"The Deadliest Sieges In History" Topic

"Sieges are an unavoidable part of warfare, as outnumbered forces are much more likely to be able to defend themselves from a fortified position. However, without proper supplies or adequate weaponry, the soldiers, as well as the civilians, can be slowly destroyed by starvation and disease…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Siege Of Jerusalem (70 AD)
1,100,000 Killed

I have the inkling that these numbers are propaganda rather then historical accurate…

From which origin…?

Amicalement
Armand

Pretty much all of the sources.

Anyone with a knowledge of the history of human population quickly comes to the conclusion that most ancient sources greatly exaggerate most numbers in war.

Hernán Cortés led his 200,000-man army against Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, determined to obliterate the Aztecs in order to claim the land and riches for Spain. The defending forces numbered nearly 300,000.

Yah, right.

Tenochtitlan may have been one of the biggest cities in the world at the time. Most experts suspect that there may have been upwards to 200,000 inhabitants in the city at the time of the conquest. Of the 200,000 about 40,000 were children which leaves 80,000 adult women and 80,000 adult men. Even with non-Tenochtitlan allies (which by now had largely forsaken the Aztecs) it is difficult to reach these figures. So the defending forces being 300,000 is highly suspect.

The casualty figures are also suspect. If one factors in the effects of a smallpox epidemic that began during the siege, and the effects of starvation, disease and deprivation over a year after the actual combat, then the numbers may add up.

The average estimate of world population for 1 AD seems to be about 200 million, maybe a little more. Half of these lived in China & India. Estimates for the poulation of Rome at the time range from 500k to 1m. To believe a few Roman legions killed .5% of world population in a small city in a few days is a little naive, to but it midly.