Ancient Warfare

Though Odysseus’ tales to Eumaios and Aninoos in Odyssey 14.199–359 and 17.417–44, respectively, are presented as fictional tales within Homer’s larger myth, some elements have striking analogs in Late Bronze–Early Iron Age reality.

This article examines these portions of the hero’s false ainoi within their fictive context for the purpose of identifying and evaluating those elements. Particular focus is given to Odysseus’ declaration that he led nine successful maritime raids prior to the Trojan War; to his twice–described ill–fated assault on Egypt; and to his claim not only to have been spared in the wake of that Egyptian raid, but to have spent a subsequent seven years in the land of the pharaohs, during which he gathered great wealth.

Through a comparative examination of literary and archaeological evidence from the Late Bronze–Early Iron transition in the Eastern Mediterranean, it is shown that these aspects of Odysseus’ stories are not only reflective of the historical reality surrounding the time in which the epic is set, but that Odysseus’ fictive experience is remarkably similar to that of one specific member of the ‘Sea Peoples’ groups best known from 19th and 20th dynasty Egyptian records: the ‘Sherden of the Sea.’

This paper considers the available evidence on warfare in the Chalcolithic of Bulgaria (fifth millennium BC) such as weapons, fortifications, skeletal traumas etc., on the background of the cultural and social transformations that took place during this period. The
analysis shows that armed conflicts were probably among the principal factors involved in the processes that led to the formation of
the large Late Chalcolithic cultural complexes in the Balkans and in the causes for their collapse.

This thesis studies the evidence related to warfare and warriors in the Early Iron Age of Greece, from the eleventh to the early seventh century B.C.E. It argues that “warrior” identity, as expressed through burial with weapons or depictions of armed men and combat in pictorial painting and literature, is connected to violent action in order to create, maintain, and reinforce the relationship between authority and violent action. The forms that this violent action took were variable, from interregional conflict to overseas raids. This is outlined in Chapter 1, which is followed by two chapters summarizing the palatial (Chapter 2) and postpalatial (Chapter 3) background to the Early Iron Age.

Chapters 4 to 7 present the evidence. In order to provide a more thorough analysis the focus is limited to the regions of Attica, central Euboea, the Argolid, and Knossos. The study of warfare in this period has been dominated by the study of weapons; in this thesis the approach focuses on the contexts in which these weapons are found, burials (Chapter 4), sanctuaries (Chapter 5), and occasionally settlements (Chapter 6). In these chapters the particular treatment and emphasis on weapons and armour is considered based on an understanding of these contexts in the period. In Chapter 7, representations and the treatment of warriors and warfare in Early Iron Age pictorial pottery is considered, as is briefly the literary evidence from the end of this period, which form the means by which contemporary people came to understand warfare. Chapter 8 discusses the evidence, while Chapter 9 summarizes the conclusions.

This thesis shows that while warrior identity and the practice of war are closely related, in these areas of Early Iron Age Greece there are variations in the identification of men as warriors and in the intensity with which war is fought. Throughout the period, these regions express warrior identity in broadly similar ways, but with variations in duration, accessibility, and meaning. The eighth century is particularly a period of change with the intensification of warfare manifest in the destruction of settlements, but these changes are not restricted to this century, and are in many ways similar to the preceding centuries on a larger scale.

No conflict can be totally understood without previously grasp the circumstances of all contenders. In this sense, to know the Dacian soldier’s panoply is essential not just to approach to the facts of the battlefields of Domitian’s and Trajan’s Dacian Wars (85-106 d.C.) and their consequential impact on the development of historical events, but also to apprehend the development of arms and tactics seen in the Roman Army during this period. Our goal is to present an updated reconstruction and analysis of Dacian infantry soldier’s offensive and defensive panoply during Decebalus’ times, of the military specialties derived from it, as well as its tactical and battlefield  impact. To do so, we will start from the last historiographical breakthroughs till the date and, also, from a critic re-reading of available fonts about Dacian infantry’s weaponry in 1st to 2nd Centuries AD, its origins, applications and possible foreign influences.

A full ten years  after its publication, here is the PDF of this book, drawn from a course held in Paris at the Ecole pratique des hautes etudes - Section de sciences religieuses, by the kind invitation of Prof. M.G. Masetti.

