Greek+Weaponry+and+Warfare

​ =Greek Weaponry and Warfare= By: Lucas

This is Sparta! If you have ever seen the movie __[|300]__, then you know that the Spartans were skilled in war. The Spartans came from Greece, a country famous for its warfare. The weapons and tactics used by the military were the best of the best. However, Sparta was not the only city that had exemplary warfare.

Ancient Greece had many cities, and some were pretty different from one another. Sparta and Athens were two very different cities in Greece. Their weapons and warfare were extremely different, but some of their views were the same. The life of a Spartan was very simple. They were trained to be warriors, while women were raised to be mothers of these warriors. The lifestyle of the Spartans revolved around war. In Athens, the people had the option to choose between many different jobs and they could join the military if they so chose, but they were not required to, as the men were in Sparta. The women were not allowed to get an education or go to war, however. Athens wanted to use their knowledge of war to conquer more and more of Greece. Sparta liked to keep to themselves and be the strong, quiet warriors. Athens’ desire to conquer the rest of Greece sent all of Greece into a bloody war. After long, hard years of war and fighting, Sparta came out on top. Sparta and Athens still remained rivals after the battle, and still their weapons and warfare differed very much. However, Sparta had the choice of burning down all of Athens in the traditional Greek manner, but they chose not to as long as Athens did not try to take over all of Greece again.(Nosotro, 1)

The Greeks were known for their skill in combat. In ancient times, some believed that they were the strongest. One of the cities they were known for was Sparta. Sparta was the city that used many tactics in war. One tactic the Spartans liked in particular was the phalanx. A phalanx was a line of men wider then it was deep, with their shield held in front of them, blocking any oncoming attacks. A common phalanx was eight men deep. The purpose of the phalanx was to fool the enemy into thinking there were more of them, and it was easier to defend themselves. However, the depth of the phalanx varied, but it was decided by the army, not the leader. Also, the phalanx took less material to support, so the less wealthy people could also join the military. This made it so the army grew even stronger and larger. This phalanx allowed Sparta to win the Persian War. The only thing they did not have was “intelligence.” They did not have scouts to get retrieve “intel” on where the armies were and what they were doing. Many of the fights were by chance, and on many an occasion, the armies avoided each other by meters. The lack of “intel” made it so they were wandering around trying to find the other army. The way they were trained allowed only the best of the best to join the military. They were trained since childhood to be warriors, and then only after that could they apply. In some cases, young boys were thrown in the woods to try and survive and make it back to Sparta alive. The Spartans had only 5000 people in their army, but each and every member was elite. The Spartans were a wrecking crew. (Studyworld, 1)

The Greek people had many armies. The army mainly consisted of a standard footman known as a “hoplite.” These hoplites were the normal soldiers who ran into battle. They donned a helmet, chest-plate, and greaves of bronze. A chest-plate is a plate of metal covering your torso. Greaves are like metal pants that cover your legs, shins, and sometimes feet. He carried with him a shield. He used a lance for the phalanx tactic and a short-sword for close quarters combat. The lance they held was also known as a “pike.” In 200 B.C. they changed the shield from being round to being a “tower” shield. The tower shield was rectangular. These shields were very important. They were the defense in the phalanx, and were carried on the back when travelling. They also used the shield to carry the dead off of the battlefield. Another major function of the shield was to break opponent’s spears. The shield was carried in the left arm in a kneeling position during combat, while the weapon was held in the right hand. These “hoplites” are only the standard military unit. They had other military branches who carried more exquisite things. (The Trojan Horse, 1)

As you already know, Greece was famous for warfare and had many different weapons at hand. These weapons were discussed and mentioned a little bit before, but here is a more detailed explanation of each one. So first we will start off with the shield. This shield was extremely crucial to their defense. The shield was quite heavy and was a main weapon to their strategy. They used the shield to bash people or to defend themselves from arrows and sword strikes. It was also used to carry corpses off the field of battle. It could also be set up in a kneeling position to enforce the phalanx. (Studyworld, 1)During the phalanx, the soldier would either use his spear to impale the enemy or use his sword and push on further, hacking and slashing everything in his path. Another important weapon the Greeks used was the sword. The sword was actually a short sword and used as a secondary weapon. It was used when the enemy came in extreme close quarters. They could pull it out of the belt extremely fast and could strike down his opponent with one good swing. The weapon of choice for the Greeks was the spear. The spear had an iron spearhead and a bronze butt. When the stick broke, the soldier could use both sides to do some damage. The spear could be stabbed into someone, or thrown far distances. Their armor was also important to survival, and it weighed a total of around 65 pounds. The Greeks also invented the ballista. The ballista is a siege weapon that could shoot giant arrows over vast distances. The catapult was another Greek siege weapon. A catapult could launch large rocks or objects extremely far and sometimes it was loaded with the “Greek Fire” paste, lit aflame, and flung into armies or buildings. These were the main weapons of the Greeks, explained in detail. (Pillai, 1)

Aside from their unique tactics, the Greeks also came up with their own special weapons to give them the upper hand in warfare. One of the special weapons they used and made was “Greek Fire.” This fire was a flammable paste that was extremely hard to extinguish. They would light the paste and launch it from catapults or cannons. It would set towns and people ablaze. To this day, nobody knows how the “Greek Fire” was prepared or what it was made of. Another weapon the Greek Military used was the “Poison Arrow.” Legend tells that Hercules tipped his arrows with hydra’s venom. However, it was just arrowheads dipped in snake venom and shot into men which put the venom right into their bloodstream. The Greeks also used a primitive weapon known as a “Scorpion Bomb.” This “Scorpion Bomb” was a glass jar packed full of scorpions and thrown into windows or over walls. The scorpions would be enraged by being thrown and being stuffed in a jar and would go into a frenzy trying to sting everything in sight. These three weapons are just some of the exceptional strategic weapons invented and utilized by the Greeks. These weapons gave them an advantage, and helped them win many battles. (Dupont, 1)

So all in all, the Greeks were smart, and knew how to win a fight. They had weapons and tactics like no other. They developed and revolutionized ancient war. Each and every aspect was important and well thought out. The Greek were masters of war.

 

Works Cited "Spartan Warfare." //Studyworld: Study Guides, Research Papers, Book Reports, Essays//. Studyworld. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. . "Ancient Greek Weapons - trojanhorse.co.uk." //The Trojan Horse - trojanhorse.co.uk//. SafetyNet Systems Ltd/JoinIn.com network. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. . Pillai, Maya. "Ancient Greek Weapons." //Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web//. Buzzle, 17 July 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. . Nosotro, Rit. "Athens and Sparta." //HyperHistory.net//. HyperHistory. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. . Dupont, Daniel G. "Disruptive Threats." //Scientific American// 294.6 (2006): 15. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. EBSCO. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. Gold, Sarah F., et al. "GREEK FIRE, POISON ARROWS, & SCORPION BOMBS: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World (Book)." //Publishers Weekly// 250.35 (2003): 80. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. EBSCO. Web. 13 Dec. 2009.