Menu
In the ancient world, was seen as a necessary evil of the human condition. Whether it be small frontier skirmishes between neighbouring -states, lengthy city-sieges, civil wars, or large-scale battles between multi-alliance blocks on land and sea, the vast rewards of could outweigh the costs in material and lives. Whilst there were long periods of peace and many examples of friendly alliances, the powerful motives of territorial expansion, war booty, revenge, honour, and the defence of liberty ensured that throughout the and Classical periods the Greeks were regularly engaged in warfare both at home and abroad. RivalriesEvolving from armed bands led by a warrior leader, city militia of part-time soldiers, providing their own equipment and perhaps including all the citizens of the city-state or, began to move warfare away from the control of private individuals and into the realm of the state.
Ancient warfare is war as conducted from the beginnings of recorded history to the end of the ancient period.In Europe and the Near East, the end of antiquity is often equated with the Fall of Rome in 476 AD, the wars of the Eastern Roman Empire on its Southwestern Asian and North African borders, and the beginnings of the Muslim conquests in the 7th century. Ancient Warfare 2 is a low poly third person battle simulator where you go in to battle using weapons of old such as a sword and shield, a mace or bow and arrow. The teams are divided in to colors and there are a few different game modes available such as King of the Hill which is quite self-explanatory it’s a battle on a hill, Conquest which is a grand version of capture the flag with.
Assemblies or groups of elite citizens sanctioned war, and generals ( strategoi) came to be accountable for their actions and were often elected for fixed terms or specific military operations. In the early stages of in the, training was haphazard and even weapons could be makeshift, although soldiers were usually paid, if only so that they could meet their daily needs. There were no uniforms or insignia and as soon as the conflict was over the soldiers would return to their farms.
By the 5th century BCE the military prowess of provided a model for all other states to follow. With their professional and well-trained full-time army dressed in red cloaks and carrying shields emblazoned with the letter lambda (for Lacedaemonians), the Spartans showed what professionalism in warfare could achieve. Warfare moved away from one-off battles fought in a few hours to long-drawn-out conflicts which could last for years.Many states such as, and began to maintain a small professional force ( logades or epilektoi) which could be augmented by the main citizen body if necessary. Armies became more cosmopolitan with the inclusion of resident foreigners, slaves, mercenaries, and neighbouring allies (either voluntary or through compulsion in the case of Sparta’s perioikoi). Warfare moved away from one-off battles fought in a few hours to long-drawn-out conflicts which could last for years, the most important being the (first half of the 5th century BCE), the Peloponnesian Wars (459-446 & 431-404 BCE), and the Corinthian Wars (394-386 BCE). The PhalanxThe mainstay of any Greek army was the hoplite.
His full panoply was a long spear, short sword, and circular shield and he was further protected, if he could afford it, by a bronze helmet (with inner padding for comfort), bronze breastplate, greaves for the legs and finally, ankle guards. Fighting was at close-quarters, bloody, and lethal. This type of warfare was the perfect opportunity for the Greek warrior to display his manliness ( andreia) and excellence ( aretxC4x93) and generals led from the front and by example. To provide greater mobility in the hoplite came to wear lighter armour such as a leather or laminated linen corselet ( spolades) and open-faced helmet ( pilos).
The warrior, armed with short javelins and more lightly-armoured than the hoplite became a mobile and dangerous threat to the slower moving hoplites. Other lighter-armed troops ( psiloi) also came to challenge the hoplite dominance of the battlefield.
Javelin throwers ( akonistai), archers ( toxotoi) and slingers ( sphendonxC4x93tai) using stones and lead bullets could harry the enemy with attacks and retreats. Cavalry ( hippeis) was also deployed but due to the high costs and difficult terrain of, only in limited numbers e.g., Athens, possessing the largest cavalry force during the Peloponnesian Wars had only 1,000 mounted troops. Decisive and devastating cavalry offensives would have to wait until the Macedonians led by Philip and in the mid-4th century BCE. The phalanx was a line of well-armed & well-armoured hoplite soldiers usually 8-12 men deep which attacked as a tight group.Armies also became more structured, split into separate units with hierarchies of command. The lochoi was the basic unit of the phalanx - a line of well-armed and well-armoured hoplite soldiers usually eight to twelve men deep which attacked as a tight group. In Athens the lochos was led by a captain ( lochagos) and these combined to form one of ten regiments ( taxeis) each led by a taxiarchos.
