is the bounty of God" - William Blake
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln.
As mentioned, twigs, flowers, and other such identifying marks (including scarves) also battle-cries.
"As for you, Gilgamesh: Fill your belly with good things. Day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand and make your wife happy in your embrace, for this, too, is the lot of man."
-Siduri, Epic of Gilgamesh.
Flags, banners, different styles of equipment, war cries, field signs as mentioned such as wearing particular items or colours, distinct colours among medieval retinues. None of this is foolproof, there are recorded instances of troops not recognising allies or enemies coming towards them from an unexpected direction. Although the same thing can be said of uniformed troops, with "blue on blue" being the currently common euphimism for shooting some of your allies.
What is the name of that hilariously terrible battle with the Austrians fighting the Turks?
Karansebes? Not that there were any actual Turks present, of course.
Who were they then? And why was it hilarious?
"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant."
- Albert Einstein
Dixi, et animam levavi.
Austrians fighting each other without realizing it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kar%C3%A1nsebes
"For the lust of the goat is the bounty of God" - William Blake
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln.
Ah, well schnapps can sneak up on you
"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant."
- Albert Einstein
Dixi, et animam levavi.
Too bad that battle and that "article" are a hoax.
Its not a hoax, its funny and I want it to be true because its awesome so it is real.
You ask for steak, I bring you fish. You say that you think steak is better than fish. I say that fish is much more popular than steak so obviously it's better. You say that no matter how good the fish is it can't be better at being steak than the actual steak we used to serve. I say that's just your perception and you're entitled to it but you should accept that fish is the future and that's good. You begin to say something but I stab you in the eye with a fork and run into the kitchen.
Just to expand a bit, for example how according to legend Davy Sant (St David, patron of the Welsh) told the Cymru to stick a leek in their hats as a battlefield identifier. Very useful, and could be used in a tasty snack after victory too. And it's why we get the English rose, the Scotish thistle, the Irish shamrock, and... the Welsh leek.
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