Ancient War Journal Vol IV -5 - Fighting For The Gods

Enjoy Ancient War Magazine Vol IV -5 - Fighting For The Gods

Ancient warfare iv.5, October/Nov 2010


Released October 25th.


Theme: Fighting for the Gods - War and Religion



Introduction: p.lindsay powell, 'introduction to the topic'


For the Greeks and Romans of the Archaic and Classical periods, wars were often fought when oaths and treaties, sacred because they had been witnessed before the gods, were broken. They believed that who would win was a matter for the gods to decide. Before battle began, city-states, soldiers and their senior officers actively sought the gods’ favour in order to improve their chances of ultimate victory – or at least survival. Studying how the Greeks and Romans understood the relationship between gods and men provides vital insight into the mindset of the ancient warrior.



Source: Paul Elliott, 'Inside a Temple of Mithras: Secrets of a Military Cult'



There is a large roadside mound along Hadrian’s Wall called Carrawburgh (pronounced ‘kara-bura’), the Broccolite Roman fort, with a hewn stone temple dedicated to the god Mithras behind it. It’s easy to miss, but it’s a crucial part of the story of everyday life on Hadrian’s Wall. Followers of Mithras formed a mystery cult, a secret society that was popular with some of the soldiers along Hadrian’s Wall. What was found at Carrawburgh gives us a rare insight into the workings of this military cult.



The Oracle of Delphi - Johnny Shumate Theme: Owen Rees, 'Sparta Refuses to Fight - Pious Inaction During the Persian Invasions'



There are many ways to tell a story. History has long relished telling the tale of the great eastern oppressors of the 5th century overrunning the small but free Greek states, culminating in a victory for democracy over autocracy between David and Goliath. The great victories at Marathon and Platea, combined with the heroic resistance of Leonidas’ 300 (ignoring the 2,000-plus Greeks who were present), have given rise to a popular and moral story of freedom versus control, right versus wrong, good versus evil; of people standing up for what they consider to be just and fair. But there is a different story to tell. A story of cultural moderation, of political wrangling, and of piety resisting practicality: this is the story of Sparta, no longer behind its mirage.



Subject: corrado re, 'consular suicide - the practical aspects of the devotio'



For the Romans, as for most ancient peoples, victory was as much a matter of divine favour as of military prowess. They had several rites associated with war, most of which dated back to their earliest history. One of the most striking practices was the act of devotion. According to Livy and Cicero, it was enacted three times between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Each time the actor was a consul named Publius Decius Mus: father, son and grandson. This was probably an expression of the private religion and tradition of the gens (family). The first recorded devotio was performed at the Battle of Veseris, against a Latin army; the second at Sentinum, in the ‘Battle of the Nations’, against a coalition of Italic and Gallic peoples; and the final devotion took place at Ausculum contra Piro. We know the narrative, but what happened at such events?




Subject: christopher lilley, 'epona in roman service - military worship of a horse goddess'



The goddess Epona is generally assumed to be a pre-conquest Gallic deity whose cult was later spread beyond Gaul by local cavalry in the service of the Romans. However, no inscriptions of Epona are known to exist on the Gallic wings and cohortes equitatae. A connection with the equites singulares Augusti, particularly under Hadrian, helps to solve this mystery.



Subject: Mark Woolmer, 'In the name of Ahuramazda - Darius' war against the Elamites and Scythians'



In September 522 BC, Darius I, along with six accomplices, seized control of the Persian throne. Darius I, also known as Darius the Great, was the third great king of the Persian Empire who ruled at the height of its power and influence. However, his seizure of power was met with rebellions across the empire which forced Darius to innovate in terms of his political, economic, religious, and military policies. Therefore, he reorganized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps (regional governors) to oversee them, introduced a new monetary system, made Aramaic the official language of the empire, and initiated a number of construction projects. To combat the insurrection, he used religion...



Subject: alberto perez, 'cut off their heads! head and scalp hunting in ancient times' cast of a monument with severed heads found in entremont



The decapitation of fallen enemies was a common practice after battle in many cultures, from the time when men divined or imagined a separation between body and soul, between the animated life whose seat is the former and the spiritual dimension of that life which embodies the latter. Peoples as diverse as the Assyrians and the Romans indulged in it, though of course the meaning of this act was not the same in all cases. It is not easy to cut off a human head. In fact, it is very difficult to accomplish this in combat with a single blow of the sword.
Despite what Hollywood might show, it was usually done post mortem. Why bother with such a tedious action once your enemy is already dead?



Topic: jona lendering, 'alexander the invincible god - uniting a diverse army through deification'



Although Alexander the Great was not the first human being to receive divine honors, his self-deification set an example for Hellenistic kings, Roman emperors, and other rulers. However, this would not have been the case if Alexander's self-deification had not been entirely rational and if it had not offered advantages that no ancient ruler could afford to ignore.



Subject: Sidney Dean, 'The Frankish Constantine - The Conversion of Clovis into Tolbiac'



Clovis I is known as the Frankish Constantine. Like the Eastern Roman Emperor, this pagan German king claimed victory in battle after swearing allegiance to the Christian deity. But the impact of Clovis’ religious conversion went far beyond the battlefield of Tolbiac in 496 AD. His election paved the way for Frankish domination over Europe and influenced the course of world history.



The weapon: paul mcdonnell-staff, 'the vision sign of constantine: religion and the late roman shield'



Of course, religion has always played a major role in warfare. As the modern saying goes: there are no atheists in a foxhole. Since time immemorial, a man about to risk his life on a battlefield has invoked the aid of his gods. One particularly famous example of this occurred in 312 AD, just before the Battle of Milvian Bridge outside Rome, when Constantine, having been “raised to the purple” by his father’s troops at York, confronted the Emperor Maxentius to decide who would rule the Western Empire.



Characteristics



The latest evidence of the Spanish IX in Great Britain - by Andrew Brozyna The debate: Duncan B. Campbell,

'The fate of the ninth. The curious disappearance of the IX Hispana legion'



In 1954, Rosemary Sutcliff published a novel about Roman Britain. She captured the imagination of a generation of readers with her story of the Ninth Legion, destroyed in the mists of Scotland. A BBC dramatisation captivated a new generation in 1977. And now a new film is set to rekindle interest in the story of the lost Legion. But was it really destroyed in Britain during the reign of Hadrian? Or have we fallen prey to a myth that should have been dispelled fifty years ago?
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