REVIEWS: Dominique Charpin, Revue d'Assyriologie 103 (2009), 190; JoAnn Scurlock, JAOS 132 (2012), 313-315; Brigitte Lion, Revue des Etudes anciennes 115 (2013) , n° 1.

Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World, A Brill Companion to Classical Studies Series Series Editor: Lee L. Brice Aims and Scope The aim of the series is to publish high-quality, useful volumes each focused on a specific topic related to warfare in the ancient Mediterranean world. Where appropriate, volume coverage should include the eastern Mediterranean, including Assyria, Persia, Anatolia the Levant, and Egypt as well as Greece and Rome. The intended audience includes scholarly specialist and non-specialist students of the ancient world. Topics already published or in process include insurgency and terrorism, dealing with defeat, food and warfare, discipline/indiscipline, and Late Antiquity. We are seeking new volume proposals on a variety of topics covering a wide range of issues and methodologies. Specific topics we are interested in include: religion, topography/geography, reception of ancient warfare, medicine/death, Persia, Hellenistic world, archaeology/material culture and warfare, auxilia, the Pax Romana, navies, and peace, but we welcome proposals on any appropriate topic.

Egy sajátságos fokos Nagyhalászról. / Scythian Age hatchet - sagaris - from Nagyhalász (Hungary) AD HOC 2018
Rövid ismertetés a nagyhalászi griff6sasfejben végződő karú vas díszfokosról. / The short introduction of the Scythian Age griffin/eagle headed iron hatchet, called sagaris from the vicinity of Nagyhalász (Hungary)

*Click on "files" for a searchable preview of the book & the OPEN ACCESS Companion Website with case studies, slides + further reading.
This new edition includes updated and revised materials designed to develop analytical skills in literary and material evidence, evoking themes that resonate in both ancient and modern societies: fake news, class struggles, urbanization, concepts of race and gender, imperialism, constitutional power and religious intolerance. The fourth edition incorporates a number of new features and evolving fields:

A new chapter on provinces, provincial administration and acculturation in the Roman Empire.
An extended chapter on Christianity and Rome’s legacy with new case studies in the reception of Roman culture.
An extended chapter on Roman society and daily life, including recent scholarship on gender and race in the ancient world.
Integrated use of text and material evidence which is designed to develop analytical skills in critical source assessment.

Violence in Roman warfare is certainly not a myth. But until recently, historians have understood violence in terms of their own standards instead of considering the thresholds of Roman sensibilities. Within the framework of the “histoire des representations”, a discussion is made about the discourses that underly the violence in Roman warfare. We aim to reassess the methodological basis of such an analysis by close observation of its vocabulary. By scrutinizing the appearance of the terms uis and βία, we undermine their traditional relevance in war contexts. Then, we apply methods of correspondence analysis on the example of Latin verbs for killing. It reveals their meaning and stresses the strengths and flaws of text analytics, still not much employed in ancient history. In the end, returning to the texts and their contexts is necessary to qualify and refine this technique.

http://annalesdejanua.edel.univ-poitiers.fr/index.php?id=2003

La violence de Rome à la guerre n’est certes pas un mythe. Mais, jusqu’à très récemment, les historiens l’ont davantage évaluée à l’aune de leurs propres normes qu’ils n’ont abordé la question des seuils de sensibilités proprement romains en la matière. Dans le cadre d’une histoire des représentations, l’étude de la violence guerrière romaine implique par conséquent un examen des discours qui la sous-tendent. Cet article a ainsi pour ambition de repenser les fondements méthodologiques d’une telle analyse à travers l’observation serrée du vocabulaire de la violence guerrière. Un examen complet des contextes d’apparition des termes uis et βία permet de relativiser leur pertinence en contexte guerrier. Dès lors, le recours à d’autres méthodes est nécessaire. À travers l’exemple des verbes latins signifiant l’action de tuer, on entend montrer les atouts et les limites de l’analyse factorielle des correspondances, branche de la statistique textuelle encore peu mobilisée en histoire ancienne. Enfin, un retour aux textes et à leurs contextes est une démarche nécessaire afin de nuancer et d’affiner cette technique.

