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To: Sam the Sham
The Byzantines even forgot how to sail. My Byzantine history professor told us of a Byzantine attempt to build a warship but they were so inept that they abandoned ship when it was caught up in the Bosphorus currents. The Italians boarded it and sailed it back and forth in front of the city, dragging their flag in the water.

But I was thinking of the Turks. Various Byzantine nobles kept importing Turkish mercenaries to fight their wars with each other and to work their land. By the time the Turks rolled up to Constantinople with their cannons, the countryside was already filled with Turks. Ultimately, there weren't enough Byzantines left to fight the Turks or hold on to their territory so they vanished to the conquerers, despite their wealth and long history of achievements.

200 posted on 11/07/2005 10:02:14 PM PST by Question_Assumptions
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To: Question_Assumptions
The Byzantines even forgot how to sail. My Byzantine history professor told us of a Byzantine attempt to build a warship but they were so inept that they abandoned ship when it was caught up in the Bosphorus currents. The Italians boarded it and sailed it back and forth in front of the city, dragging their flag in the water.

Good historical point. Seems like the outsourcing trap has a long and illustrious pedigree. The Romans and the Goths...

The Globalists never square their dreams of world governmental institutions with the facts of history.

207 posted on 11/08/2005 11:54:50 AM PST by Paul Ross ("The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the govt and I'm here to help)
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