the greatest warrior of ancient times

[okamido]

Marcus Sergius


from a Pliny quote on Wiki:

Nobody - at least in my opinion - can rightly rank any man above Marcus Sergius, although his great-grandson Cataline shames his name. In his second campaign Sergius lost his right hand. In two campaigns he was wounded twenty-three times, with the result that he had no use in either hand or either foot: only his spirit remained intact. Although disabled, Sergius served in many subsequent campaigns. He was twice captured by Hannibal- no ordinary foe- from whom twice he escaped, although kept in chains and shackles every day for twenty months. He fought four times with only his left hand, while two horses he was riding were stabbed beneath him.He had a right hand made of iron for him and, going into battle with this bound to his arm, raised the siege of Cremona, saved Placentia and captured twelve enemy camps in Gaul - all of which exploits were confirmed by the speech he made as praetor when his colleagues tried to debar him as infirm from the sacrifices. What piles of wreaths he would have amassed in the face of a different enemy!

More info: http://books.google.com/books?id=PZR_GNJjJioC&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=marcus +sergius&source=bl&ots=kE2CmTZ22r&sig=PBNNtANu398A fCmCBycjGpAAjdI&hl=en&ei=h7e-S-_qHYSknget_7T3CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&res num=10&ved=0CB0Q6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=marcus%20serg ius&f=false

[leakbrewergator]

^^You gotta love accounts written 200 years after the fact.

[MAXIMVS]

It depends.
Speaking of history and not mothology, I woud say that Julius Caesar was a great general, but he had the best army in the world at his command.
In other side, Hannibal have defeated the legions many times with armies of barbarians from diferent cultures in their own land. That shoud be impossible for any other but Hannibal.

The only one who did something like it was Spartacus, with an army of slaves, but wasn't the same.