Chapter 3: Men in Lines with Spears

Question 1

What is unit cohesion?

Answer 1

A body of soldiers’ ability to maintain discipline and effectiveness in the face of difficulties and casualties in battle

Question 2

What are examples of non-state infantry? (2)

Answer 2

German tribes and the Zulu

Question 3

How was infantry depicted in ancient Egypt?

Answer 3

Unarmored and fighting with equal numbers of archers

Question 4

What is the hypothesis for why there is limited evidence of infantry in the Bronze Age beyond sieges?

Answer 4

Because it was not used in open-field battles, chariots did this instead

Question 5

What was infantry used for in the Bronze Age?

Answer 5

light skirmishers, pursuit in rough terrain and holding ground

Question 6

True or false: the catastrophe of the late Bronze Age is linked to the development of new infantry weapons and tactics

Answer 6

True

Question 7

What military developments emerged after the catastrophe? (3)

Answer 7

the use of iron armor and weapons as well as swarming tactics and javelins

Question 8

True or false, Meo-Assyria did not survive the catastrophe

Answer 8

False

Question 9

What characterized Neo-Assyrian expansion?

Answer 9

Haphazard and based on opportunistic conquests of neighbours and protecting trade routes

Question 10

Who were the riders (chariots and cavalry) in the Assyrian military?

Answer 10

Elites

Question 11

True or false, the Assyrian army placed a greater emphasis on infantry with the infantry to horse ration being 8:1

Answer 11

True

Question 12

True or false: the Assyrian army led campaigns only in the summer due to state capacity and lack of professionalization

Answer 12

False, the campaigns were year round and state capacity was high, the army was proessionalized

Question 13

What were the factors of Assyrian success? (4)

Answer 13

1. a professional and balanced army
2. a reputation of brutality
3. competent imperial bureaucracy
4. astute leadership

Question 14

What is a Hoplite?

Answer 14

a Greek infantryman

Question 15

What did Hoplites wear?

Answer 15

heavy bronze armor, an aspis, a spear and a short sword

Question 16

What is an aspis?

Answer 16

a large round shield worn by hoplites

Question 17

Around what time did hoplites emerge?

Answer 17

800 BCE

Question 18

What is a phalanx?

Answer 18

a term for the tightly packed formation that hoplites fought in in classical Greece

Question 19

What is the shape of a phalanx and how many rows does it have?

Answer 19

Rectangle shape with around 8 rows of men

Question 20

When are we certain that the Phalanx is donabs in Greek warfare?

Answer 20

mid 400s BCE

Question 21

What were hoplite helmets like

Answer 21

corinthian style and made of heavy bronze

Question 22

What was hoplite armor made of and where did it cover?

Answer 22

made of bronze, included breastplate and greaves, did not cover arms or upper legs

Question 23

What were hoplite shields sizes, composition and appearance?

Answer 23

about 3ft tall, made of wood and bronze, was concave with two arms straps and could rest on the shoulder

Question 24

What were the two weapons used by hoplites and what did they look like?

Answer 24

1. Spear: around 8 ft with a an iron point and bronze butt
2. Short sword: usually bronze

Question 25

True or false: greek hoplites were usually professional soldiers

Answer 25

False

Question 26

What is a polis?

Answer 26

Greel city-state that emerged after the Mycenaean collapse, relatively egalitarian

Question 27

Who formed the main polis military force?

Answer 27

Farmers

Question 28

True or false: Polis battles needed to be resolved quickly and close to home which is what led to the development of the Phalanx and Hoplites

Answer 28

True

Question 29

True or false: Single hoplites were powerful while massed hoplites were vulnerable

Answer 29

False, it's the opposite

Question 30

True or false: the hoplites deliberately chose open and flat ground

Answer 30

True

Question 31

True or false: social solidarity of individuals is what made the phalanx work

Answer 31

True

Question 32

What pressure made the return of other types of soldiers necessary in Greece?

Answer 32

the pressure of constant war

Question 33

True or false: the Greek phalanx had shocking defeats against Persians

Answer 33

True

Question 34

What were the reasons for the success of the phalanx? (3)

Answer 34

- weight of the men and equipment - cohesion, less likely to break and run - difficulty of emulation

Question 35

What made the Greek phalanx so difficult to emulate?

Answer 35

The social factors (familiarity and social solidarity) were hard to copy

Question 36

Which Greek kingdom most successfully adapted the phalanx?

Answer 36

Macedonia

Question 37

Which Macedonian kind adapted the Greek phalanx?

Answer 37

Philip of Macedon

Question 38

What was the issue of adapting the Greek phalanx for Macedonia and what was the solution?

Answer 38

problem: how to imitate with a conscript army and different culture solution: deliberate professionalization and inspiring loyalty through status as foot companions (feels closer to elite that were referred to as "companions")

Question 39

What were Macedonian improvements and adaptations of the phalanx?

Answer 39

- equipment: longer spear, lighter armor, and smaller shield -larger and deeper phalanx to overcome cultural differences - deliberate increase of cavalry, anvil and hammer

Question 40

What does the Macedonian anvil and hammer mean?

Answer 40

anvil: sarissa phalanx hammer: mercenary skirmishers and cavalry

Question 41

What was the Macedonian phalanx named?

Answer 41

the Sarissa Phalanx

Question 42

True or False, the Sarissa phalanx saw success in Greece, Egypt, and India

Answer 42

True

Question 43

True or false: Macedonian adaptations of the phalanx were wildly successful

Answer 43

True

Question 44

True or false: the Persian adaptation of the phalanx was successful

Answer 44

false

Question 45

True or false: The Romans kept and used the phalanx exactly as it was created

Answer 45

False, they used discipline to replace social closeness within ranks