well, this is my last post. enjoy!
When someone says the word “war”, do you think of guns and bombs, or swords and shields? If your version of war is the war with guns and bombs, this post isn't for you. In this post I will tell you all about greek warfare. Mostly focusing on greek swordsmithing and ancient battle tactics. First lets start with how weapons like this are even made. This paragraph will on a guide to swordsmithing and other types of info like this. The many way that one starts the smithing process is by making a billet or bar of iron (or the crude mix of metal and carbon they caled steel, but we'll get to that later) and heat it so that they can shape it into a slight sword like slab of metal using a hammer-and-anvil tool set. They can also scrape/grind the billet to give it a better shape. they sometimes make the billet larger in all dimensions due to all the scraping to be done (but they only do it where iron is commen). After forming the billet, The smithers slowly heat and cool the blade to release stress, along with some hammering to also release stress. Then they quench and temper the blade. The last step is to ground and sharpen the blade until the smithers had the desired blade shape. Then, you'd hilt the blade and you’d be done! Back then though, steel was more difficult to get. Back then the only way to get steel was to heat the blade in a carbon rich forge, and hope that a thin layer of steel forms on the iron. Finding the correct amount of carbon was considered an art. Too much carbon or trace elements and the blade gets brittle and breaks easily.Too little and the blade gets soft and won't hold an edge. Now lets say that some grumpy king starts a war. What are you going to fight with? Well then! Now here is a descriptive list of the offensive weapons that were used in greek warfare. The greeks main weapon was a poky death spear called a doru. This weapon could total to be 7-9 feet long and was held in the dominant hand, while the shield was strapped to the other arm. Men (or women) handled this weapon either overhand or underhand, depending on their position. The greeks secondary weapon was called the xipho. This was a short sword that was used in battle when the spear was broken or lost in combat. They also could be used when a spear and shield was too unwieldy or too heavy. The blades were around 2-1.5 feet long. There was also the kopi. A brutal slashing weapon that was known as the “bad guys” weapon. They also used chariots and when paired with a bow, range and power was increased.
There were many defensive weapons in greek warfare so i will name a few. The mane defence for the greek warriors was there shields. These shields were named hoplons and were very heavy. The shields checked out at about 17- 33 pounds and were made of bronze and wood. The shields were round and there diameter tended to be about 3-3.5 feet. The rounded shape allowed the shields to be rested on the shoulder. Another man defensive tool was armor. Back then greek warriors had to supply their own armor. Now the armor was extremely expensive and had to be passed down through families. Not everyone could afford armor and only wealthy families had a pair. The armor could ether be made of bronze or laminated linen fabrics (laminated linen fabric armor being more common). And lets not forget the mighty ballista! This massive crossbow like weapon could fire a javelin that weighed ten pounds! people also used chariots for fast mobility.
The greeks had much success in winning battles. This is due to their high level of strategy. The most famous greek tactic was the Phalanx. This formation was where the first three rows of soldiers pointed their spears to stab their opponents while the back rows backed up the front. the back rows were relatively safe, while the front rows were pressed against the enemy and forced to fight. Another well known tactic is the hammer and anvil tactic. This is where troops separate from the main army and approach the enemy from behind. Then they drive the enemy back towards the main army, sandwiching them in between the two groups of troops.
Well what you just red was the result of all my excruciating research. I hope you enjoyed it. Now you're probably wondering how this has to do with modern war. Well i'll tell you one thing. The tactics used by the greeks were known as some of the best in the world! Even in todays standards! So you can tell that people have built on tactics of the greeks. Some modern strategies might not even exist without the greeks! well this post is the end of my blog. I might use it for other things, but i doubt it. So thanks for reading
There were many defensive weapons in greek warfare so i will name a few. The mane defence for the greek warriors was there shields. These shields were named hoplons and were very heavy. The shields checked out at about 17- 33 pounds and were made of bronze and wood. The shields were round and there diameter tended to be about 3-3.5 feet. The rounded shape allowed the shields to be rested on the shoulder. Another man defensive tool was armor. Back then greek warriors had to supply their own armor. Now the armor was extremely expensive and had to be passed down through families. Not everyone could afford armor and only wealthy families had a pair. The armor could ether be made of bronze or laminated linen fabrics (laminated linen fabric armor being more common). And lets not forget the mighty ballista! This massive crossbow like weapon could fire a javelin that weighed ten pounds! people also used chariots for fast mobility.
The greeks had much success in winning battles. This is due to their high level of strategy. The most famous greek tactic was the Phalanx. This formation was where the first three rows of soldiers pointed their spears to stab their opponents while the back rows backed up the front. the back rows were relatively safe, while the front rows were pressed against the enemy and forced to fight. Another well known tactic is the hammer and anvil tactic. This is where troops separate from the main army and approach the enemy from behind. Then they drive the enemy back towards the main army, sandwiching them in between the two groups of troops.
Well what you just red was the result of all my excruciating research. I hope you enjoyed it. Now you're probably wondering how this has to do with modern war. Well i'll tell you one thing. The tactics used by the greeks were known as some of the best in the world! Even in todays standards! So you can tell that people have built on tactics of the greeks. Some modern strategies might not even exist without the greeks! well this post is the end of my blog. I might use it for other things, but i doubt it. So thanks for reading