LadyAnn
10-30-2003, 20:46
The use of military tactics and equipements must always be put on perspective of an arm race. There is a book called "Arms and Armors in Ancient Warfare" which explains the evolution of arms and armors.
At the beginning, stick and stones
Humanity starts the arm race very early. First tools used are "weapons" to crush bones and scrape skins, used for meat scavenging. The same weapons used to gether food also were used to stave off "competitors", be they are other humans or beasts.
So, first weapon is a sort of axe: a stone tied to the end of a short stick.
Examining ancient cause of death, one would see head traumas are number one cause. Smashing heads were the quickest way to make sure the "competitors" never come back.
It is quickly realized that while the right-hand wield the stick, the left-hand is free, and why not have some kind of shield?
And if turtles and snails have shells, why not use various material as body armor?
But the arm race was sorta standing still for quite a long time before humans discovered they can smelter copper.
From stone age to bronze age
Bronze is a wonderful material, an enabling technology for warfare. First, the helmet was invented. The helmets are made of various degree of copper in bronze. The interiors are lined so absorb shocks.The one with a helmet usually wins the argument against the one without.
Bronze is also heavy enough and durable enough to make axes. There is a whole field of anthopology for classifying axes, but the bronze axe brought a cutting-edge to warfare. The argument between axes and helmets was not quite settled and warfare sees some more innovations: bronze shields, bronze breast plate, bronze arm and leg protectors.
Bronze is a heavy material because it is not easy to make thin but not brittle plates. Bronze is also costly. However, bronze-people were able to conquer stick-and-stone people.
Bronze swords appeared, but not wide spread used, because bronze is not yet a good cutting meterial. Bronze-tipped spears appeared.
Arrows started to appear in warfare in bronze age. Throwing stone was a good practice, settle the argument from afar before the other party could speak is always prefered.
Horses also appeared, and chariots made were also used from China to Persia to Egypt. It was hard to stop galloping horses, especially if the chariots also have blades mounted on their wheels. Chariots are used to break infantry standing in loose formation.
Greek Phalange
The Greek brought to warfare several innovations: standardized equipement, compact mass and well trained infantry. The weapon of choice is the spear.
At the battle of Marathon, the Anthenian Greeks only had spear infantry, while the Persians were more "balanced": archers, chariots, axe and sword wielding infantry. The Greeks didn't let the Persians shoot at them, nor the fearful chariots have time to start the charge. The Greeks charged at the Persians and won the day.
Spears used in compact formations have several advantages:
- put in front between the shields, it is hard for the enemy to reach and start speaking. Try to grab the head of a porcupine.
- put up high when standing, the spears could even break arrows volleys.
- compact spear mass could resist chariot charges, the fear of the day.
The disadvantage of the spears are:
- hard to use, required a lot of training;
- difficult to change direction;
- has vulnerability at the side and at the rear.
- If broken formation, long spears are useless weapons to those shorter weapons like axes and swords.
But the Greek Phalange were used effectively and Alexander the Great led the Macedonean Greeks to wide conquests.
Alexander (or actually Philips II, his father) brought an extra innovation on top of the spears: the use of horsemen on the flank (the Greek never adopt chariots). The cavalry main advantage is speed and combined with mass spears, it was the large advantage. Up until Alexander time, horses are used at the center, usually to bring javalins to the front and do some skirmish, but was not able to do real damage against mass infantry.
Roman Legion
Romans learn the formidable weapon of discipline from the Greek. But it couldn't be possible without the discovery of iron. Iron, so far produced only brittle cast-iron, now could be forged to produce thin but sharp blades and thin, but resilient sheets for sheild and armors.
The Romans brought to warfare the following innovations:
- use swords instead of spears, as swords are much more maneuvrable weapon. The steel swords are primarily used like short spears.
- larger shields, made possible by iron technology (older shields are smaller, protecting only the upper body.
Roman legion, although used several other weapons (can throw pila, shoot arrows, ride horses, etc), is still mainly a one-infantry-type mass, a-la-greek.
Parallel iron-age development in China
In China, transition from Bronze-Age to Iron-Age were done over the 800 years of constant warfare. The Chinese actually settled the argument in favor of the iron swords of the Qin at the time of Alexander the Great, while European saw the swords become dominent a few hundred years later.
Chinese followed almost same innovations in warfare as Europeans as described above (and perhaps parallel to warfare in other places). The difference was perhaps the emphasis on chariots and armored vehicles, pulled by horses or ox.
The use of elephants
An offshoot in arm race is the use of those large beasts as weapons to break infantry lines. It was later proven that elephants are feared, but was quite ineffective against mass infantry.
swords dominate warfare
Swords dominate warfare for quite a long time. In term of offensive weaponry, not many other innovations were durable and only rendered obsolete by the firearms. But the arm race is still forging ahead full steam.
Better metalurgical methods and better forging skills produces higher grade and larger quantity iron armors. The armors get heavier and heavier, with head-to-toe protection.
Horse breeding produces taller and stronger horses, able to carry heavier armor (and the horse was also well protected).
Medieval time
In medieval time, it was slowly realized that the cavalry was the way to beat swords infantry.A cavalry charge usually sent swords infantry running.
That's why spears were still around. Regular infantry also used spears in defensive formation to break cavalry charge. Pole arms were invented to stave off both cavalry and countered heavily armored spears.
Mongols
Mongols show a totally different facet of warfare. As the Huns preceeded them, the Mongols combined several weapons on horse back:
- They can shoot from afar;
- they can charge on this side, then run to the other side, making usual spear defense tactics ineffective;
- and thy can fight with swords and spears as well (also on horse back).
