Welcome, Guest. Please Login
SLINGING.ORG
 
Home Help Search Login


Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military (Read 4497 times)
RS
Descens
***
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 165
the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Feb 28th, 2018 at 8:08pm
 
i have read an old book, which, according to my copy, had it's sixth reprint in 1961, call 'the realm of the incas'  by victor w. von hagen.   

he discusses  many topics regarding the incas, and has redrawings of pictures that were drawn by one of the spanish after they landed in peru.
one pic is of the inca(as technically there is only one inca, the ruler, at a time)  being carried and he is playing with a sling. 
in the book it is declared that all able bodied men or most all are expected to show up to fight in wartime, but the state kept and issued the weapons, which for the most part were: a mace type of blunt object for hand to hand, a short spear for close range and a sling. they also used a rock tied to a string.
the state trained them in weapons use when they were of age but they did not carry them when not in war.  at the end of the war, the state took the weapons back and stored them in arsenals located around the empire and the temporary soldiers went back to farming. 
the only full time armed military were the inca's personal  body guards.(several thousand, perhaps as many as ten thousand.)
it is a good little book.  i have read my copy twice.  perhaps if i have time i can post out some of what little is written about the sling parts of it, but as i do not have a scanner, it would be a chore. plus no way to post the redrawn pics.
if any one wishes to read the book, pm me and i will freely send it to you as i have already read it twice.  it is in rough shape but all there and very interesting.
Back to top
« Last Edit: Feb 28th, 2018 at 9:46pm by RS »  
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #1 - Mar 1st, 2018 at 9:15am
 
How much of it is about the weapons they used?
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
RS
Descens
***
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 165
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #2 - Mar 1st, 2018 at 5:13pm
 
well he has some yes.  a few pages of weapons and warfare.  and how the empire fell.  it did not go down like the aztecs and mayas, it's fall was somewhat different and if they had not just had a five year civil war when the spanish arrived in which they lost their top generals, who knows how that confrontation would have turned out.  it is an interesting book.  i read a lot.  stress= A LOT!  it is just my thing, man...so when i am done with a book, any book, i do not like them crowding up the house and try to share them with whomever is interested...  so i do not mind paying postage if u or anyone else wishes to read it.  i've been delving into cultural evolution, regard vocational and primitive industrial advances in different societies around the world that knew nothing of each other but many things evolved the same way.  i guess lord kelvin was right about biological evolution only being able to evolve in the way it has and the life forms produced surviving to reproduce.  and since everything seems to be patterned the same, it would seem for the most part, successful engineering advances came to different cultures the same way.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Morphy
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline


Checkmate

Posts: 8102
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #3 - Mar 2nd, 2018 at 1:32am
 
Interesting. Well I love that kind of stuff. Anything detailing the design and use of primitive weapons fascinates me, always has. As far as the book goes I'm going to have to keep an eye out for it. I'm unfortunately too busy to do much reading on extracurricular subjects at the moment but someday I will have to check it out.

But, if you find any really interesting things worth posting, I and I'm sure others would be very interested to read it. (This forum acts sort of like a cliff notes for all the cool subjects I would like to look into more deeply but simply don't have the time for.)
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Bill Skinner
Forum Moderation
*****
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 3292
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #4 - Mar 8th, 2018 at 10:21pm
 
Did the book mention that small pox had arrived about five years prior and killed off the ruling families, (and about 1/2 of the population) which is what started the civil war?

I think that is a fairly recent development.  It was know that small pox had a major effect on the Incas, I'm not sure when someone figured out that the civil war was a scramble for power after a lot of the ruling elite were wiped out due to small pox.   

Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
RS
Descens
***
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 165
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #5 - Mar 11th, 2018 at 10:10pm
 
hi bill,
i read it twice but that i cannot remember.  i do remember the old inca at the time died without picking a successor, and he even had time on his death bed but did not do so.  he had two main sons who opted for power.  one hung with the military guys and was favored by the generals, the other in the old inca's last years accompanied him on travels throughout the empire and met and was thus favored by the administrators of the different provinces and the populace.  but pox could have been what the old inca died from, idk....
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Curious Aardvark
Forum Moderation
*****
Offline


Taller than the average
Dwarf

Posts: 13965
Midlands England
Gender: male
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #6 - Mar 12th, 2018 at 8:42am
 
And does anyone really believe that nobody had their own slings ?

