Transport

From: Greg Stafford <Greg_at_...>
Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 07:42:43 -0700

At 01:18 PM 4/9/2001 -0000, you wrote:
>Transport of food and supplies in ancient times was always the
>greatest expense of any organized force. Most campaigns were conducted
>in close proximity to a decent port or navigable river. Oxcarts have
>a problem y'see -- if you're travelling more than 150 miles by oxcart,
>you need another oxcart to provide fodder for them (and, of course,
>more oxcarts for those oxcarts and... so on. Oxen, unlike horses,
>can't walk and chew cud at the same time.

Recommendation: Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, by Donald W. Engels.

A droplet of the final analysis of this book: All animals that are used to carry food, equipment etc. have the same ratio of food required to weight carried to distance travelled. 80 pounds for humans for extended distance, eating 3 pounds of food. 250 pounds for "average pack animal," eating about 9 pounds

Humans however end up being the best possible pack animals for one reason: we have predator physiques while all others have prey biology. Any pack critter can be pushed over the edge of normal endurance, but when a horse or ox gets a sprain you might as well eat it. When people get a sprain they can rest for a while and recover.

---

Greg Stafford
Issaries, Inc. 900 Murmansk St., Suite 5; Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: (510) 452 1648 Fax: (510) 302 0385 Publisher of Hero Wars, Roleplaying in Glorantha See our site at: <www.glorantha.com>