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Year 10: Term 2: Ancient Warfare

The Task

This is not an exhaustive list of battles, wars, leaders etc, but it may give you some ideas about what to do your assignment on. When making your decision consider the sources available, especially PRIMARY.

Agincourt 1415: England v France part of Hundred Years War English won – longbow important – half of French nobility killed

Alesia 52 BC: Julius Caesar v Vercingetorix crucial battle in Gallic Wars

Guagemala 331 BC: Alexander the Great v Darius III of Persia - part of Alexander’s campaign to conquer Persia – Alexander won, and he continued to march into Asia

Cannae 216 BC: Hannibal v Romans part of the Second Punic War - Hannibal of Carthage defeated Romans.  Roman army annihilated

Crecy 1346:  England v France part of Hundred Years War – England won – French army destroyed

First Crusade 1096-1099: the first is the most significant. A European effort under the leadership of French nobles to take control of Jerusalem from the Muslims.  Achieved objective.  Siege of Jerusalem 1099.

Battle of Hastings 1066:  William of Normandy successfully invades England

Battle of Hattin 1187: Saladin leads Muslim attack against the Crusader army which controlled Jerusalem.  Crusaders defeated and led to Jerusalem being taken by Muslims and eventually the Third Crusade.

Kadesh 1294BC: Egypt v Hittites – Ramesses II leader of Egypt – result inconclusive, eventually world’s first peace treaty signed. Earliest battle where strategy, army formation and use of tactics first noticed.

Second Punic War 219-202BC: Rome v Carthage – numerous battles worthy of study – Cannae (216), Trebia (218), Lake Trasimene, Zama (202).  This is the one with Hannibal.

Battle of Salamis 480 BC – decisive naval battle in Second Persian War – Persians defeated

Battle of Marathon 490 BC– First Persian war between Greeks and Persians – Greeks defeated a larger Persian force

Megiddo 1469 BC – Thutmose III of Egypt took on rebellious kings of Megiddo) – Egyptian victory

Thermopylae 480BC – Second Persian war – Persians defeat Greeks (mainly Spartans) – morale booster for Greeks

Siege of Tenochtitlan 1521:  Spanish defeat Aztec Empire

 

Major Conflicts

Trojan War (Greeks v Trojans) c.1200 BC (from story written by Homer; however, you can study it in the same way you would any other conflict)  

Second Punic War (Rome v Carthage) 219-202 BC - see above

Celts v Romans: (Boudicca Celts 60-61)

Expansion of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan (1206-1227)

Peloponnesian Wars:  Sparta v Athens (431- 404BC)

Persian Wars

 

Commanders

Julius Caesar (100 – 44 BCE)

Gaius Marius (157-86 BCE) – Roman commander who reformed the army and defeated barbarian invasions 2nd century BCE

Thutmose III (1482-1425 BCE)

Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE)

Hannibal Barca (247-183 BCE)

Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) Macedonian king who defeated the Persian Empire.

William of Normandy (1028-1097) known for Battle of Hastings (1066), but he also used the military to suppress opposition to his rule in England.

Saladin (1137–1193) leader of the Muslims who took Jerusalem from the Crusaders

How to Write In-Text References For Humanities

How to Reference Harvard Style - Julius Caesar Example

Zotero - Online Referencing Tool

Zotero can be set to the same Harvard AGPS (Australia) style that CiteAce uses, called 'Melbourne Polytechnic - Harvard'. Please read the instructions carefully.

Any issues - see your Library Staff

ONESearch

The ENTIRE collection of resources provided by the BBC Library can be searched on ONE single, powerful search platform, which retrieves print books, eBooks, database articles and websites. Click HERE for assistance.

Major Weapons and Technology

This could include Heavy and Light Infantry, Heavy and Light Cavalry, Fortification, Siegecraft, the Long bow, and the humble Stirrup.

