Quinn


 * __Ancient Greece Military__**

The ancient Greeks were one of the most revoulutionary civilizations in history. They were the first people who ever used technology in battle like we do today. Their many inventions and formations also made them a force to be reckoned with in the battlefield. They only sucumbered finally to the most famous military in the world; The Roman Army. **__Types of units__** Like in any military there are a lot of different types of soldiers and units needed for different types of jobs. The Greek military is no different. It has the basic units like the //Pezetairos (infantrymen)// and the //Prodromos (scout)// and supporting soldiers including the //Hamippos//, which are lightly armed infantrymen that try to kill off enemy horses. The military also has specialized units such as the //Hetairos (elite cavalryman)// and the //Hypaspist (an armed elite guard)//. But for the low-life in the Greek city-states they were put into the military as //Psiloi//; simple soldiers with a spear and a few stones as their only weapons. This was an almost guaranteed death sentence. The //Speira,// or basic unit, were 256 men that are ranked in close order 16 men deep and 16 men wide. A more extensive unit was called a //Chiliarchia//; it was a 1000 men commanded by the //Chilarchos//. The Greek military was very extensive in the different types of units and these are only a glimpse of the many types of units there are. **__Greek Inventions__** The very first revolutionary Greek invention was the Phalanx. It was a special type of unit that utilized an 8-foot long spear, a sword, and a shield. A famous invention that was used all the way until gunpowder was used in weapons was the catapult. The catapults could hurl an 18-foot arrow or an 18-kilo stone with enough force to break through a solid stonewall. This artillery system was developed during the age of Alexander the Great. And one of the most important invention that would later be one of the deciding factors in many naval battles to come is the Trireme. The Trireme is a very fast ship with a main armament of a single iron ram on the bow of the ship right below the water line. These ships would attack another enemy ship by racing into it with its three rows of rowers and then back out to attack again or attack another ship. The Trireme was the guided missile of the Greek military. These inventions helped Greece become one of the major powers of their time. **__ Formations __** The different many different units require different types of formations because of their size and skill. One of the most famous was the phalanx. The Phalanx was a much faster and more manoeuvrable version of formation fighting than the older system of disorganized fighting. The Phalanx was held in solid ranks divided by only a centerline and the two flanking sections. One of the reasons the Phalanx was such a good formation was that the men in the front rank held their shield on their left arm and their sword on the right so the they could protect the man on their left while the man on their right side could protect them from enemy swords and spears. The soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder in around eight ranks deep and were equipped with a round shield, a breastplate of metal and leather, a helmet, metal shin protection called greaves, a sword and a spear. Another reason was that the there was little need for an officer’s corps; because the Phalanx was not complex the entire body could respond to the sound of the lute to get its orders. But however like anything the Phalanx did have its weaknesses. If the enemy penetrated it it would become a disorganized mob of soldiers slashing at each other if they thought they saw the enemy. Also, the men tended to drift to the right because the protection of the shield was in that direction. To solve this problem the officers put the strongest and most aggressive fighters on the right flank to keep the unit from to the right on the battleground. Life was hard for a soldier who carried 60-70 pounds on his back while charging into battle.

Major Battles
Since Greece was made of many city-states there a lot of battles and wars between them and other powers like Persia. Some of the most major battles the Greek military have ever fought were the battles of Marathon, Aegospotami and Gaugamela. The Battle of Marathon was in September of 490 BC. A Persian armada of 600 ships carried an invasion force of around 20,000 infantry and cavalry on Greek land just north of Athens. Their mission was to crush the Greek city-states for supporting their Ionian cousins who had revolted against Persian rule. Undaunted by the numbers of the invaders, Athens mobilized 10,000 hoplite warriors to defend their territory. The two armies met on the Plain of Marathon twenty-six miles north of Athens. The battlefield was flat and was surrounded by hills and sea was perfect for the Persian cavalry. Looking at the advantage that the terrain and size of their force gave to the Persians, the Greek generals hesitated. One of the Greek generals named Miltiades made a passionate plea for boldness and convinced his fellow Greek generals to attack the Persians. Miltiades ordered the Greek hoplites to form a line equal in length of that to the Persians. Then in an act that his enemy believed to be complete madness he ordered his Greek warriors to attack the Persian line at a dead run. During the melee, the middle of the Greek line weakened and gave way, but the flanks were able to engulf and slaughter the trapped Persians inside. Around 6,400 Persians were destroyed while only 192 Greeks soldiers were killed. The remaining Persian soldiers escaped to their ships and made an attempt to attack what they thought was undefended Athens. However, the Greek warriors made a forced march back to Athens and arrived just in time to beat the Persians again. The Battle of Aegospotami was a Spartan naval victory over the Athenians at the end of the Peloponnesian War. Lysander's decisive victory over the Athenian fleet broke the unchallenged Athenian naval superiority and effectively ended the war. An Athenian fleet of 180 triremes lay at Aegospotami and on the southern shore 170 Peloponnesian ships under command of Lysander lay at Lampsacus. On four successive days the Athenian fleet rowed across the strait, hoping to draw Lysander's force out to give battle, but without success. On the fifth day Lysander waited until the Athenians made their usual routine and returned to their base but once they had anchored Lysander's fleet made a sudden dash across the water and pounced on the anchored Athenians capturing 160 ships and killed the crews. This victory destroyed the Athenian naval superiority and opened up the possibilities that were needed later on in other battles. The Battle of Gaugamela was one of the battles Alexander had led when he began his war against the Persians in 334 BC. His victory at the battle of Gaugamela on the Persian plains was a decisive conquest that insured the defeat of his Persian rival King Darius III. King Darius planned the spot for the battle by having selected a spot to meet his enemy. After his defeat at Issus two years previously, Darius made sure that this battleground favored his army and its tactics (particularly the use of his feared scythe wheeled chariots). The ground here was flat and perfect for chariots but Darius made it even flatter by ordering the terrain plowed and leveled. All was ready and on October 1, 331 BC the Persian army of around 200,000 faced off against Alexander's 35,000. Alexander immediately sized up the Persian's tactical advantage and countered by ordering his cavalry to drift to the right hoping to move his enemy away from its flat field, which would surly mean destruction. Darius took the bait ordering his troops to follow them. Soon the Persians found themselves on rough, rock-strewn terrain. Seeing the thinning Persian line, Alexander led the charge that crashed through to the Persian rear. As at the battle of Issus, Darius fled, leaving the field and victory to Alexander.

The hardship theses soldiers had to go through was amazing but it kept them alive.In so many of these battles many lives were lost to the slashes and stabs of the enemy it blows your mind to see them still standing and chuckling about it years later.