One of the first portrayals of Ancient Greece warfare comes from Homers epic the Iliad. During the Homeric Age the center of political organization were the households. The conduct of war was based on the ability of the leader of the household to assemble his supporters. However the cost of buying armor and weaponry was expensive therefore only the few wealthy could afford it. This created an aristocratic elite with the mode of fighting being the heroic model, a one-on-one battle between elites. This changes with the social change in the eight-century, where the phalanx will take over the mode of warfare. Single combat was common and the norm in the Homeric age. It is also known as the hero’s model of combat. The fighting is detailed as …show more content…
The success of the phalanx was due to discipline. The shield provided protection for the hoplite holding it as well as the hoplite next to him. If done correctly the formation was impenetrable by archers, chariots and even cavalry. The fighting had to be strictly controlled and no one was allowed to break formation and put the entire phalanx in danger. The beginnings of the concept of a phalanx can be seen in Homers The Iliad. An example of the phalanx being utilized can be seen in 17.354-360,
‘They’d packed behind their shields, ringing Patroclus round on all sides, spears jutting as Ajax ranged them all and shouted out commands; “No one back away from the body! No heroes either, bolting out of the Argive pack for single combat! Cluster round Patroclus, shoulder-to-shoulder, fight them at close range!”’
The shoulder-to-shoulder combat with direct orders not the break formation in an example of the phalanx. Homer also shows the effectiveness of such a formation a few lines down, “But far fewer of them went down, remembering always to fight in tight formation.”
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However his soldiers rally around him and form a barriers with shields, “…friends around him crowding, bracing shields against their shoulders, spears brandished high…” (11.563-565). This type of warfare cannot be random; a hoplite must train for such confrontation. In book eight of the Iliad Ajax’s brother is described hiding behind Ajax’s shield and stepping out the fire arrows then returning behind the shield (8.266-334). This requires amazing coordination and training between soldiers to be as effective as it is n the Iliad. The same style is seen in Tyrtaeus’s depiction of the seventh-century Spartan phalanx. There are several passages that describer dense masses of soldiers packed tightly together evoking this image of hoplite phalanx
They fought in the narrows of Thermopylae and held on for 6 days, ultimately being forced to battle with their bare hands and teeth before being defeated. Their spears may have been broken, but their spirit remains adamant. Their valour changed the course of history and became the matter of legend. Steven Pressfield meticulously weaves history and fiction together to create a riveting account of that era's most famous clash. A truly fascinating read.
Spartan culture is a great example of how a society’s infrastructure will directly affect both, its social structure and superstructure. It also serves as a warning that any society that becomes too rigid in its structure and too static in its values will not last long when confronted with more agile and adaptable cultures. This paper will explore why Sparta became the Hellenic army par excellence, how this worked to create a very specific social structure founded on martial values, and, finally, how that social structure would ultimately be the undoing of the culture.
Sun Tzu strongly advocates for trickery on the battlefield, saying “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable.”7 The Athenians use their smaller army to their advantage and planned a tactical military formation outside of Marathon. They placed the majority of the men in the left and right wings of the army, which meant the “ranks of the centre were diminished, and it became the weakest part of the line” in the hopes that the Persian army would break through.8 When the battle commenced, the front line of Athenians charged at the enemy, and to the Persians “it seemed to them that the Athenians were bereft of their senses, an bent upon their own destruction; for they saw a mere handful of men coming on at a run.”9 The Persians were lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their enemies had much less men than they actually
Ancient Sparta was the head of the Greek military, at one point the only Greek military. Genius tactics at the time led Sparta to become famous throughout the Mediterranean region as the strongest military force. The hoplites were known for their round shield and carried long spears with short swords (Sidebottom). During times of war, a military formation known as the phalanx, in which was essentially warriors standing in a box formation supporting one another, was used to essentially “push” the other side, striking down the other side by either being trampled or stabbed by the short swords of the opposing side. This basic formation was the very heart and soul of Greek warfare.
Training was hard for these great warriors, they often trained at special gladiator schools, the largest of which was connected to the great Coliseum by underground passages. Here they learned how to fight skillfully with swords, daggers, nets, chains, and an...
The Roman army was once well structured only because of their somewhat advanced armor but eventually the armor was of no use
Evantually a Spartan Army led by Archidamus to siege the tiny fort of Plataea arrived. The Army consisted of 30000 soldiers. First the Spartans built counter walls around the city, to protect against a variety of things including the weather. Then started building a ramp to get over the walls. The Plataean's responded by building higher walls, while digging underneath the ramp to lower it at the same time using a tunnel underneath it. Sparta did not have the resources to maintain an army at Plataea for long, and it became a race against time to take the city. The Plataeans started building a second wall, in case the first one failed. Soon Battering rams were made to break down the gate of the first wall, but the Plataeans responded with a crane-like defensive weapon, it picked up battering rams, and drop them to try and destroy it. In the end, Plataea got invaded due to spies on the inside opening the gates and allowing the army to take the
Simkin, John. “ Military Tactics of the Roman Army.” spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational, Sept. 1997- June 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
Lendon, J.E. Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity. Binghamton: Yale University Press, 2005. Web. .
While the poorest, the front line had no armor and only slings and stones for weapons. The early Roman army copied the Greeks basic tactical formation. The Greek army used the phalanx, a tight formation which came at the enemy with spears. The whole army would face forward in lines, and the first few ranks would hold out their spears and their shields. The army would move forward in unison.
d.’ 18.188-193. As much as the shield contains themes of the martial code, it contains themes of the civil code as well. The civil code is also shown side by side with the war-like martial code on the shield, and is one of the many reasons why Achilles’ shield is distinctive. The fact that all of the heroes possess worth in their names and do extraordinary deeds is important to the plot, however, the opposition found on the shield when the soldier’s families are depicted taking arms against an enemy is extraordinary as well.
...rated the superiority of the Greek long spear and armor over the weapons of the Persians, as well as the superior tactics of Miltiades and the military training of the Greek hoplites. The choice of weapons, training of warriors, selection of battle site, and timing had all worked together to help the Athenians prove that size doesn’t always matter.
Sparta is known to have the most powerful ancient Greek military of its time, lasting from 900 BCE to 371 BCE. Their main enemies were Athens and Persia. The development of Sparta’s military had a great influence on society and within the greek culture. Sparta was an ancient Greek city-state located in the present-day region of southern Greece called Laconia. The population of Sparta consisted of three main groups: the Spartans, the Helots, and the Perioeci. The Spartans were full citizens,the Helots were the slaves. The Perioeci, whose name means “dwells-around,” were known as craftsmen and traders. In the following paper, the development of Spartan military had a great influence on society and within the good culture.
During their time, the strategy the Roman’s employed was second to none. The success of their strategy started with the Roman’s separating their armies into smaller, more specific types. They used many different types of infantry throughout the years, but the main types they used were the velites, hastati, principes, triarii, and later the famous Legionaries were introduced (Roman Empire Wars). These infantry worked together on the battlefield to effectively eliminate the enemy and win the battle.
Military strategies, such as the "horn" formation by which Zulu regiments encircled their enemies, were created.