A similar organisation applied to the armies of, Argos,. In 5th century Sparta the basic element was the enomotiai (platoon) of 32 men. Four of these made up a pentekostys (company) of 128 men. Four of these made up a lochos (regiment) of 512 men.
A Spartan army usually consisted of five lochoi with separate units of non-citizen militia - perioikoi. Units might also be divided by age or speciality in weaponry and, as warfare became more strategic, these units would operate more independently, responding to trumpet calls or other such signals mid-battle. War At Sea: TheSome states such as Athens, Corinth, and amassed fleets of warships, most commonly the trireme, which could allow these states to forge lucrative trading partnerships and deposit troops on foreign territory and so establish and protect colonies. They could even block enemy harbours and launch amphibious landings. The biggest fleet was at Athens, which could amass up to 200 triremes at its peak, and which allowed the city to build and maintain a -wide.The trireme was a light wooden ship, highly manoeuvrable and fitted with a bronze battering ram at the bow which could disable enemy vessels. Thirty-five metres long and with a 5 metre beam, some 170 rowers ( thetes - drawn from the poorer classes) sitting on three levels could propel the ship up to a speed of 9 knots. Also on board were small contingents of hoplites and archers, but the principal tactic in naval warfare was ramming not boarding.
Able commanders arranged their fleets in a long front so that it was difficult for the enemy to pass behind ( periplous) and ensure his ships were sufficiently close to prevent the enemy going through a gap ( diekplous). Perhaps the most famous naval battle was Salamis in 480 BCE when the Athenians were victorious against the invading fleet of.However, the trireme had disadvantages in that there was no room for sleeping quarters and so ships had to be dry-docked each night, which also prevented the wood becoming water-logged. They were also fantastically expensive to produce and maintain; indeed the trireme was indicative that now warfare had become an expensive concern of the state, even if rich private citizens were made to fund most of the expense. Battle StrategiesThe first strategy was actually employed before any fighting took place at all. And ritual were important features of Greek life, and before embarking on a campaign, the will of the gods had to be determined. This was done through the consultation of oracles such as that of at and through animal sacrifices ( sphagia) where a professional diviner ( manteis) read omens ( ta hiera), especially from the liver of the victim and any unfavourable signs could certainly delay the battle.
Also, at least for some states like Sparta, fighting could be prohibited on certain occasions such as religious festivals and for all states during the great Panhellenic games (especially those at ).When all of these rituals were out of the way, fighting could commence but even then it was routine to patiently wait for the enemy to assemble on a suitable plain nearby. Songs were sung (the paian - a hymn to Apollo) and both sides would advance to meet each other.
However, this gentlemanly approach in time gave way to more subtle battle arrangements where surprise and strategy came to the fore. What is more, conflicts also became more diverse in the Classical period with sieges and ambushes, and urban fighting becoming more common, for example at Solygeia in 425 BCE when Athenian and Corinthian hoplites fought house to house.Strategies and deception, the ‘thieves of war’ ( klemmata), as the Greeks called them, were employed by the more able and daring commanders. The most successful strategy on the ancient battlefield was using hoplites in a tight formation called the phalanx.
Each man protected both himself and partially his neighbour with his large circular shield, carried on his left arm. Moving in unison the phalanx could push and attack the enemy whilst minimising each man’s exposure. Usually eight to twelve men deep and providing the maximum front possible to minimise the risk of being outflanked, the phalanx became a regular feature of the better-trained armies, particularly the Spartans. In 480 BCE and in 479 BCE were battles where the hoplite phalanx proved devastatingly effective.At the Battle of Leuktra in 371 BCE Theban general greatly strengthened the left flank of his phalanx to about 50 men deep which meant he could smash the right flank of the opposing Spartan phalanx, a tactic he used again with great success at Mantineia in 362 BCE. Epaminondas also mixed lighter armed troops and cavalry to work at the flanks of his phalanx and harry the enemy.
Hoplites responded to these developments in tactics with new formations such as the defensive square ( plaision), used to great effect (and not only in defence) by Spartan general in 423 BCE against the Lyncestians and again by the Athenians in in 413 BCE. However, the era of heavily armoured hoplites neatly arranged in two files and slashing away at each other in a fixed battle was over.
