Top 10 Greatest Ancient Warriors

The Top Ten
1 Spartans

Spartans are the ultimate warrior, bred for battle, and born to kill. In training, they would be killed if caught stealing not because they were stealing, but because they couldn't get away with it. They trained weeks without food to fight hunger. Even as infants if seen as not good enough the infants would be thrown into the streets to die, hoping for some trespasser to claim them. A couple things against the Samurai below, one, the samurai didn't beat the Mongols, the southwest Chinese lands united the southeast and took over, two, samurais did not win every war, in fact they lost almost as much as they won, the imperial Japanese army for instance. The spartans would never give up, yes the battle of Thermopylae may seem overrated, but 100,000 vs. 300 and several hundred arcadians, and the fact that thousands died by the will of Greek men defending their home is one of the most fascinating stories in history. These killing machines were not to be trifled with.

2 Samurai

The Samurai sought perfection in their one craft. If your craft was sword fighting, you were then an expert in sword fighting. That would be the only thing you would study. Many think that samurai were all-around good fighters, but this isn't exactly true. However, attaining true expertise in only one area will allow you to penetrate good "all around" fighters because you are better at your one craft than they are at any one thing they know. The downside of course is that now you have an achilles heel. Because of the amount of time and dedication the Samurai dedicated to their one craft I would have to say they were the best warriors, and that's not even taking into account their fierce loyalty to their lord and would consider it an honor to die to demonstrate that loyalty.

3 Knights

There armour was considered almost sword proof. There chivalry and mastery of the Long swords is incredible. Just imagine seeing a knight in the ancient world you would have been scared out of your mind as all traces of human characteristics are just missing.

I love the armor they have! the weapons the swords are so cool! I love the kings queens I love them so much! oh god I love them! it was hard not to put them higher then the vikings!

4 Zulu

Shaka Zulu would make his troops run laps over and over in the African sun, and would personally kill any of them that showed weakness. Zulu were the Spartans of Africa.

The literally fought against the largest empire on Earth who had canons, guns and explosive artillery, with just pure tactics and primitive weapons.

The Spartans never faced a nation who used guns. The Zulus did not only face guns but canons and way stronger artillery the Spartans ever faced.

5 Vikings

The Vikings were the best of the best, they dominated everywhere, sacked constantinople, Paris, rome, etc. they were the first to find North America (lead by Leaf Erikson) and practically controlled the north of the entire known world (excluding Alaskan area)

These guys where brutes. They were very tall and would make you tremble in combat. they are almost equals to spartans or more. They pillaged plundered and burned almost everything in their path. Imagine facing an almost giant with an axe, two spears and a long sword also with an battle shield.

6 Mongols

They are few in number, but they are strong, smart, and have conquered the world. Their enemies say that "don't make population 5 million of Mongols".

The mongols conquered almost half the world. And they only stopped because there leader died who's to say that they could be stopped

They are not really ancient, maybe you wanted to say huns, Mongolians appear later... in medieval times...

7 Ninjas

If you can't see it you can't kill it obviously. The idea of ninjas was to rebel and revolt against Samurais of Japan, and their experience and expertese in everything they did is what made things to where there were only few records of ninjas even in existence. If you think about it, it wasn't what they did that made them famous, but how they did it is what we need to be asking here.

8 Egyptians

There's a saying it would be suicide if you attacked the convoy or spokesman of Ancient Egypt. The military system of the jet black African achievement is underrated. Old Kingdom is the oldest Empire. During Egypt's time which was too old, this civilization invented a form of phalanx. They also had wheeled siege ladders and a proto-type of the Assyrian siege pride. Their division of the military was way ahead of their time. Through their science they invented the world's first warships. Their charriots were too advanced. The military had a tactical solution for ambush and survived the oldest recorded ambush. The Archer corps of the military could shoot as far as FREAKING 600 METRES. The military worked with speed and silent assassination. They could attack when you least expect. The tactics of the Ancient Egyptians were very advanced. Look at the tactics employed against the Sea people. The Sea people had destroyed many empires from Greece to the Hittites. The Ancient Egyptians and Sudanese also employed bio weapons in the form of poisoning arrows and anti poisoning arrows armors.

9 Romans

Cunning Generals lead disciplined troops that bent most of Europe and northern Africa to the will of imperial rome... The loyalty towards a single emperor may not have their top priority but when it came to winning battles they come second to none...

They modernized the idea of a regular army provided from the state, reinvented the concept of mobility and soldiers armor and changed the concept of war.

The Romans were the greatest ancient fighters other than the Spartans. They had a huge empire for decades.

