The nature of Warfare

[sraj]

Hello List,

If you go to Google Images and Google "Indian woman carrying heavy load" you will mostly see Indian women carrying heavy loads on their heads with easy grace; you will also see few images, where the weight of a back pack is transferred to the head, by means of a strap.

Exploring images of Roman, Greek, Norman and Mongol soldiers, it seems very unlikely that they would have carried heavy backpacks like modern soldiers do; if they did, they would have lost the flexibility of movement that their craft would have required. 

Exploring images of children from late 19th and early 20th century, it seems unlikely that they carried backpacks (even if they did, it is unlikely that they would have been heavy).

How come then that children nowadays carry heavy backpacks to school, sanctioned by the belief that the backpacks are symmetrically placed, hence there is no problem?

Regards, (Merry Christmas and wishes for very good USE in the New Year)

Selvaraj

P.S.

1. Possibility exists that backpacks so carried will quickly lead to forward head posture. A shoulder bag on one shoulder - even if unsymmetrical - may be better.

2. It appears that during world war one backpack loads increased by 50%, reaching over 50 pounds. World war two saw a further increase to 80 - 100 pounds.