Ancient warfare Ancient warfare Ancient Greek warfare was dominated on land by the phalanx formation, a deep line formation consisting of hoplites equipped with heavy shields, spears and swords. The phalanx's plan was basically to advance toward the enemy with each phalangite's spear stretched toward the enemy. When the phalanx got within sword range, the phalangites would draw their swords and start fighting that way. If enemy archers shot arrows at the phalanx, the phalangites would hold up their shields. This Greek phalanx was the ancient world's best heavy infantry, demonstrated by the Athenian victory at Marathon. 10,000 Athenian hoplites organized in a phalanx decisively defeated a much larger Persian army of about 26,000 with few losses. The ancient Greek state of Macedon perfected the phalanx with the use of the unusually long sarissa spear. In addition to the phalanx formation, the Macedonians under King Philip II began using organized cavalry units and tactical skirmisher units in battle. Another change brought by King Philip II was the creation and maintenance of a professional army. Early on, the Greek phalanges at been populated by citizen-soldier hoplites. Now, however, heavily trained professional armies became the norm, especially after Philip's son Alexander conquered the vast Persian army and, with his death, left the several Diadochi states. It was not until the evolution from the phalanx of the more flexible Roman Legionary style of organization and equipment that the Greek phalanx lost its dominance on the battlefield. ...more on Wikipedia about "Ancient Greek warfare"
Ancient warfare is war as conducted from the beginnings of history to the end of the ancient period. In Europe, the end of antiquity is often equated with the fall of Rome in 476. In China, it can also be seen as ending in the fifth century, with the growing role of mounted warriors needed to counter the ever-growing threat from the north. ...more on Wikipedia about "Ancient warfare"
Armour ( Commonwealth English) or armor ( American English), is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat and military engagements, typically associated with soldiers. Armour has been used throughout recorded history, beginning with hides, leather, and bone, before progressing to bronze, then steel during the middle ages, to modern fabrics such as kevlar, Dyneema and ceramics. ...more on Wikipedia about "Armour"
The bascinet was a Medieval European open-faced military helmet, typically fitted with an aventail and hinged visor. It evolved from the cervelliere. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bascinet"
Chariot was the name of a WW2 naval weapon, the British manned torpedo. ...more on Wikipedia about "Chariot"
The Corinthian helmet (Ancient Greek κόρυς κορινθίη, Modern κάσκα κορινθιακή) was a type of bronze helmet which in its later styles covered the entire head and neck, with slits for the eyes and mouth. A large curved projection protected the nape of the neck, similar to those seen on later Roman and conquistador helmets and the German Stahlhelm. ...more on Wikipedia about "Corinthian helmet"
The Flos Duellatorum is the name given to one of the editions of Fiore dei Liberi's fight book, written in 1410 (dated to 1409 in the old reckoning). There are two other surviving editions, under the title Fior di Battaglia. Both Flos Duellatorum and Fior di Battaglia translate into English roughly as "The Flower of Battle," from Latin and Italian respectively. ...more on Wikipedia about "Flos Duellatorum" Don't hesitate to contact stuff on shortopedia Ancient_warfare
Warfare in Ancient Greece centered mainly around heavy infantrymen called hoplites. The word hoplite ( Greek , hoplitēs) derives from hoplon ( , plural hopla, ) meaning an item of armour or equiment and consequently the entire equipment of the hoplite (but not specifically the circular shield, which is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a hoplon, though it was in fact called an aspis). These soldiers probably first appeared in the late 8th century BC. These were a citizen- militia, and so were armed as spearmen, which are relatively easy to equip and maintain; mainly they represented the middle class, who could afford the cost of the armaments. Almost all the famous men of ancient Greece, even the philosophers and playwrights, fought as hoplites at some point in their lives. ...more on Wikipedia about "Hoplite"
A horse archer (or horsed archer, mounted archer) is a cavalryman armed with a bow. Because using a bow requires a horseman to let go of the reins with both hands, horse archers need superb equestrian skills. Horse archery is typically associated with equestrian nomads of the Eurasian steppe. Peoples known to have employed horse archers include the Scythians, Sarmatians, Parthians, Huns, Mongols, Turks, Armenians and Bulgars. In Japan mounted archery is called Yabusame. ...more on Wikipedia about "Horse archer"
The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire and other armies. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Hellenistic period, although wars had evolved into more protracted operations generally involving sieges and naval combat as much as field battles, until they were finally displaced by the Roman legions. ...more on Wikipedia about "Macedonian phalanx"
The Persian Immortals were a Persian elite Royal Guard regiment during the Persian Wars. ...more on Wikipedia about "Persian Immortals"
A phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges) is a rectangular mass formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons. The phalanx is a hallmark of Hellenistic or ancient Greek warfare; indeed, the word phalanx is derived from the Greek word phalangos, meaning finger. ...more on Wikipedia about "Phalanx formation"
The scythed chariot was a modified war chariot invented by the Persian emperor Cyrus by at least 401 BC (according to Xenophon’s novel Cyropaedia, which is not a very reliable historical source). A scythed chariot was simply a war chariot with a blade mounted on both ends of the axle. The blades extended horizontally for a meter on the sides of the chariot, rotating as the chariot was pulled. ...more on Wikipedia about "Scythed chariot"
A shield bearer was in ancient times a lightly armored soldier who often accompanied a soldier of a higher rank as a bodyguard. ...more on Wikipedia about "Shield bearer"
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in fencing with a sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to European Medieval warfare. Swordsman translates gladiator, the term for the professional fencers of Ancient Rome. ...more on Wikipedia about "Swordsmanship"
In Ancient Roman warfare, the testudo or tortoise formation was a formation utilized commonly by the Roman Legions during battles, particularly sieges. (Testudo is the Latin word for "tortoise".) In the testudo, the men would close up all gaps between each other and grab their shields at the sides (rather than through the regular straps). The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would place their shields in front of them, from about their shins to the middle of their faces, so as to cover the formation's front. Everybody in the middle would place their shields over their head to protect from above, balancing the shields on their helmets and overlapping them. If necessary, the legionaries on the sides and rear of the formation could stand sideways or backwards with shields held as the front row's, so as to protect the formation's sides and rear, but the shape of the shields would mean that these soldiers would only be afforded incomplete protection. ...more on Wikipedia about "Testudo formation"
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