http://annalesdejanua.edel.univ-poitiers.fr/index.php?id=2003

Wstęp Mirosław J. Leszka, Kirił Marinow................................................... 1

I
Konstantynopolitańskie porty IV–XII w. [Constantinopolitan harbours in the 4th–12th centuries] Mirosław J. Leszka......... 5

II
Wszystkie okręty cesarza. Rozważania nad stanem rzymskiej marynarki wojennej za panowania cesarza Maurycjusza (582–602) [All ships of the emperor: Roman Navy during the reign of emperor Maurice (582–602)] Łukasz Różycki........................................................................................... 17

III
Konstantynopolitańska eskadra cesarska w dobie panowania Komnenów (1081–1185) [Constantinopolitan squadron in the era of imperial reign of Comnenian dynasty (1081–1185)]
Marcin Böhm....................................................................................... 47

IV
Wygnani biskupi Konstantynopola w późnej starożytności i ich kontakty ze stolicą nad Bosforem [The Exiled Bishops of Constantinople from the Fourth to the Late Sixth Century] Rafał Kosiński................63

V
Chazarowie w Konstantynopolu (VII–XI w.) [The Khazars in Constantinople] Jarosław Dudek …........ 79

VI
Miejsce portu w fabule dwunastowiecznego romansu bizantyńskiego [The port in the plot of the twelfth-century Byzantine romance] Anna Kotłowska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

VII
Winieta Konstantynopola na mapie z Ebstorf [Vignette of Constantinople on the Ebstorf Map] Piotr Kochanek……………………. . . 113

VIII
Hodegon – z rozważań nad pierwotną lokalizacją konstantynopolitańskiego sanktuarium [The Hodegon. Considerations on the location of the Hodegetria sanctuary in Constantinople]
Piotr Łukasz Grotowski . ……………………………. . . . . 137

IX
Pogańskie prywatne uroczystości kommemoratywne w okresie wczesnobizantyńskim [Pagan Private Commemorative Rites in the Early Byzantine Period] Ireneusz Milewski . . . .  . ……………... . . . . . . . . . 215

Aneks [Annex]
Itinerarium Stefana z Nowogrodu z opisem konstantynopolitańskiego portu Kontoskalion (1348/1349). Przekład i opracowanie [The Itinerary of Stephen of Novgorod: Containing a Description of Kontoskalion Harbour in Constantinople (1348/1349).] Zofia Brzozowska .. . . . . . 227

Summary. . . . . . . ………………………………………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Wykaz skrótów [List of Abbreviations]. …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Bibliografia [Bibliography]……… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Źródła [Sources]. . … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Opracowania [Secondary Literature]..  . ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Indeks osobowy [Index]. ……………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Indeks nazw geograficznych i etnicznych [Index of geographical and ethnical names]. . …. . . . . . . . . 328

Indeks nazw konstantynopolitańskich [Index of Constantinopolitan names]….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Syllabus and Reading Schedule for The Rise and Fall of Popular Rule—Athens (Integrated Humanities Program, History Module, Fall 2018, UVM). Course Description: America's founders, when establishing our political institutions, took elements from those of ancient Athens and Rome, which pioneered representative government in various (and changing) forms. It is natural, after nearly two-and-a-half centuries, to think of our democracy as unshakeable and eternal. But independent popular rule in Athens—the focus of this class—lasted for less than two centuries, during which the city, after playing a leading role in the liberation of Greece from foreign control (The Persian Wars, 490–479 BC), grew into an Empire that imposed democracy on its subjects—some willing and others not—as a means of enriching and empowering itself. Athenian expansionism finally forced Sparta to lead a coalition against her rival (The Peloponnesian War, 431–404). Athens was eventually defeated. Though the city endured as an independent democracy until the conquest of Greece in 338 by Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great), its defeat in the Peloponnesian War marked the end of the Athenian Golden Age. Through key ancient texts we shall follow the rise and fall of this political experiment, and examine the social and economic forces that led to the establishment and gradual corruption of Athenian democracy.