More mobile and multi-weapon warfare now became the norm. Cavalry and soldiers who could throw missiles might not win battles outright but they could dramatically affect the outcome of a battle and without them the hoplites could become hopelessly exposed. Sieges were usually long-drawn-out affairs with the principal strategy being to starve the enemy into submission. Siege WarfareFrom an early stage, most Greek city-states had a fortified (Sparta and Elis being notable exceptions) to protect the most important religious and civic buildings and provide refuge from attack. However, as warfare became more mobile and moved away from the traditional hoplite battle, sought to protect their suburbs with fortification walls. Independent lookout towers in the surrounding countryside and even frontier forts and walls sprang up in response to the increased risk of attacks. Many also built fortifications to create a protective corridor between the city and their harbour, the most famous being the Long Walls which spanned the 7 km between Athens and.Sieges were usually long-drawn-out affairs with the principal strategy being to starve the enemy into submission.
Offensive strategies using battering rams and ramps proved largely unsuccessful. However, from the 4th century BCE technical innovations gave the attackers more advantages. Wheeled siege towers, first used by the Carthaginians and copied by Dionysius I of Syracuse against Motya in 397 BCE, bolt-throwing artillery ( gastraphetes), stone throwing apparatus ( lithoboloi) and even flame-throwers (at Delion in 424 BCE) began a trend for commanders to be more aggressive in siege warfare. However, it was only with the arrival of torsion artillery from 340 BCE, which could propel 15 kg stones over 300 metres, that city walls could now be broken down.
Naturally, defenders responded to these new weapons with thicker and stronger walls with convex surfaces to better deflect missiles.Logistics: Baggage & SuppliesThe short duration of conflicts in the Greek world was often because of the poor logistics supplying and maintaining the army in the field. Soldiers were usually expected to provide their own rations (dried fish and barley porridge being most common) and the standard for Athens was three-days’ worth.
Most hoplites would have been accompanied by a slave acting as a baggage porter ( skeuophoroi) carrying the rations in a basket ( gylion) along with bedding and a cooking pot. Slaves also acted as attendants to the wounded as only the Spartan army had a dedicated medical officer ( iatroi). Fighting was usually in the summer so tents were rarely needed and even food could be pillaged if the fighting was in enemy territory.
Towards the end of the Classical period armies could be re-supplied by ship and larger equipment could be transported using wagons and mules which came under the responsibility of men too old to fight. Spoils of VictoryWar booty, although not always the primary motive for conflict, was certainly a much-needed benefit for the victor which allowed him to pay his troops and justify the expense of the military campaign.
Booty could come in the form of territory, money, precious materials, weapons, and armour. The losers, if not executed, could expect to be sold into slavery, the normal fate for the and children of the losing side.
It was typical for 10% of the booty (a dekaten) to be dedicated in thanks to the gods at one of the great religious sanctuaries such as Delphi or Olympia. These sites became veritable treasuries and, effectively, museums of weapons and armour.
They also became too tempting a target for more unscrupulous leaders in later times, but still the majority of surviving military material comes from archaeological excavations at these sites.Important rituals had to be performed following victory which included the recovering of the dead and the setting up of a victory trophy (from tropaion, meaning turning point in the conflict) at the exact place on the battlefield where victory became assured. The trophy could be in the form of captured weapons and armour or an image of; on occasion memorials to the fallen were also set up. Speeches, festivals, sacrifices and even games could also be held following a victory in the field. ConclusionGreek warfare, then, evolved from small bands of local communities fighting for local territory into massive set-piece battles between multi-allied counterparts. War became more professional, more innovative, and more deadly, reaching its zenith with the Macedonian leaders Philip and Alexander. Learning from the earlier Greek strategies and weapons innovations, they employed better hand weapons such as the long sarissa spear, used better artillery, successfully marshalled diverse troop units with different arms, fully exploited cavalry, and backed all this up with far superior logistics to dominate the battlefield not only in Greece but across vast swathes of Asia and set the pattern for warfare through and into times.Editorial ReviewThis Article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication.
First, I want to say that you are doing an amazing job with this and I'm so glad someone picked this back up. I have long considered this an essential mod for any time the Minecraft bug bites me and its great to finally be able to play it in 1.12.2. Thank you.That said, the default loot for the structures is pretty lacking.
Do you have plans to tweak that in the future? Raiding a huge bandit camp for a few in game days ( love me some survival mode and coming away with a half stack of bread, some iron, a few swords and 30 bows is very underwhelming.
I seem to remember AW2 in 1.7 having amazing loot tables though.I unfortunately don't have a lot of time or I'd go in and try to tweak the tables myself or i totally would. I love configs.If its just a set of config files, does anyone out there maybe have a more rewarding set they'd let me play with?Either way, keep up the good work. I tell everyone I ever play with about this mod and will continue to do so. Hello,I absolutely adore this mod, and will continue to.