10 Musketeers

Spartan Shields are fine, however even they can't protect spartans from gunpowder bullets. It's that very reason why the millitary gave up on metal armour. Remember that musketeers made knights extinct due to Flintlock gunpowder. In turn Cowboys made Pirates and musketeers extinct once Winchester repeaters and Colt revolvers came around. Then the Mafia mowed down the cowboys with the Thompson SMG and that's the moral; there's always a bigger threat.

Knights became extinct due to musketeers. A spartan would be shot dead before he could even get close to a musketeer simply because black powder bullets penetrate thick plate armour. There's a reason why the military gave up on metal armour.

The Contenders
11 Chinese

These people were innovators in artillery from the late classical era onwards. They were one of the earliest users of crossbow, fire Lance, hand cannon, large artillery and many more. One myth about the Chinese is that they just invented gun powder whiles gun came from Europe. That's a like; check the history of gun and see that the prototypes were at least initiated in China way before Europe.

China's Firest Emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, United all of China with an amazing attack force and of course, brilliant strategies. Min one battle, his army buried so many bodies that the skeletons can still be seen on top of that mountain today

12 Ashanti Army

The most underrated civilization in my opinion. So let's start with the basics; the Ashanti Empire was an empire from Ghana covering almost all of Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast. The bad side of this civilization is their lack of industrialization. They had a guild of blacksmiths who produced, restocked but not any manufacturing of weapons and goods through machinery. They thought the easy way to get weapons other than industrialization was to rely on their gold and human slaves. This is truly their huge error but let us look at their good side for once as well. Even the Ashanti are not recognized as part of the ancient African giants because people really underank them. Their organization is underestimated. Do you know they voted in their council to approve war similar to the US senate? On the battlefield, they exploited science such as a well studied form of reconnaissance. Let's not forget their snipers (an early form of the art itself) who took advantage of hiding places and shot from afar. They employed all world class tactics such as the columns used by Napoleon, pincer, hammer-anvil, encirclement, spam encirclement and many more. They fired both rifle tactics and musket tactics (Volley fire). Also, their military engineers. The Ashanti army is one of the most underrated civilizations in world and African history.

13 Apache

The zeals got their knife fighting from them that's why seals are the greatest knife fighters

14 Celts

These are the Celts we're talking about, terrifying. On the field of battle, these guys can kill like nobody's business. They're kind of like vikings, except like the other comment, often naked. With horrifying body paint, they drive fear into their enemy's hearts. Similar to the Caledonians and the Picts, the Romans could never penetrate their homes, because these barbarians were warriors from Hell.

15 Shaolin Monks

The long tradition of training and preparing the body through spiritualism led the Shaolin monks to become the greatest martial artist in the world. Although they managed to decimate troops whenever they had to face them, they were not the greatest warriors in history. They goal was tranquility (Taoism), and harmony (Buddhism), which were the founding principles of their fighting techniques. But the martial monks were/are the best fighters ever (even though they still hate fighting).

Trianed in martial arts modeled after animals, can lay on a bed of spears, and train longer and with more weapons than British S.A.S. Do I have to say more

16 Gladiators

They were not only brave men capable of defending their land, lord and his people, but also they were loyal, a special gift you did not seem often in those time periods.

They may be kind of evil, but they are so cool! Go Gladiators, go Gladiators, GO! I love them. They are doubly good! There's nothing bad about them. It's cruel, but they had fights in an arena! I love them. They are the best besides... oh, never mind. I made this list, and I can't believe I forgot to put them on the list. I feel so bad I forgot them. If I could change the list, I would put them at least at number 4! I am so sorry, Gladiators, I forgot you. I totally love you guys! Please don't kill me! Please! I love them. Curses on me for forgetting them.

17 Mamluks
18 Pirates

Pirates were around since the time of the Greeks and Egyptians and our still around today unlike any of these other warriors.

Pirates. What else do I need to say?

19 Huns

In the anicent world every countrytries in the world even germany where scared of attila and his army the Huns. That's why the huns are the strongest warriors in history.

20 Assyrians
21 Māori
22 Persians

Wasn't the Achaemenid Empire the largest empire in antiquity. And to the previous comment at the top which downplayed d Persians as relying on slaves; I take it was written by an ingnorant grade schooler who is obsessed with 300. The Persians throughout history were innovators. They developed the triems first even before Greek adoption. The Persians weren't Savage as the West depicts them. In fact, they did conquer Europe and the overhyped Rome at number number 8. It was they whom Alexander took inspiration from for his Empire.

23 Trojans

My favorite condom... Oh wait ya'll mean the guys that fell for that dumb horse trick? Laugh out loud yeah

24 Comanche
25 Babylonians
8Load More
PSearch List