Breached fortifications restore numerical advantage to massed attackers in termite warfare
Evidence
Aardvarks tear through the side of a mound, slurping up termites with their long, sticky tongues. They amble on once they’ve had their fill, but the holes they dig take time to repair. If an exposed mound is discovered by siafu, the result can be disastrous. As soon as the walls are breached, tactical advantage returns to attackers, since they’ve got the greater numbers. Invading armies swarm in, and cities perish. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 490
Categorization
- XREF: Parallels the Lachish siege where breaking walls let the Assyrian army’s numbers decide the battle. — connects to: Fortified positions let termite soldiers defeat numerically superior army ants; Narrow entrance gates cancel the numerical advantage of massed attackers, favoring the better-armed defender — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 488; Fortified architecture lets termites negate an enemy’s numerical superiority — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 970 (+2 more)
Related
- Fortified positions let termite soldiers defeat numerically superior army ants (similarity 0.95)
- Fortified architecture lets termites negate an enemy’s numerical superiority (similarity 0.89)
- Narrow entrance gates cancel the numerical advantage of massed attackers, favoring the better-armed defender (similarity 0.87)
- Assyrians multiplied assault points to overstretch thin defender coverage across the perimeter. (similarity 0.79)
- City fortification walls evolved progressively from palisades to layered battlement systems by 1500 BCE. (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Fortified architecture lets termites negate an enemy’s numerical superiority
#qualifies(0.70) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 970 - Human fortifications and artillery evolve via the same arms-race logic as animal weapons
#expands(0.50) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 525