The Evolution of Weapons Among Ancient Western Civilizations
The Evolution of Weapons among Ancient Western Civilizations
A weapon was an enormous part of how ancient civilizations survived. They were key in the defence of their territory and in the conquering other regions. These weapons have been adopted and modified in many ancient civilizations. This paper is going to trace the many kinds of weapons used and their modifications through three ancient civilizations: the Greeks, the Macedonians, and the Romans. The ancient Grecian era was a time of power and war. The Greeks established themselves as a dominating civilization. Their main enemy during this time was the Persians and themselves. The Persians were another powerful empire that threatened the dominance of the Greeks. With this, the Greeks had to prepare for battling. The Greek soldiers were called hoplites. They wore a metal helmet that covered their entire face to protect from head injuries and carried a round metal shield; used to protect themselves against oncoming enemies and to further ram their spears into the enemies. They used spears known as the “dory” to them, as their main weapon in defending themselves. The spear was approximately six to eight feet long, with a sharp pointed metal end and a wooden shaft. The sharp end of the spear was used to pierce in attempt to kill the enemy. When the spear broke, they also carried a dagger/ sword for up close battle (Maya Pillai). Another weapon used by the Grecians was ballista’s. Ballista’s was created in 399 BCE by the Greeks. It was a crossbow that fired arrows. It was commonly used when their territory was under siege (codesmiths.com). As well as the ballista, the catapult was an effect weapon against oncoming attacks. The catapult was used to launch items long distances at the enemies, mainly when under siege.
The Macedonians was another civilization that sought power; whose conquests lead them to have variety in their weapons. Macedonians took what they knew from the Grecian civilization and reformed
A weapon was an enormous part of how ancient civilizations survived. They were key in the defence of their territory and in the conquering other regions. These weapons have been adopted and modified in many ancient civilizations. This paper is going to trace the many kinds of weapons used and their modifications through three ancient civilizations: the Greeks, the Macedonians, and the Romans. The ancient Grecian era was a time of power and war. The Greeks established themselves as a dominating civilization. Their main enemy during this time was the Persians and themselves. The Persians were another powerful empire that threatened the dominance of the Greeks. With this, the Greeks had to prepare for battling. The Greek soldiers were called hoplites. They wore a metal helmet that covered their entire face to protect from head injuries and carried a round metal shield; used to protect themselves against oncoming enemies and to further ram their spears into the enemies. They used spears known as the “dory” to them, as their main weapon in defending themselves. The spear was approximately six to eight feet long, with a sharp pointed metal end and a wooden shaft. The sharp end of the spear was used to pierce in attempt to kill the enemy. When the spear broke, they also carried a dagger/ sword for up close battle (Maya Pillai). Another weapon used by the Grecians was ballista’s. Ballista’s was created in 399 BCE by the Greeks. It was a crossbow that fired arrows. It was commonly used when their territory was under siege (codesmiths.com). As well as the ballista, the catapult was an effect weapon against oncoming attacks. The catapult was used to launch items long distances at the enemies, mainly when under siege.
The Macedonians was another civilization that sought power; whose conquests lead them to have variety in their weapons. Macedonians took what they knew from the Grecian civilization and reformed
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