I am fairly new, as well as this being my first forum post, ever, and have a question. I grasped all of the major ( except the trading, heh) concepts, but I am stuck on one in particular: Diplomacy. This meaning, I am stuck with the aspect of the AI-controlled bases and how I gain 'points' to become friendly to them. Is there a way to join a faction when you create a world, or is it through a selection I do not know? (I know you can manipulate the values through configuration, but I rather do it naturally.) Through the 1.7.10 guide, and multiple videos, I know there is a way to gain standing by trading, but I am utterly confused on that aspect too.Thanks,Sneakyninjajj(Personal note, if the person reading this does not mind my asking, how do you double-space on this? Quote fromFirst, I want to say that you are doing an amazing job with this and I'm so glad someone picked this back up. I have long considered this an essential mod for any time the Minecraft bug bites me and its great to finally be able to play it in 1.12.2.
Thank you.That said, the default loot for the structures is pretty lacking. Do you have plans to tweak that in the future? Raiding a huge bandit camp for a few in game days ( love me some survival mode and coming away with a half stack of bread, some iron, a few swords and 30 bows is very underwhelming. I seem to remember AW2 in 1.7 having amazing loot tables though.I unfortunately don't have a lot of time or I'd go in and try to tweak the tables myself or i totally would.
I love configs.If its just a set of config files, does anyone out there maybe have a more rewarding set they'd let me play with?Either way, keep up the good work. I tell everyone I ever play with about this mod and will continue to do so.The loot actually uses vanilla dungeon's loot table so if mods actually add items to it in the standard way the modded items should end up being in the chests. Anyway if you have thoughts on what the loot tables may look like (even if it's just a sentence or two) feel free to suggest this on github so that I have better tracking of it. Quote fromHello,I absolutely adore this mod, and will continue to. I am fairly new, as well as this being my first forum post, ever, and have a question. I grasped all of the major ( except the trading, heh) concepts, but I am stuck on one in particular: Diplomacy. This meaning, I am stuck with the aspect of the AI-controlled bases and how I gain 'points' to become friendly to them.
Is there a way to join a faction when you create a world, or is it through a selection I do not know? (I know you can manipulate the values through configuration, but I rather do it naturally.) Through the 1.7.10 guide, and multiple videos, I know there is a way to gain standing by trading, but I am utterly confused on that aspect too.Thanks,Sneakyninjajj(Personal note, if the person reading this does not mind my asking, how do you double-space on this? Thanks)I just parsed the code and it looks like the faction standing actually can only be adjusted through killing (to negative values) and commands. There's a bit of code prepared in there for adjusting the standing through trading I assume in trading posts. I am taking a note and will review this in the future so that there's actually a way to adjust.
Also if you have thoughts on additional ways of improving the standing let me know. Quote fromHi P3pp3rF1y, just wanted to post a thank you for picking this mod up and updating for us all.It is without doubt one of the single most enjoyable and engrossing mods ive ever played (and I bin around 8 yrs and tried thousands).Thanks again, and if you need a tester let me know (ive played it since 1.6.4).TGThanks a lot, certainly people responding with appreciation of what I have done makes me want to do more so keep it comingAnd if you're interested in testing just play with the mod and let me know of any issues and suggestions on github. I try to release fairly often (when I am not porting huge chunks of code like vehicles recently that is) so I don't have anything like a test server.
Quote fromThank you. If you have any feedback how to improve the vehicles let me know as well. I know that controls are a little cumbersome and the GUIs a little too technical and complicated so I definitely want to make these more user friendly.Yeah, even back in 1.6 the vehicles almost required an instruction manual on hand to operate.
I just now did a bit of firing tests with a cannon, haven't had too much issues with the cannon itself but I would recommend putting in the top left corner some of the controls, such as how to adjust the aim, select ammo, and opening the ammo GUI. I don't think it should be necessary to include the key for firing, but maybe an option. If it's not too technical I could recommend for people that want a quieter GUI or as much information as possible to have a way to edit the GUI in-game like with how it works in Ars Magica 2. This is only from just some messing around with a cannon though, and memories of how to use the siege weapons back in 1.6, most of my issues with it back then was tied to the lack of in-game instructions.Trying not to go on too much of a ramble here and it has been a long time since I've really played with this mod, so there may be some things I may be forgetting after all this time.
That all said, thank you for taking the time to read! Quote fromHow to sit npc on machines?
Or is it still unfinished?That is still unfinished.