Warfare Pt.2
- Created by: Ruthfeath
- Created on: 19-05-18 08:37
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- Warfare Pt.2
- Weaponry
- Swords & Daggers
- Early swords had various roles, like ritual object & warfare
- Early swords evolved out of the dagger
- Before bronze, stone was used for 'cutting edged' tools & weapons - very fragile, so impractical
- Due to copper being used & eventually bronze, daggers were made longer & became swords
- Sword grips were often made of wood or ivory, sometimes decorated with gold applications - the hand grip was completed by a knob which could have been made of wood, ivory, amber or gold
- Spears & Javelins
- Group A spear and javelin points have a flat or narrow fixation tag, the blade is without grooves.
- In some specimens the blade is pierced with two elongated holes or four small holes through which a cord could be threaded.
- Their length is from 15.5 cm to amaximum of 38 cm.
- Group B spear and javelin points have the unique "shoe" shape with an hollow clutch in which the wood shaft was fixed.
- Their general length is from 11 cm to 18.6 cm.
- Early Mycenaean spears consisted of a long wooden shaftabout 12ft long with a socketed spearhead made of bronze.
- Shoe-sockets were cast on one or both sides into it.
- Butleaf-shaped blade with a strong mid-rib and socketed base was more come in Mycenae.
- Made by casting with the socket complete, or with asocket slit a flat; curved around to form a socket.
- Spearhead tip ranged from 8-12 inches but could go up to 16 inches.
- Group A spear and javelin points have a flat or narrow fixation tag, the blade is without grooves.
- Bows & Arrows
- Two main types of bow
- simple wooden bow sometimesreinforced with sinew glued to the back to prevent breakage and to increase the bow's cast
- compositebow which combines four materials -wood, sections of animal horn, animal tendons and sinews, and glue.
- wood was sometimes not made from a single block but comprised pieces of wood from different trees with varying pliability.
- Both the simple and composite bows can be divided in different types based on their shape:the simple curved bow; the double-convex bow; the triangular bow
- Two main types of bow
- Swords & Daggers
- Shields
- Tower Shields
- Most common type of early shield
- Represented on frescoes, rings, pottery
- Had internal wood structure, with several layers of toughened bull's hide glued & stitched to a wicker structure. Wires could have been used to join together the layers.
- Figure of Eight Shield
- Most common type of Achaean body-shield
- Depicted on pottery, wall-paintings and sculpture, both as defence weapons and a decorative motif orcult symbol.
- Composed of two internal bow-shaped pieces of wood fastened to form a cross. Several layers of toughened bull's hide were glued and stitched to a wicker structure. A rim probably made of leather or bronze was normally placed around the shield.
- Proto-Dipylon Shields
- Another type of body-shield. Circular or oval, with two cuts on both sides, which allows a better utilization of the shield while fighting with a sword or spear.
- Probably made of several layers of hide, probably sewn to a wicker frame, and reinforced with metal bosses or plates placed on shield's external surface and edge.
- Not as common as Tower or Figure Of Eight shields.
- Tower Shields
- Helmets
- Boar Tusk Helmets
- Several boar tusks in different shapes and an upper element reinforced aperishable material helmet
- Rite of passage to hunt the boar that would make up your helmet
- Most elaborate ones were probably utilized by medium/high rank warlords
- Ancestor of the typical Achaean and Minoan boar tusks helmets
- Sometimes involved horse’s hair plumes/feathers for decoration
- High Conical Helmets
- Conical helmet with small cheek and neck guards
- Reinforcing disks were probably made of ivory or metal
- Low Profile Hollow-Eyed Helmets
- Long curved cheek guards and ears opening
- Generally made of leather or other perishable materials, but possibly in bronze for warfare
- Horned Conical Helmets
- Small horns made of boar-tusks, deer horns, or ivory
- Neck protection and a throat strap
- Boar Tusk Helmets
- Chariots
- Box Chariots
- Crewed by 1 or 2 men - charioteer & warrior
- Single warrior would use javelins or spears, while in a 2 man chariot, bow would be used
- Crewed by 1 or 2 men - charioteer & warrior
- Quadrant Chariots
- Appears to have had D-shaped floor
- Siding was probably heat-bent rails, covered with ox-hide or wickerwork
- Rare, known only from few examples
- Dual Chariots
- Most largely used
- Semi-circular extensions attached to back of chariot box were unknown outside of Greek-influenced areas
- Probably made from heat-bent wood with either textile or ox-hide stretched across frame
- Box seems to have had same covering, which enclosed it on 3 sides
- Probably made from heat-bent wood with either textile or ox-hide stretched across frame
- Military & peaceful purposes
- Used as fighting vehicle with spears, javelins & long swords
- Mainly used to travel to and from battle in later part of period
- Rail Chariots
- Exact features difficult to reconstruct due to lack of evidence for them - mostly pictured on fragmented pottery
- enough evidence can be pieced together from this to provide an idea of basic structure
- Very light, characterised by open frame
- Rail probably came up to hip, ran horizontally over front of box
- Variations in presentation suggest that rail may have curved upward at the front corner
- Mainly used to travel to and from battle in later part of period
- Used as fighting vehicle with spears, javelins & long swords
- Exact features difficult to reconstruct due to lack of evidence for them - mostly pictured on fragmented pottery
- Four Wheeled Chariots
- Not well documented because scenes in which it is depicted are quite fragmentary
- Exact features difficult to reconstruct as result
- Not well documented because scenes in which it is depicted are quite fragmentary
- Box Chariots
- Ships
- Shallow-draught vessels, could be beached on sandy bays
- Vessels were various sizes, containing different numbers of oarsmen
- Largest ship probably had crew of -42-46 oarsmen, with 1 steering oar, a captain, 2 attendants & a complement of warriors
- Most common type of vessel based on depictions of art was the oared galley with long & narrow hulls
- Shape of hull was constructed to maximise number of rowers - higher speed could be achieved regardless of wind conditions
- Although it carried mast & sail, it was less efficient as a sailing ship
- Shape of hull was constructed to maximise number of rowers - higher speed could be achieved regardless of wind conditions
- Mycenaean galley offered some advantages
- Although lighter than the oared sailing ship of Minoan Crete, it seated more rowers
- Steering mechanism was a triangular steering oar - forerunner of latter steering oar of archaic era
- Well documented that Mycenaeans used ships for trade & travel, but there is also significant evidence to show they used impressive ships during warfare
- Weaponry
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