One of four known ancient Maya books, the Grolier Codex depicts different manifestations of Venus; the column of glyphs on the left of each panel records days in a 104-year Venus almanac. These plaster-coated bark-paper pages, carbon-dated to the 13th century, represent only half of the 20-page original. This article is an excerpt of pages 98-99 from the March 1990 National Geographic Magazine article "America's Ancient Skywatchers" by John B. Carlson with a numbered photographic arrangement of the Grolier Codex depicting the author's discovery that Codex pages 10 and 11 are actually two parts of the same "page 10".  Carlson clarifies the identities of Venus deities depicted in the Grolier Codex from a comparison of images from the Cacaxtla murals and links the images of the Grolier Codex with ancient Maya astronomically timed ritual warfare and sacrifice. (Grolier Codex photographs: Enrico Ferorelli; Mural photograph: Bob Sacha)

This article has been posted on Academia.edu as part of the Grolier Codex Project of the Center for Archaeoastronomy under the directorship of John B. Carlson, Ph.D.  The Grolier Codex Project seeks to further advance the study of the Maya Grolier Codex.

After entering the second millennium BCE as a military superpower, Elam faded into historical obscurity upon its withdrawal from the broader Near Eastern political scene in 1763 BCE and only reemerged much later as a major player with a sequence of incursions in Mesopotamia beginning in the thirteenth century and culminating in the 1155 BCE fall of the Kassites. During the intervening centuries, neither written nor archaeological sources offer clear signs that Elamite territory had come under the authority of any foreign power. Here the authors propose that a reexamination of evidence from the ancient settlement of Kabnak (modern Haft Tepe), approximately seventeen kilometers southeast of the Elamite lowland capital of Susa, discloses a mid-fifteenth to mid-fourteenth century BCE state-controlled arsenal of war chariots and weaponry that may hold a key to comprehending Elam's apparent continued resistance to outside forces and its rise as a military superpower in the thirteenth century.

This short article attempts to show that there was not sword particular to the Spartans and that short swords were used by various Greek Armies from the Bronze Age. Origany published in Greek in the Naftiki Hellas (Naval Greece) magazine of the Hellenic Navy.

Lowland Maya civilization flourished in the tropical region of the Yucatan peninsula and environs for more than 2500 years (~1000 BCE to 1500 CE). Known for its sophistication in writing, art, architecture, astronomy, and mathematics, Maya civilization still poses questions about the nature of its cities and surrounding populations because of its location in an inaccessible forest. In 2016, an aerial lidar survey across 2144 square kilometers of northern Guatemala mapped natural terrain and archaeological features over several distinct areas. We present results from these data, revealing interconnected urban settlement and landscapes with extensive infrastructural development. Studied through a joint international effort of interdisciplinary teams sharing protocols, this lidar survey compels a reevaluation of Maya demography, agriculture, and political economy and suggests future avenues of field research.

Dans son recueil de stratagèmes militaires, Polyen consacre aux femmes l’ensemble du huitième et dernier livre. Romaines, Grecques, Asiatiques, ou Gauloises, toutes sont les protagonistes d’anecdotes diverses ayant en commun un contexte guerrier. Néanmoins, peu d’entre elles prennent effectivement les armes pour participer aux combats ; et celles qui le font ne sont, en majorité, ni grecques ni romaines. En effet, parmi les Grecques, seule Télésilla – accompagnée des femmes d’Argos – semble s’illustrer par les armes. Le cas de la poétesse d’Argos nous permet donc d’aborder la question du comportement des femmes, en temps de guerre, face à une armée ennemie. Par ailleurs, le caractère étiologique du récit nous conduit également à nous interroger sur le sens donné à ces comportements au regard d’un rite de travestissement pratiqué à Argos.

NOW IN PAPERBACK (June 2019) This is the only substantial and up-to-date reference work on the Ptolemaic army. Employing Greek and Egyptian papyri and inscriptions, and building on approaches developed in state-formation theory, it offers a coherent account of how the changing structures of the army in Egypt after Alexander’s conquest led to the development of an ethnically more integrated society. A new tripartite division of Ptole- maic history challenges the idea of gradual decline and emphasizes the reshaping of military structures that took place between c. 220 and c. 160 BC in response to changes in the nature of warfare, to mobiliza- tion and demobilization, and to financial constraints. An investigation of the socio-economic role played by soldiers permits a reassessment of the cleruchic system and shows how soldiers’ associations generated inter-ethnic group solidarity. By integrating Egyptian evidence, Chris- telle Fischer-Bovet also demonstrates that the connection between the army and local temples offered new ways for Greeks and Egyptians to interact.

