Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol Vi - 1 From Hereos to Hoplites

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Ancient warfare magazine vol vi - 1 from hereos to hoplites: warfare in ancient greece



Topic: From heroes to hoplites: warfare in ancient Greece



Introduction: seán hussmann, 'introduction to the topic'.



With the exception of the New Testament, it is difficult to think of any other literary work that has had such an enormous influence on European culture and self-conception as the writings of Homer. While it is still hotly debated whether Homer was the sole author of the Odyssey and the Iliad, whether he simply collected older poems into two great epic works, whether both epics were composed by the same hand or were rather the works of two or more anonymous authors, or even whether there was a poet called Homer, there can be no doubt that his works – especially the Iliad – have fascinated and influenced scholars and laymen alike for millennia. The scientific works written on this subject in the twentieth century would probably fill an entire library, while works of art and fiction inspired by Homer – novels, films, paintings, plays, and even songs – could easily fill another.



Source: Owen Rees, 'Using Homer as a Story - Poetic License'.



There are few sources more revered throughout history than Homer. He has captured the imagination of every generation that has had the privilege of seeing his works. Whether it is because of the content of his poetry or the elusive nature of his identity, it is fair to say that he has been the dominant feature in the historiographical debate dating back to the Alexandrian scholars and before. The debate continues today.



The reenactor: dimitrios katsidis, 'walking statues: a recreation of the early hoplites'. topic: cezary kucewicz, 'the rules of war in early greece: an age of heroes?'.
Illustrated by Christos Giannopoulos.



The famous war between Chalcis and Eretria, which took place on the island of Euboea around 700 BC, was the largest and best-remembered military conflict of the early Archaic Greek period. According to Thucydides, the Lelantine War, as we call it today, was the first ancient war in which the rest of the Hellenic world joined one side or the other (History of the Peloponnesian War 1.15. 3). The unique place of this conflict in the history of Greek warfare is further confirmed by a tradition recorded by the ancient geographer Strabo, who reported that in the course of the war the contending parties formally agreed to forbid the use of ranged weapons (i.e. slings, bows, javelins). And although the historical authenticity of this agreement is unclear, it has led modern historians to suspect that warfare in the Archaic Greek period might have been governed by similar rules and conventions.



Subject: Paul McDonnell-Staff, 'The Origins of the Hoplite Phalanx: Where the Fighting is Hand-to-Hand'.

Illustrated by Rory McDonnell staff.



When someone asked why they shamed those among them who had lost their shields, but not those who had lost their helmets or their breastplates, he said: 'because they put this on for themselves, but the shield for the common good of the whole line'. Thus the exiled Spartan king Demaratus explained the cohesion of the Greek phalanx to his Persian audience (Plutarch, Moralia 220a (2)).



Subject: vassilis pergalias, 'the first messenian war - the dawn of spartan expansionism'.

Illustrated by Igor Dzis and Carlos Garcia.



For nearly twenty years, the group of villages that formed the political system of Sparta fought against the people of neighbouring Messenia in circumstances shrouded in historical mystery. The war, fought during the transitional period at the beginning of Greece's Archaic Age, allows us to explore the origin of the hoplite phalanx along with the origins of Spartan militaristic society.



Topic: Gareth Williams, 'Tyranny and the Hoplite Reform: From Rags to Riches'.



For many, the introduction of hoplite armour and the Greek phalanx at the end of the Archaic period is evidence of a rising middle class who, due to their increasing wealth, could now afford to purchase the hoplite panoply and so fight shoulder to shoulder with the aristocratic elite. Their increasing role in defending the polis fuelled an egalitarian spirit and a desire for political parity. The elites were unwilling to indulge these social impulses, allowing a “champion of the people”, the tyrant, to emerge in a number of cities. These tyrannies openly supported and endorsed the grievances of this new politically active class. But is this true? Is there evidence that this new “middle class” sought political equality because of their new role as hoplites? Who did the tyrants actually recruit to take power in a polis?



The topic: Murray Dahm, 'Twins, Chariot Warfare and Late Geometric Art: Deluded!'.

Illustrated by Andrew Brozyna.



The frieze of a unique late geometric oinochoe (wine jar) found near the tholos in the Agora of Athens in 1935 (p4885) seems to depict Siamese twins in combat; two assassins attack as the twins dismount from their chariot. Such an extraordinary scene is, to say the least, fascinating. However, upon closer investigation, this figure is not at all what it seems.



Characteristics



Special: arnold blumberg, 'germanic piracy during the 3rd and 4th centuries ad - assault from the sea'.

Illustrated by Angel Garcia Pinto.



Pirates and piracy are recurring themes in Roman literature; murder, plunder and kidnapping by sea raiders were familiar terrors to many inhabitants of the empire throughout its history. The perpetrators of these deeds, defined as armed robbers whose activities usually involved the use of ships, were, and still are, called pirates. The problem of piracy had long plagued the empire. Although it was never eradicated, it was more or less under control during the principate (31 BC – 284 AD). However, with the internal destabilization of the 3rd century AD there was a rise in piracy caused in part by Germanic peoples who had taken to the sea.



The debate: Duncan B. Campbell, 'Did the Sassanians use chemical warfare? Death in darkness at Dura-Europos'.

Illustrated by Andy Brozyna



The ruined city of Dura-Europos, the “Pompeii of the Syrian Desert,” has several claims to fame. Students of ancient military equipment are fascinated by the rich assemblage of weapons and armour recovered through excavations in the 1930s. War historians are captivated by the city’s defences, particularly the many-towered “Desert Wall,” which still stands at full height in many places. Both focus on important features of the site. Far rarer in the annals of ancient warfare, however, are the Sassanian tunnels, hidden deep beneath, which were designed to undermine the wall and infiltrate the city. A recent theory has suggested a further distinction for Dura-Europos, as the place where the first recorded use of chemical warfare was. But can the evidence support such a sensational claim?
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