Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol Vii-2 - Fight For Control

Discover Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol Vii-2 - Fight For Control

Ancient Warfare - vii.2



Theme: struggle for control - wars in Sicily



Introduction: Matthew Beazley, 'Historical Introduction: Wars in Sicily'.

Illustrated by Carlos Garcia.



Created by the gods and the land of giants, Sicily was a rich but deadly prize that dangled in front of many ancient powers. The unfortunate island would be subjected to a seemingly endless series of wars waged by peoples from across the ancient Mediterranean. For centuries, the Greeks and Carthaginians beat each other to exhaustion in the desire to dominate the island. Heeding the siren's song, the power of Athens would crash against the rocks of Sicily. Like a lover forced to choose between two suitors, Sicily would choose Rome over Carthage and thus hasten the end of the war.
Disappearance of the latter.



Subject: Konstantin Nossov, 'Military Architecture as a Source: Sicilian Greek Fortifications'.



Greek fortifications appeared in sicily along with greek immigrants in the 8th century bc. The first city founded by greek colonists, naxos, boasts the oldest known examples of greek fortifications in sicily. Beautiful examples of later fortifications can be found at syracuse, selinus and gela. Greek fortifications in sicily shared similarities with greek military architecture found elsewhere, but there were also notable differences. The fortifications of sicily reached their peak in the period between 405 bc, when dionysius i came to power, and 211 bc, when syracuse and the rest of the island were captured by the romans.



Subject: paul mcdonnell-staff, 'savior of sicily - timoleon of corinth'.

Illustrated by Angel Garcia Pinto.



Between 1907 and 1938, parts of the pedestal of a bronze statue of Poseidon were recovered from the Isthmus of Corinth. The inscription on the pedestal reads: The Corinthians and their general Timoleon liberated the Greeks living in Sicily from the Carthaginians and so dedicated this offering of thanks to the gods.



Subject: annelies koolen, 'Athenian cavalry in Sicily: an underestimation of enemy cavalry'.

Illustrated by Jose Antonio Gutierrez Lopez.



During the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the Athenians not only fought intensely against the Spartans and Boeotians. Between 415 and 413 BC, they also undertook a rather daring enterprise: a military expedition to the island of Sicily.



Subject: Nicholas Sekunda, 'a regiment of Cretan mercenary archers - in the service of the tyrants of Syracuse'.

Illustrated by igor dzis.



Following their defeat by Hannibal at the Battle of Trebbia in December 218 BC, the Romans appealed for help to Hieron II, tyrant of Syracuse. According to Polybius (3.75. 7), he sent them 500 Cretans and a thousand peltophoroi. These latter troops were typical Hellenistic "peltasts", armed with pikes and a small bronze shield (pelte). They were able to fight as light infantry in special operations or in phalanx formation. After the Battle of Lake Trasimene, fought the following year, Hannibal is recorded as having released the Latin-named allies (Livy 27.7. 5); the Cretans were sent back to the Syracusan army. Hieron sent further reinforcements, consisting of a thousand archers and some slingers (Livy 22.37. 8). He also sent supplies of corn to Rome after this battle, knowing that the Romans employed even foreigners to fight in such roles.



Theme: Filippo Donvito, 'Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind - Siege of Motya by Dionysius I, 397 BC'.

Illustrated by Johnny Shumate.



A traveller arriving in Syracuse at the dawn of the 4th century BC would have been greatly impressed by the appearance of the city. It did not really resemble the usual Greek polis, but rather a kind of giant open-air military factory, filled with barracks and fortified enclosures that echoed with the metallic clink of blacksmiths producing thousands of suits of armour. The finest engineers from around the Mediterranean were inventing war machines the likes of which had never been seen before. All this was not just a way of showing off. The tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius, was planning to capture the most formidable Carthaginian fortress in Sicily: Motya.



Topic: Sidney E. Dean, 'Agathocles of Syracuse and the Third Greco-Punic War: Betrayal, Tyranny and Terror'.

Illustrated by Angel Garcia Pinto.



Agathocles (361–289 BC) became tyrant of Syracuse in 317 or 316 BC. Between 316 and 314 BC, he conquered numerous Greek cities in eastern and central Sicily and forced others to become allies of Syracuse. Only the major cities of Gela, Acragas, and Messana were able to resist by forming an alliance and appealing to Carthage for support. In 314 BC, Hamilcar, the Carthaginian military governor of western Sicily, negotiated a “peace agreement” that recognized Syracusan hegemony over the eastern two-thirds of Sicily. Hamilcar’s generosity is not surprising. He and Agathocles appear to have forged a personal pact in 317 BC with the Syracusans pledging to support Hamilcar against his political enemies in Africa. When Agathocles' Greek opponents complained directly to Carthage in 314, the Punic government accused Hamilcar, who died before they could be removed from Sicily.



Characteristics



The find: Vincent van der Veen, 'Roman property inscriptions: Keep your dirty paws off my stuff!'.



In 2011, the Het Valkhof museum in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, purchased a Roman helmet from a private individual who had discovered it in a field. The helmet was of the so-called coolus type and could be dated to the first three-quarters of the 1st century AD. Although damaged, all parts were recovered. The dome and neck guard were made from a single sheet of bronze, while the conical crest knob was soldered on and the crest reinforcement riveted on. The cheek pieces were originally attached to the helmet by two hinges.



Special: Korneel van Lommel, 'Refusal to do military service in ancient Rome: I would rather cut off my thumb'.



Within the span of a few centuries, Rome grew from a small settlement to a vast empire that stretched from Scotland to Mauritania and from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caspian Sea. The Roman army was a crucial factor in the establishment of the empire. This may give the impression that the Romans were a warrior society, where every Roman was willing to risk his life. However, this ideal mischaracterizes Roman civilization. Several sources refer to young men who did not want to enlist in the army and instead deliberately mutilated themselves in order to be rejected on medical grounds. In this article, these testimonies are placed in the appropriate time and context. I will explain in more detail the refusal of military service, the young men’s motives for self-mutilation, and the legal repercussions of this act of desertion.



The debate: duncan b. campbell, 'what really happened at the granicus river? - alexander's great cavalry battle'.

Illustrated by Pablo Outeiral and Julia Lillo.



In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander the Great, then aged 21, crossed into Asia Minor at the head of a Macedonian army of 35,000 men to begin the conquest of the Persian Empire. Just 50 miles into his journey, he encountered the first Persian opposition at the Granicus River and convincingly overcame it. However, our main sources of information disagree on the course of the battle and give only a vague idea of ​​the terrain. So is it possible for us, more than two millennia later, to trace exactly what happened at the Granicus River?
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