A brief summary of the development of cavalry warfare during the scope of Ancient Warfare Magazine: from the 2nd millenium BC to the 6th century AD. Touches briefly on Chariots, Horses, Camels, and Elephants and how new inventions like saddles advanced cavalry warfare.

Ancient Warfare Magazine 11.5, November 2017.

An atlas of maps to accompany primary source readings in Ancient and Medieval Warfare, including the siege of Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, the battle of Cynoscephalae, the Granicus, the Jugurthan War, Caesar's Gallic and Civil Wars, Fantosme, and Muntaner.

В этой книге рассматриваются различные аспекты и традиции повседневной жизни римской армии в контексте социальной, политической и культурной истории римской державы I в. до н. э. - III в. н. э.
Подробно освещаются армейские будни и праздники, различные виды строительной деятельности, административно-полицейские функции, служебная рутина, учения и тренировки, повседневный быт и развлечения римских солдат, воссоздается как материальная среда, в которой существовало и действовало воинское сообщество, так и внутренние и внешние социальные связи, семейные и межличностные отношения, правовой и общественный статус, доходы и привилегии, корпоративная и групповая идентичность римских военных, характерная для них картина мира, система ценностей и социальная психология, религиозные верования.
Для изложения всех этих аспектов наряду с литературными и юридическими источниками широко используются свидетельства надписей и папирусов, археологические данные, изобразительные памятники. При интерпретации материалов источников учитываются результаты новейших исследований по истории римской военной организации в эпоху принципата.

Circum Mare: Themes in Ancient Warfare presents a thematic approach to current directions in ancient military studies with case studies on topics including the economics of warfare, military cohesion, military authority, irregular warfare, and sieges. Bringing together studies on cultures from across the Mediterranean world, ranging from Pharaonic Egypt to Late Antique Europe and from Punic Spain to Persian Anatolia, the collection demonstrates both the breadth of the current field and a surprising number of synergies.

This book is designed to give contemporary strategists and current military leaders a solid, common understanding of an ever complex and ever evolving reality driven and influenced by perceptions in any domain rather than a logic, linear, factual, and well defined conceptual framework. As stressed in his preface to this book by Lieutenant General John T. Thomson, US Army, by “leveraging timeless classics by military theorists as well as historical examples and recent operations, it provides the foundation on “how to think” about today’s geo-political security environment”. It is primarily meant to educate the mind of future leaders and commanders or, more accurately, to guide them in their self-education; and it is also addressed to Governments, Universities, Organizations and all those who keep the responsibility to educate future generations, our future leaders, to be prepared to participate intelligently in the strategy-making process of their Nations or systems. In the post-modern environment, future leaders will battle for “perception dominance” in order to drive the course of future conflicts and confrontations where people, not systems or machinery, will define success.

The Grolier Codex is discussed in the context of the archaeoastronomy of the ancient Americas on pages 98-99 of the March 1990 National Geographic Magazine article "America's Ancient Skywatchers" by John B. Carlson. One of four known ancient Maya books, the Grolier Codex depicts different manifestations of the planet Venus; the column of glyphs on the left of each panel records days in a 104-year Venus almanac. These plaster-coated bark-paper pages, carbon-dated to the 13th century, represent only half of the 20-page original. A numbered photographic arrangement of the Grolier Codex depictes the author's discovery that Codex pages 10 and 11 are actually two parts of the same "page 10".  Carlson clarifies the identities of Venus deities depicted in the Grolier Codex from a comparison of images from the Cacaxtla murals and links the images of the Grolier Codex with ancient Maya astronomically timed ritual warfare and sacrifice. (Grolier Codex photographs: Enrico Ferorelli; Other photos: Bob Sacha)

This article has been posted on Academia.edu as part of the Grolier Codex Project of the Center for Archaeoastronomy under the directorship of John B. Carlson, Ph.D.  The Grolier Codex Project seeks to further advance the study of the Maya Grolier Codex.