Pretty interesting Thumbs Up
Back to top
 

Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One  - works for me Smiley
 
IP Logged
 
RS
Descens
***
Offline


Slinging Rocks!

Posts: 165
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #7 - Mar 12th, 2018 at 7:01pm
 
hey mr curious aardvark, the full time military who were the inca's personal body guards had slings.  but even though their's was a theocracy really, it does not seem to matter in regards to history teaching us, (hope this is not too political for this place) any socialist type of society seems to insist on keeping the general populace disarmed...until they are needed to fight, kill and die in war. day in day out, they had little time for such things.  all men were trained with weapons for a small time, other than that, they had a plot of land to work with little time anything else and sloth(which could be not having as much produced as ur neighbors,) was punishable by death.
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Curious Aardvark
Forum Moderation
*****
Offline


Taller than the average
Dwarf

Posts: 13965
Midlands England
Gender: male
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #8 - Mar 13th, 2018 at 4:05pm
 
big empire, people would have hunted for table meat.

In medieval england poaching venison was punishable by death - didn't stop people doing it, never does. Smiley

And the thing about socialism -  or indeed any totalitarian regime, is brainwashing - it's irrelevant if the populace is armed or not.

I keep seeing the socialism arguments on facebook (only from americans).
Everyone else knows it's not about guns, never had vbeen and never will be.

Nazi germany was not disarmed - that's kind of the point, they didn't need to be.
You turn your population against a small minority and guns simply are not part of the equation.

It's what trump is trying to do - given his proven brainwashing techniques - he's got a chance to do it. Slim, but definitely there.

Back to top
 

Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One  - works for me Smiley
 
IP Logged
 
Luxis
Tiro
**
Offline


Rocks!

Posts: 20
Serbia
Gender: male
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #9 - Jun 5th, 2018 at 9:08am
 

@RS, can you take some photos of those sling related parts of the book and post it? It won't be as good as scanned, but it could be decent, if you have good mobile phone or camera and a steady hand
Back to top
 

Pardon my English - it's crappy at the moment
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #10 - Jun 5th, 2018 at 11:05am
 
Just so you know Luxis, we tried getting RS to share his sources with us for months and we got nothing. It's better to file RS's stories in the same place as Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and Bigfoot...
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
Luxis
Tiro
**
Offline


Rocks!

Posts: 20
Serbia
Gender: male
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #11 - Jun 5th, 2018 at 11:27am
 

OK, I'll have that in mind. Thanks
Back to top
 

Pardon my English - it's crappy at the moment
 
IP Logged
 
NooneOfConsequence
Slinging.org Moderator
*****
Offline



Posts: 2983
Texas
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #12 - Jun 5th, 2018 at 11:27pm
 
Oh, man! I have to admit that I kinda got excited when I saw an RS post bubble up to the top again. I thought we’d get some new tales of ancient sling fishing or maybe new stories about Jesus the noodler Smiley
Back to top
 

“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
IP Logged
 
funditor
Descens
***
Offline


Ceteram censeo, rem funditam
esse

Posts: 173
Vienna, Austria
Gender: male
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #13 - Jul 10th, 2018 at 3:33pm
 
I just ordered the book, lets see what is really inside Smiley
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Kick
past-moderator
****
Offline



Posts: 4451
Finland
Re: the incan empire...farming culture, slinging military
Reply #14 - Jul 10th, 2018 at 3:42pm
 
Which book? I didn't think RS had actually told anyone what it's name was.
Back to top
 

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 
Send Topic Print
(Moderators: David Morningstar, Masiakasaurus, Mauro Fiorentini, Rat Man, Curious Aardvark, Chris, Bill Skinner)