Obsidian Knife

Hypothetically speaking, if the Maya ever went to war with the Romans, who would win?
Yes, I do know that the two civilizations never met in real life but imagine if they did.
I was watching a show on the History Channel that talked about Maya warfare and the weapons they used. Consider this: do you think the Maya, a stone age civilization with no metal weaponry (but had some nasty hand-to-hand combat weapons) could go head-to-head with Roman soldiers and possibly give them a run for their (the Romans) money?
The Maya had some pretty amazing weapons such as clubs lined with sharpened obsidian and an axe that was both a tool and a weapon. They also had spears and other stuff too.
The Romans had spears, large knives, and swords. They also had armor, something that the Maya didn’t have.
What are your thoughts? Consider also fighting tactics as well as motivations for fighting and/or waging war.
There are several good answers here and I just can’t pick one so I’m putting it to a vote.
Hiya,
I’ll bet on the Romans.
The Romans had unit tactics, and trained soldiers, with the cohesiveness and espirit de corps that provides. The Romans also had a system for replacement within the century (their basic fighting unit) that provided for a fighting line that did not falter as casualties mounted. Primarily, it is the training and discipline that that made the Romans difficult to beat.
In addition to that, however, the Romans invented and perfected the use of close combat tactics. Throughout their history, and then into the warfare history of Europe until the time of Genghis Khan, the Roman square, and the line of infantrymen it supported, was basically unbeatable in battle.
In small unit infantry tactics, US soldiers still learn how to fight along a line and how to support one another in close combat and hand-to-hand fighting using the same tactics the Romans developed over 2000 years ago.
Although, I know almost nothing about the Maya, their weapons, tactics, or training. A bit of a blind bet, but that’s life, eh?
Great Question, by the way!
Knife review: prehistoric obsidian knife and dark ages scramasax
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