1207am+Ancient+CIV+Report

WANTED

Needed: Men to join Greek army and represent our glorious land. Men must be able to throw a spear 100 yards with accuracy, be able to leave for war anytime, and be willing to die for their country

Based on what they know of the Spartans, some people may think that the Greeks were just a pompous group of warriors that would march around pounding on their shields with their spears, but really they just wanted the best for their homeland. Greek warriors called themselves the Hellenic. During the Hellenistic period, the Greeks went to war with the Persians to prevent the Persians from taking over their land. During this period, the original city states such as Athens, Corinth, Thebes, Miletus, and Syracuse flourished. Some things that passed down to us from the Ancient Greeks were the Olympics, standards in government, philosophy, and even some of our words.

Weapons and warriors were important to the Ancient Greeks because they helped them win battles to protect their country. During the Hellenistic period, the Greeks had to go to war to stop the Persians from taking over Greece. To learn more, you would have to learn about the Greeks weapons, ships, and battle strategies.

Greek warriors were trained in the use of several weapons. Spears were a big part of the Greek warriors’ weapons. Spears that were used in war were ten feet long, pointed at both ends, and faced forward to attack. The arrowheads they used were made of flint or obsidian. If the spear was dropped or broken, then the hoplite (soldier) would fight with his sword. One type of sword was the round shoulder type that was used durring the 16th century. As you can see, the swords, shields and spears were very important and useful parts of war.

War was not only fought on land you know, they were also fought out on the sea. The ancient Greek warriors used specific ships called galleys, or trireme. The trireme ships were about 140 feet long and 16 feet wide. Each trireme had three banks of oars on each side. It dominated the Mediterranean, and the normal triremes had 160 oarsmen. There was also a ship called the bireme. The bireme had a sail and a mast. During war, the hoplite would remove the mast. Why do you think they would remove the mast?They would remove the masts so they could hinder and chance of using grappling hooks.

Like many warriors, the Ancient Greeks had battle strategies. The phalanx was one of those strategies. During the phalanx, soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder and lined up a couple rows deep. Then, the Hoplites would take running speed at their enemy. Their shields would block the person to their left, and the people on the other side would block the other people. According to the historian Thucydides, every hoplite “brings his unprotected side as near as possible to the shield of the man drawn up on his right and believes that destiny formation is the best protection.” Once that formation broke, it was every man for himself. The Phalanx were like a porcupine because the spears would stick out from behind the shields. During a Hoplite attack, a trumpet went off ,and at the sound of the trumpet, the Hoplites would get into battle position, singing their war song (paean). As the trumpet sounded the charge, a cheer was raised and the soldiers started to run. Do you think that they would have won many battles without the Phalanx.

he Ancient Greek culture flourished over the years, until the Greeks were defeated by the Romans in 146 B.C. Ancient Greece eventually evolved into present day Greece. Most people remember the ideal of the Greek warrior by picturing the Spartans, especially after the popularity of the movie 300. To be a modern day Spartan, you have to be considered fit and strong. Ancient Spartans were very serious about their training for, believe it or not, both men and women. If you are looking to be a modern day Spartan, you would have to go through vigorous training. Like the Ancient Spartan men and boys, you will be pushed to your limits and beyond. Only would you achieved physical excellence can you call yourself a modern day Spartan warrior.

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