Thus speed and versatility made Mongols hard to stop.
At the beginning, stick and stones
Humanity starts the arm race very early. First tools used are "weapons" to crush bones and scrape skins, used for meat scavenging. The same weapons used to gether food also were used to stave off "competitors", be they are other humans or beasts.
So, first weapon is a sort of axe: a stone tied to the end of a short stick.
Examining ancient cause of death, one would see head traumas are number one cause. Smashing heads were the quickest way to make sure the "competitors" never come back.
It is quickly realized that while the right-hand wield the stick, the left-hand is free, and why not have some kind of shield?
And if turtles and snails have shells, why not use various material as body armor?
But the arm race was sorta standing still for quite a long time before humans discovered they can smelter copper.
From stone age to bronze age
Bronze is a wonderful material, an enabling technology for warfare. First, the helmet was invented. The helmets are made of various degree of copper in bronze. The interiors are lined so absorb shocks.The one with a helmet usually wins the argument against the one without.
Bronze is also heavy enough and durable enough to make axes. There is a whole field of anthopology for classifying axes, but the bronze axe brought a cutting-edge to warfare. The argument between axes and helmets was not quite settled and warfare sees some more innovations: bronze shields, bronze breast plate, bronze arm and leg protectors.
Bronze is a heavy material because it is not easy to make thin but not brittle plates. Bronze is also costly. However, bronze-people were able to conquer stick-and-stone people.
Bronze swords appeared, but not wide spread used, because bronze is not yet a good cutting meterial. Bronze-tipped spears appeared.
Arrows started to appear in warfare in bronze age. Throwing stone was a good practice, settle the argument from afar before the other party could speak is always prefered.
Horses also appeared, and chariots made were also used from China to Persia to Egypt. It was hard to stop galloping horses, especially if the chariots also have blades mounted on their wheels. Chariots are used to break infantry standing in loose formation.
Greek Phalange
The Greek brought to warfare several innovations: standardized equipement, compact mass and well trained infantry. The weapon of choice is the spear.
At the battle of Marathon, the Anthenian Greeks only had spear infantry, while the Persians were more "balanced": archers, chariots, axe and sword wielding infantry. The Greeks didn't let the Persians shoot at them, nor the fearful chariots have time to start the charge. The Greeks charged at the Persians and won the day.
Spears used in compact formations have several advantages:
- put in front between the shields, it is hard for the enemy to reach and start speaking. Try to grab the head of a porcupine.
- put up high when standing, the spears could even break arrows volleys.
- compact spear mass could resist chariot charges, the fear of the day.
The disadvantage of the spears are:
- hard to use, required a lot of training;
- difficult to change direction;
- has vulnerability at the side and at the rear.
- If broken formation, long spears are useless weapons to those shorter weapons like axes and swords.
But the Greek Phalange were used effectively and Alexander the Great led the Macedonean Greeks to wide conquests.
Alexander (or actually Philips II, his father) brought an extra innovation on top of the spears: the use of horsemen on the flank (the Greek never adopt chariots). The cavalry main advantage is speed and combined with mass spears, it was the large advantage. Up until Alexander time, horses are used at the center, usually to bring javalins to the front and do some skirmish, but was not able to do real damage against mass infantry.
Roman Legion
Romans learn the formidable weapon of discipline from the Greek. But it couldn't be possible without the discovery of iron. Iron, so far produced only brittle cast-iron, now could be forged to produce thin but sharp blades and thin, but resilient sheets for sheild and armors.
The Romans brought to warfare the following innovations:
- use swords instead of spears, as swords are much more maneuvrable weapon. The steel swords are primarily used like short spears.
- larger shields, made possible by iron technology (older shields are smaller, protecting only the upper body.
Roman legion, although used several other weapons (can throw pila, shoot arrows, ride horses, etc), is still mainly a one-infantry-type mass, a-la-greek.
Parallel iron-age development in China
In China, transition from Bronze-Age to Iron-Age were done over the 800 years of constant warfare. The Chinese actually settled the argument in favor of the iron swords of the Qin at the time of Alexander the Great, while European saw the swords become dominent a few hundred years later.
Chinese followed almost same innovations in warfare as Europeans as described above (and perhaps parallel to warfare in other places). The difference was perhaps the emphasis on chariots and armored vehicles, pulled by horses or ox.
The use of elephants
An offshoot in arm race is the use of those large beasts as weapons to break infantry lines. It was later proven that elephants are feared, but was quite ineffective against mass infantry.
swords dominate warfare
Swords dominate warfare for quite a long time. In term of offensive weaponry, not many other innovations were durable and only rendered obsolete by the firearms. But the arm race is still forging ahead full steam.
Better metalurgical methods and better forging skills produces higher grade and larger quantity iron armors. The armors get heavier and heavier, with head-to-toe protection.
Horse breeding produces taller and stronger horses, able to carry heavier armor (and the horse was also well protected).
Medieval time
In medieval time, it was slowly realized that the cavalry was the way to beat swords infantry.A cavalry charge usually sent swords infantry running.
That's why spears were still around. Regular infantry also used spears in defensive formation to break cavalry charge. Pole arms were invented to stave off both cavalry and countered heavily armored spears.
Mongols
Mongols show a totally different facet of warfare. As the Huns preceeded them, the Mongols combined several weapons on horse back:
- They can shoot from afar;
- they can charge on this side, then run to the other side, making usual spear defense tactics ineffective;
- and thy can fight with swords and spears as well (also on horse back).
Thus speed and versatility made Mongols hard to stop.