Ancient Warfare Journal Vol II -5 - Warfare in the Ancient Near East

Enjoy Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol II -5 - Warfare in the Ancient Near East

Ancient Warfare II.5, October/November 2008

Topic: Warfare in the Ancient Near East

Introduction by Jasper Oorthuys, 'Introduction to the Topic'.

Source: Jona Lendering, 'Recording the Ages'.

Mesopotamian historical documents are different from Greek and Roman sources and are not easy to read. However, they contain important information and belong to an interesting scientific tradition in their own right.

Topic: Mark Schwartz, 'Warriors at the Dawn of Time'.

Illustrated by Johnny Shumate

The birth of war seems to be linked to the birth of civilization itself. During the fourth millennium BC, in what is now southern Iraq, the world's first civilization sprang from the fertile plains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Called Mesopotamia by the ancient Greeks, this region was the birthplace of the world's first cities, the first kings, the first writing system, the first wheel, the first temples, the first codified laws, and the first organized war.

Subject: Konstantin Nossov, 'Relief Sieges'.

Between the 9th and 7th centuries BC, the Assyrian Empire was at the height of its power, terrorizing the countries of the Near East. The numerous military campaigns carried out by its kings were immortalized in the reliefs that decorated their palaces. Today, they are an invaluable source of information on the wars of that period and region, particularly on Assyrian siege techniques and the fortifications of the ancient Near East.

Topic: sidney dean, 'car crash'.

Illustrated by Igor Dzis and Andrew Brozyna.

The Battle of Megiddo, fought by Egyptian forces under Pharaoh Thutmose III against a coalition of Canaanite city-states, is the first battle recorded in detail by contemporary chroniclers.

Characteristics

The warrior: blanka misic, 'Roman intelligence gathering in the East'.

Illustrated by Graham Sumner.

At the height of its power, the Roman eastern frontier stretched from Armenia to Arabia, encompassing a wide variety of landscapes and cultures. This region had long been a flashpoint between two great empires: the Roman and the Parthian. Their intermittent warfare led them not only to perfect their powerful armies but also to develop innovative methods of intelligence gathering.

Special: Pawel Grysztar, 'Life in Retirement'.

By the time of the Principate, veterans—in the Roman sense: retired soldiers—had ceased to be a problem and had in fact become one of the most important factors in the development and Romanization of the empire. What happened in the meantime?

The Siege: Duncan Campbell, 'Between Rome and Parthia'.

Illustrated by Andrew Brozyna.

Few cities in the Near East remained outside Roman control for long. The so-called client kingdoms of Syria and Arabia were gradually absorbed into the empire. Even Dura Europus, on the lower Euphrates, was in Roman hands for almost a century. But further afield, between the Tigris and Euphrates, the desert city of Hatra jealously guarded its independence.

Be a general: Murray Dahm, 'Oral traditions of teaching war'.

Illustrated by Andrew Brozyna.

In the Greek and Roman worlds, military knowledge was traditionally passed down from father to son or from older relatives who had served "in the wars." We know almost nothing about the details of this practice and are forced to rely on what was written down. Fortunately for us, literature since Homer has focused on wars and armed conflicts, so there is much to read and absorb.
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