5603rb+Ancient+Civilization+Project

** Warriors and Weapons **
 * Ancient Greeks: **

** Ryan Bali **

** Reading and Language Arts 5/6, Pds. 5-6 ** ** Mr. Schoch ** ** June 7, 2012 **


 * Many people think that all the Ancient Greeks did was create paintings, walk around very baroquely dressed, and design buildings, but this is not all they did. The Ancient Greeks were also extremely skilled at warfare. Ancient Greece was located in the same area as modern Greece, in Europe bordering the Mediterranean Sea, near current Turkey ( http://tinyurl.com/cn3skk4 ). The word Greek comes from the word “Graikhos” meaning inhabitants of Graia. This is the name that the Romans gave the Greeks ( http://tinyurl.com/bmmrs5r ). Ancient Greece lasted for more than 1500 years, from 3000 B.C. to 30 B.C. ( http://tinyurl.com/7m5bg56 ). Their legacy of art, and culture is still carried out today. Many beautiful buildings today are based upon Greek architecture, such as the Empire State Building in New York City. **


 * A more important and fascinating aspect of Ancient Greek culture, however, was its warfare. Weapons and warriors were important to the Ancient Greeks because the Ancient Greeks needed to defend themselves against attacks from enemies. The Hoplites, Ancient Greek warriors, were very skilled at attack and defense against their enemies. They also had to conquer new lands for their people. We can learn more about this cultural aspect by looking at Ancient Greek armor, weapons, and battle tactics. **


 * Ancient Greek armor was very advanced, and one of the best at the time. The Greek Corinthian helmet was a very powerful and protective helmet. It[[image:http://www.thehistorybunker.co.uk/acatalog/BlackCorinthiansHelmet300.jpg width="88" height="138" align="right"]] covered the entire head, neck, and cheekbones, with slits for the eyes and mouth. The Ancient Greek muscle cuirass is a type of chest plate that fits the wearer's torso and designed to mimic the chest and torso area of the human body. In older paintings, the muscle cuirass is worn by emperors, generals, and deities to show that they were the leader or the most important of the group ( http://tinyurl.com/cmdmk3z ). To protect their legs, the Ancient Greek wore bronze greaves. A greave is a piece of armor, constructed by the metal of your choice, that also mimicked the physique of the human leg ( http://tinyurl.com/cwlt8jl ). **


 * The Ancient Greeks also used many interesting, lightweight and heavy weapons, that allowed them to conquer enemies easily and quickly. The dory, the Spartan and Hoplite's main weapon, was a long stabbing spear used in combat. It was a counterbalanced weapon that was meant to be used in close encounters, and had a short, but wide spear point ( http://tinyurl.com/7c4wt7j ). The xiphos was an Ancient Greek sword that was a double-[[image:http://www.redtanto.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/xiphos.jpg width="350" height="112" align="left"]]edged, single-handed sword, with a blade that was classically 50-60 cm long, but was adapted to 30 cm long. It was usually only used when the spear couldn't handled be in close combat ( http://tinyurl.com/dxhvj2s ). The ballista was an Ancient Greek "missile" weapon that launched large projectiles at distant targets. The arms were made of wood, supported by a large rope in the middle, that acted as the spring of the weapon ( http://tinyurl.com/797vg8x ). **


 * Many Ancient Greek battle tactics helped them win battles as well. A phalanx is an Ancient Greek battle formation, in which hoplites line together while locking their shields in a square, creating a human wall. The hoplites would then move together and wait until the enemy thrust their sword, then the **
 * hoplites would stab or slash the enemy ( http://tinyurl.com/797vg8x ). The Ancient Greek trireme was a great warship that was 120 ft long with 203 men: 14 spearmen, 4 archers, 25 officers and sailors, and 170 rowers. The trieme was also equipped with battering rams at the side, to bash enemy ships while they were being shot at with spears and arrows ( http://tinyurl.com/7s9byqs ). Espionage was also another great battle tactic. Spies were sent into enemy's cities and found out information that will help when to strike the enemy ( http://tinyurl.com/bmg9rm3 ). **


 * Over the years, many parts of ancient Greece fell. Troy was destroyed and Sparta was destroyed. Athens is still standing today, but it is attempting to recover from a financial crisis. Even though all of these things happened, their legacy is still upon us. We use their beautiful ideas of architecture to make buildings, we have adopted and changed their military strategies, and we celebrate their culture today. From the Ancient Greeks, we can learn to treasure our art because it might not be there forever. We can also learn to keep on improving our style of warfare, as the Ancient Greeks did for a long time. **

** Glossary **


 * hoplite- A heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece. **
 * Corinthian- Of or relating to ancient Corinth, a city of southern Greece in the northeast Peloponnesus on the Gulf of Corinth. **
 * muscle cuirass- A piece of armor for protecting the breast and back. **
 * greaves- Leg armor worn below the knee. **
 * physique- The body considered with reference to its proportions, muscular development, and appearance. **
 * dory- A long stabbing spear used in Greek combat. **
 * xiphos- A double-edged, single-handed sword, used by the Greeks. **
 * ballista- An ancient and medieval engine of warfare used to hurl heavy projectiles at a target. **

** Works Cited **


 * "Ancient Greek Military Tactics." Ancient Greek Military Tactics. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Ballista." Information. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Corinthian Helmet." Corinthian Helmet. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Greek Spies at Sardes." Greek Spies at Sardes. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "The Greek Warriors." The Greek Warriors. 18 May 2012. . **
 * "Imperium Ancient Armory." Imperium Ancient Armory. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Infobase Learning - Login." Infobase Learning - Login. 25 May 2012. . **
 * "LATITUDE & LONGITUDE." Greece Latitude Longitude and Relative Location Hemisphere. 23 May 2012. . **
 * "Minoan Art." Ancient Greece. 18 May 2012. . **
 * "Muscle Cuirass." Muscle Cuirass. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Muscle Cuirass." Muscle Cuirass. 07 June 2012. . **
 * "MyArmoury.com - View Topic - Leaf-Blades?" MyArmoury.com - View Topic - Leaf-Blades? 07 June 2012. . **
 * "Online Etymology Dictionary." Online Etymology Dictionary. 23 May 2012. . **
 * "The Phalanx." The Persians Expand Their Empire. 07 June 2012. . **
 * Rice, Rob S. Ancient Greek Warfare. Pleasantville, NY: GS Learning Library, 2010. **


 * Definition Credits: [][][] **


 * Image Credits: **
 * Picture 1: [] **
 * Picture 2: ****  []  **
 * Picture 3: **** http://tinyurl.com/bvpb4df **