Greek Warfare Greeks were Different In the ancient

Greek Warfare

Greeks were Different In the ancient Greek world, warfare was seen as a necessary evil of the human condition. Whether it be small frontier skirmishes between neighbouring city-states, lengthy citysieges, civil wars, or large-scale battles between multi-alliance blocks on land sea. In the beginning there wasn’t much organization to Greek warfare but as the Greek city-states progressed they started to put warfare in the hands of the state or government. Sparta was the first example of how professional military is organized and run.

Greek Hoplite The mainstay of any Greek army was the hoplite. His full panoply was a long spear, short sword, and circular bronze shield and he was further protected, if he could afford it, by a bronze helmet (with inner padding for comfort), bronze breastplate, greaves for the legs and finally, ankle guards. Fighting was at close-quarters, bloody, and lethal. This type of warfare was the perfect opportunity for the Greek warrior to display his manliness (andreia) and excellence (aretē) and generals led from the front and by example.

Different types of Soldiers To provide greater mobility in battle the hoplite came to wear lighter armour such as a leather or laminated linen corselet (spolades) and open-faced helmet (pilos). The peltast warrior, armed with short javelins and more lightly-armoured than the hoplite became a mobile and dangerous threat to the slower moving hoplites. Other types of soldiers were Javelin throwers, archers and slingers using stones and lead bullets could harry the enemy with attacks and retreats. Cavalry or soldiers who fight on horseback was also deployed but were not as popular because of how expensive they were and the terrain in Greece made it difficult for horses to travel.

Phalanx One of the most effective and enduring military formations in ancient warfare was that of the Greek Phalanx. The phalanx formation was a close-rank, dense grouping of warriors armed with long spears and interlocking shields. The strength of the Greek phalanx lay in the endurance and discipline of the soldiers who made up the closelypacked rectangular formation of shields and spears. Once the phalanx was formed the soldiers would advance slowly toward the opposing army, fending off missile blows with their shields and holding the formation tightly in order to break through the ranks of the other side.

Phalanx Continued Once the battle began the two opposing sides engaged each other on the field the battle was on until one side broke ranks and was defeated. The phalanx, then, could be employed in battle in a great `pushing match’ with the front-liners literally being pushed forward by the shields of the soldiers behind them or, as the phalanx evolved, as a `battering ram’ to break the front lines while cavalry harried the flanks. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=p 7 YEpt. Nf. Fi. A

Greek Ships/Triremes Greek ships were another asset that made the Greeks superior in warfare. Greek ships had sails, and were pushed along by the wind. Small trading ships usually stayed close to the shore, so the sailors did not get lost. Before a voyage, the sailors prayed to the sea god Poseidon, for a safe journey. Greek warships had oars as well as sails. The largest warships had three banks of oars and were called triremes. A trireme needed 170 men to row it - one man to each oar. It had a long narrow deck that soldiers could run along and fight from. The oarsmen sat underneath the deck. Archaeologists have measured the remains of ship-sheds where Greek ships were built, to work out how big they were. A trireme was about 35 m/115 ft long.

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Sieges and Gods Another war strategy the Greeks used were their gods. They would determine the fate of their battles by asking the oracles the gods will. They would also pray, sing to the gods and offer sacrifice before they began to fight. From an early stage most Greek city-states had a fortified acropolis to protect the most important religious and civic buildings and provide refuge from attack. However, as warfare became more mobile and moved away from the traditional hoplite battle, cities sought to protect their suburbs with fortification walls. Independent lookout towers in the surrounding countryside and even frontier forts and walls sprang up in response to the increased risk of attacks. Sieges were usually long-drawn out affairs with the principal strategy being to starve the enemy into submission. Additional weapons were designed to aide the breaking down city walls like stone throwing machines, flame throwers etc.

Sources http: //www. ancient. eu/article/110/ http: //www. ancient. eu/Greek_Warfare/