Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol X.5 - The Legacy of Cyrus

Discover Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol X.5 - The Legacy of Cyrus

Ancient warfare magazine vol x.5 - the legacy of cyrus

The empires of persia at war

Subject: Cristian Violatti, The Persian Empires at War - Historical Introduction

Medes, Persians, or Achaemenids? Ancient sources rarely bothered to differentiate between them. Their tribes united and became kingdoms, and their realms became empires. Some of the most decisive chapters in ancient wars were written when their ever-shifting borders brought them face to face with the great Western powers.

Topic: Daan Nijssen, the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus - how history became a myth

The conquest of Babylon by Cyrus is relatively well documented thanks to the Chronicle of Nabonidus, the Cyrus Cylinder and later Greek sources such as Herodotus and Xenophon. This event seems to have left traces in the later Persian oral tradition, since a story similar to Cyrus's conquest of Babylon can be found in the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran.

Topic: Sidney E. Dean, Cyrus and the Conquest of Media - The Beginning of Greatness

Legend has it that the Median king Astyages dreamed that his daughter’s son would invade his kingdom. To prevent this, he married his daughter Mandane to a secluded prince on the edge of his kingdom. But legends teach that fate cannot be fooled. The couple had a son named Cyrus who would in fact dethrone his grandfather and forge an empire greater than all before.


Subject: murray dahm, my men have turned to women! - artemisia of halicarnassus

In his account of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece, Herodotus goes to great lengths to give an account of Artemisia, the tyrant of Halicarnassus, before, during, and after the Battle of Salamis. This account, and Artemisia herself, are notable for a variety of reasons, but the idea of ​​an able commander had a major impact on the ancient world.

Subject: steve christian-noonan, a look at aeschylus' persians - persian grief, athenian triumph


The Persians is a Greek tragic play written by Aeschylus and is also the only extant play, other than the comedies, whose subject matter is not taken from legend but from the recent history of Athens, i.e. the Battle of Salamis (480 BC). It provides the reader with the earliest account of the battle witnessed by the playwright, who may also have been present at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC).

Theme: Robert Holmes, The Persian Scythe Chariot - A Reaper Whirlwind

The Persians had a long association with the war chariot, beginning in the days of their Aryan ancestors. However, despite this long association, the Persians never seem to have made as extensive use of the war chariot as some of their neighbors. They did, however, develop the most recognizable and impressive war chariot of the ancient world.

Subject: arnold blumberg, the army of the persian empire, 490-330 bc

Achaemenid Persia was the greatest power of the classical world, stretching from India to Egypt and across Asia Minor. Its nearly invincible armies were composed of a mix of infantry, archers, and cavalry. The idea that hoplite warfare was superior, as marked by the Greek victory at Marathon, is challenged, since prior to that contest, Persian armies had won battle after battle against hoplites during the Ionian Revolt of 499–493 BC.

Topic: konstantin nossov, europos fortress (dura-europos) - desert pompeii

Dura-Europos - a Hellenistic, then Parthian and Roman city - was located on the Euphrates, about 250 kilometers from Palmyra. Destroyed by the Sassanians in the mid-3rd century AD, Dura-Europos never revived and has been called the Pompeii of the Syrian Desert. (Rostovtzeff). The dry climate and sand kept numerous rare artifacts well preserved: the siege ramp, a mine with the remains of warriors, weapons, wooden shields and arrows for throwing machines. What will remain of this unique monument after the current war in Syria?

Subject: Alexander Stover, ancestors of a formidable archery tradition

Whether as heavily armed cataphracts or as footmen, the armies of the Sassanid Empire used archery to devastating effect in wars against enemies such as the Romans and the Huns. The methods of individual Persian archers of late antiquity provide a fascinating insight into a martial art and sport that enjoyed great prestige in their society. Long after the Sassanid Empire succumbed to Muslim conquests, they were remembered with awe and respect.

Graphic History: Josho Brouwers, Alexander the Great in Surprise Attacks - Stealing Victory

When, on the eve of the battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, some of Alexander's companions saw the numerous fires lit by the Persian hosts on the plain, they were afraid to face this vast army in broad daylight. They led the king to attack the Persian camp under cover of dark counsel. But Alexander refused, saying: I will not steal the victory from myself.

Special: Joseph Hall, definition (and denial) of the noxious force

Until recently, the ubiquity of violence in antiquity has been denied by academia. However, even now that attitudes are changing, the fact that violence has been ignored as a topic for so long means that it is still a vastly understudied field of research. Few people would argue with the claim that the Roman Empire was created and maintained largely through the use of force, so why has the study of such force – in all its contexts – received so little attention until now?

The debate: robbert bleij, the Roman heavy infantry on the battlefield - lines and boundaries

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the behavior of human beings under pressure, not only in my personal life, but also as a student of history. My thesis Lines and Limits deals with the psychological and physical limits and possibilities of soldiers under stress in the period of the late republic and early principate.

Hollywood Romans: David L. Reinke's Lively and Dignified Epic - The 300 Spartans

Given the legendary aspects of Thermopylae, it is surprising that Hollywood has ignored this fundamental commitment. With the exception of a few documentaries, there are only two feature-length films to speak of: 300 Spartans (1961) and, much more recently, Zack Snyder’s 300 (2006). A lively and somewhat dignified epic, is how film critic Leslie Halliwell summed up, with a laconic brevity worthy of the Spartans, 300 Spartans.

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