Alexander at the Siege of Tyre (engineers) 332 BC

Battle of Alesia (Julius Caesar def. Vercingetorix and Commius) 52 BC (engineers and the siege tower)

Battle of Hastings (William of Normandy def. Harold of England 1066). William had better armour and weapons. For example - the cavalry were all equipped with mail hauberk, there is some evidence that archers used crossbows in addition to bows and arrows, some battle maces were also used along with spears and swords, round shields and kite shaped shields.

Battle of Crecy ( King Edward III with his son, the Black Prince, def. Philip VI, King of France1346). Long bow proved superior - the rate of fire was up to one arrow every 5 seconds against the crossbow’s rate of a shot every two minutes; the crossbow requiring to be reloaded by means of a winch. Also English army possessed simple artillery; improvements in the composition of black powder reducing the size of guns and projectiles and making them sufficiently mobile to be used in the field. French did not have artillery.

Battle of Agincourt (King Henry V of England def. the Constable of France, Charles d’Albret, Comte de Dreux 1415). Again, the long bow proved superior - A trained archer could shoot six aimed arrows a minute which could wound at 400 yards, kill at 200 and penetrate armour at 100 yards. Terrified the French knights' horses.

See this website: 10 Reasons Why the French Lost at Agincourt

Don't forget - the Greeks invented military technology! Also Try these: Moats, Longbows (Agincourt), Crossbows, Mounted cavalry (Genghis Khan), Trebuchet and ramming rods (sieges), Fireballs, oil cannisters and drums (sieges), Chariots, Axes (Vikings), Armour, heavy swords (Japan), spears, Walls (China), Falcata (Hannibal - Battle of Cannae).

Importance of chariots: 'Chariots were perhaps the most dominant instrument of warfare before nuclear weapons. Indeed, historian William H. McNeill has called them the superweapon of their day. When they appeared in the Levant in the eighteenth century BC, they swept all before them. From Egypt to Mesopotamia, states either adopted chariots or ceased to compete in interstate war'. The Battle of Kadesh (275 B.C.) illustrates this.

From Foreign Policy Research Initiative

Useful Ebooks

QUT C.R.A.A.P. test for evaluating websites

Check the quality of your websites using these criteria (adapted from QUT Library):

Currency: Timeliness of the information

  • When was the information published, posted or last updated?
  • Is the information current for your topic and field of study? How recent does it have to be? Can older sources work just as well?
Relevance: Importance of the information for your needs
  • Is the information appropriate for a senior secondary course?
  • Is this an adequately in-depth examination or a quick summary of the topic?
  • Who's the intended audience? Is it the general public, a student, a researcher or industry?
  • Is the level of information too basic or too advanced for your needs?

Authority: Source of the information

  • Is the author/authoring body (individual person, or institution, or organisation) established and reputable?
  • Are their qualifications, credentials, expertise, experience, educational background and previous work (if any) relevant and do they add credibility to the source?
  • Has the piece been published by a well-known and respected publisher or organisation?
  • Do references to other sources support the writing ie is a Bibliography or Reference List provided?

Accuracy: Reliability and correctness of the information

  • Where does the information come from, and is it supported by evidence?
  • Does it have a Reference List or Bibliography so you can easily find and verify the sources used?
  • Are there any spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: Reason the information exists

  • What is the purpose of the information? Why was it written?
  • Does the point of view appear objective, unbiased and impartial?
  • Is the viewpoint of the author's affiliation/ sponsors reflected in the message or content?
  • Does the author acknowledge alternative versions of the issues or facts?

Oliver Library Catalogue

undefinedhttps://www.ancient.eu/

Famous Military Commandeers

Ancient History Lists: Top 12 Greatest Ancient Military Commanders

Owlcation: Greatest Military Generals in History

 

Leonidas (Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC)
Leonidas was a king of Sparta at the time of invasion of Xerxes. His famous defense of the pass of Thermopylae is one of the greatest military feats of all time, and has come to symbolize Spartan valor and tenacity.

Alexander (Battle of Granicus 334 BC; Battle of Issus 333 BC; Battle of Gaugamela 331 BC)
Alexander the Great, King of Macedon from 336 - 323 B.C., may claim the title of the greatest military leader the world has ever known. His empire spread from Gibraltar to the Punjab, and he made Greek the language of his world. His leadership promoted superior discipline.

Hannibal (Battle of Cannae 216 BC; Battle of Zama 202 BC)
Hannibal was the leader of the Carthaginian forces against Rome in the Second Punic War. Hannibal almost overpowered Rome and was considered Rome's greatest enemy. Why was he so great? http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_hannibal1_forum.htm They say he has masterly control over  ‘a hotch-potch of the riff-raff of all nationalities’),

Scipio (Battle of Zama 202 BC)
Scipio Africanus is the Roman commander who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in the Second Punic War via tactics he'd learned from the enemy. Since Scipio's victory was in Africa, following his triumph he was allowed to take the agnomen Africanus.

Julius Caesar (Battle of Alesia 52 BC; Battle of Pharsalus 48 BC)
Julius Caesar not only led the army and won many battles, but he wrote about his military adventures. It's from his description of the wars of the Romans against the Gauls (in modern France) that we get the familiar line "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres" 'all Gaul is divided into 3 parts,' which Caesar proceeded to conquer.

Arminius (Battle of Teutoberg Forest 9 AD)
German tribal leader who inflicted a major defeat on Rome by destroying three legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Teutoberg Forest (southeast of modern Bielefeld, Germany), late in the summer of  9 AD. This defeat severely checked the emperor Augustus’ plans, the exact nature of which is uncertain, for the country between the Rhine and Elbe rivers.

Egypt: Thutmose III; Ramesses II

Persia:  Darius I; Xerxes I

Greece: Pericles (Athens), Leonidas (Sparta); Miltiades

Macedonia: Phillip II of Macedon (father of Alexander); Alexander the Great (excellent strategies and tactics)

Carthage: Hannibal (excellent strategies and tactics; use of the "bow-shape" formation by Hannibal, which was used to lure the Romans into a trap by making them think they were winning).

Rome:  Scipio Africanus; Gaius Marius; Sulla; Pompey; Julius Caesar; Marcus Agrippa; Vespasian, Trajan

Byzantium: Belisarius

Central & Eastern Europe: Attila the Hun

Europe: Alaric I (Visigoth), Vercingetorix (Gaul), Charlemagne (Frank), Charles Martel (Frank)

Britain/England: Boudicca, William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart

Middle East: Saladin

Eurasia: Genghis Khan (Mongols)

China: Qin Shi Huangdi (Terracotta Warriors)

Japan: Ieyasu Tokugawa

Primary Sources

Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebooks Project (Ancient and Medieval History)

This website has an excellent range of primary sources for both Ancient and Medieval history.

 
 

 

Web Searching Tips

1. Use 'Ctrl F' (Control + Find) to search for particular terms easily in a long document, whether from a website or a database article.

2. Use a Google command to limit results to a CERTAIN DOMAIN

  • 'edu'  - for educational sites from universities and schools:
    eg  roman weapons and warfare site:edu
     
  • 'gov' - for government sites:

             eg celtic weapons and warfare site:gov

3. To check the authority of a website when it is not clear, go to the end of the URL in the Google search box, cut back to the first forward slash (/) and hit 'Enter'. This will take you to the Home Page of the website, and you can see the full name of the source.

4. Use a Google command to limit results to the MOST RECENT: After you get your results, choose the Google Menu Bar, and choose 'Tools'. Then on the far left, at the drop-down menu next to 'Any Time', choose 'Within the last year' (or less, if you prefer). 

5.  Google Scholar is an academic website mainly aimed at Universities and Research Institutions.  It does provide some full-text articles which can be accessed by the link placed on the right-hand side of the screen.  All other articles are citations only, which are available in some of the larger Academic subscription databases. TIP: To get PDFs only, type in 'filetype:pdf'. It's great!

Useful Databases