Author Archives: rosina1313

The Mykonos Vase is one of the earliest depictions of the Trojan horse (Mykonos vase). Wheels on the legs are visible, as well has holes showing men’s heads to indicate the soldiers hiding inside.

The Trojan horse was used strategically in the Trojan War, which was waged between 1260 and 1240 B.C. between Troy and Greece. Our model of the Trojan horse, a large, hollow, wooden horse, provides room for about 30-40 men, has wheels, and has a door to allow soldiers to climb out of to attack.

The Trojan horse comes up in many sources, in pictures, and in text. One source describes the Trojan horse as “a horse-shaped contraption of lumber” in summarizing from Homer’s words in the Illiad (Franko 122). This points out the rough design and construct of the horse, merely giving it a general shape of a horse. Our model follows this with a basic horse structure.

In answer to the question of why the Trojan horse was chosen to be a horse, it made sense because “horses were of great value to Homer’s Greeks” (Held 330). It was an animal that was valuable and such a valuable offering would be graciously accepted into their enemy’s territory. This made entrance much easier.

The precise number of men inside the horse is not known. “Quintus Smyrnaeus gives the names of thirty [men], but says there were more” (Wikipedia contributors). However, it is generally agreed that there were around 30-40 men inside the horse.

To carry 30-40 men, it would have been large and heavy. Wheels made transportation easier. The “earliest representation is poorly preserved,” (Sparkes 55) which is the Boeotian fibula, dating back around 700 B.C. However, this creation and the Mykonos vase (another early artwork of the Trojan horse) both indicate that there were wheels attached to the feet of the horse. Our model also has a space for wheels. We included a cart for stability and made space for wheels on the cart.

The legs of the horse in these two representations are relatively skinny. Our model also has thinner legs in comparison with the body. Dimensions were determined by how much room would be needed to carry 30-40 men. The Mykonos vase showed how the horse’s legs were the same height as a man, but this was not plausible for holding so many people.

The Trojan horse was real and included the basic characteristics of a general horse shape on wheels with room enough for about 30-40 soldiers.

The Greek cavalry, or hippeis, played a major role in the battlefields of the Peloponnesian War. It was an important characteristic that brought Sparta success. The war lasted from 431 to 404 BC. It took place in mainland Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily.

Athens and Sparta both used cavalry.

Thucydides gave an explanation for the cause of the war. He believed “the growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable” (Strassler 16).

The horses were very useful in combat. They made traveling easier, and soldiers became comfortably accustomed to riding them. During periods of resting time, they dismounted, and as soon as attacks rose up again, they would “leap easily upon their horses” (Worley 84).

One tactic the Athenian cavalry employed was the use of javelins. They threw javelins at the enemy, and controlled the movement of the whole army. They could throw the javelins while going forward or retreating.

Cavalry also fought in “close quarters” (Gaebel 96) to the enemy with lances and swords in addition to javelins for farther distances.

Some disadvantages came with the cavalry. Hands are occupied while riding a horse, so the rider is not able to carry as many weapons. They ran out of ammunition quickly. Also, throwing javelins from horseback decreases the efficacy of the shot. Accuracy and distance decline (Sidnell 58). The picture below shows the extensive length of the spear and how it cumbered the rider.

Their cavalry was well-used in observing and attacking when raids occurred. Unfortunately, they soon became overworked. Horses became lame and wounded, and had no time to rest in between battles (Worley 119).

The cavalry was powerful and made up for the times when others’ attempts failed. They stepped in and dominated. For example, the Chalcidians utilized their hoplites, light troops, and peltasts, and then the cavalry. They “at last caused a panic amongst them” (Strassler 137). Their strength in “riding up and charging them just as they pleased” provided victory against Athens.

Greek Cavalry—This picture shows a soldier using javelins, their common weapon (Shumate). The spears limited their ability to ride because one hand was too occupied. It also limited their ability to fight because they are such long, cumbersome weapons.

Bibliography

Gaebel, Robert E. Cavalry Operations in the Ancient Greek World. University of Oklahoma Press, 2002.

Shumate, Johnny. Greek Cavalry. The Lost Treasure Chest.

Sidnell, Philip. Warhorse. New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2006. Print.

Strassler, Robert B., ed. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. By Thucydides. 1996. New York: Free Press. Print.

Worley, Leslie J. Hippeis. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994. Print.

It is very likely for the castles to have moats around the outside. Trebuchets would be valuable to shoot hazardous materials such as fragile containers with boiling oil or water, flaming arrows, human waste, and bodies. Ballistas, siege towers, and ladders would help to breach the tall walls. Battering rams, Archimedes screws, chisels, and wedges would be important tools to drill through the walls. Pontoons or boats would allow crossing the moats. The boats would also be used as a blockade to cutoff incoming supplies and ways for the insiders to escape.

Underground infiltration would be the best to overcome the moat. Going through the plumbing would be way to get inside. People could go through or they could send plague-infected rats through to spread disease. Poisoning the water supply would also prove hazardous to the insiders. Just as the Trojan Horse, we could send in a fake supply caravan, filled with armed soldiers. Mining is also an underground option to get inside the castle. Gundpowder is a handy tool to send through the mines.

My piece of the Bayeux Tapestry shows an encounter between two separate groups. With all the weapons, commotion, two distinct sides, and confrontation, it is clearly a battle scene. There are horses falling over, and some are even toppling head over heels with their hind hoofs in the air. Their riders are also falling off. Men and horses lay dead and dying on the bottom of the tapestry with weapons strewn about (Wilson, pl. 66).

The two sides are distinctly different; their clothing sets them apart. One side has saddled horses, armor, boots, and helmets while the other side, the enemy, is simply wearing normal clothes, with “kite-shaped shields” as their only piece of armor (Wilson 192). The unarmored group is distinguishable by their facial hair. “Many of them have prominent moustaches and one (pl. 67) has a beard” (Wilson 193).

The complete Latin phrase that comes from my plate and a couple previous sections reads: “Hic ceciderunt simul Angli et Franci in prelio” (Wilson 173). This is translated as meaning “Here at the same time English and French fell in battle” (Wilson 173). The text on the tapestry helps us understand who is fighting with each other. The armored men on horseback are the French and the mustached men are the Englishh.

Weapons include long spears on both sides, swords for the French, and an axe is seen on the English side.

“The tumbling horses represents the so-called Malfosse episode, following William of Malemesbury who may well have been basing his narrative on the Tapestry” (Wilson 192). This seems as though the story is just a story. However, Rud informs us that it was real and that the English wanted to pursue their enemy, disobeying the order of the King. “They were driven up on to a hillock where they were soon overpowered” (Rud 84). Being at the bottom of the hill, not having a real plan, and going against their leader all contributed to the failure of the French army’s attack.

Works Cited

Rud, Mogens. The Bayeux Tapestry and the Battle of Hastings 1066. Copenhagen: Christin Ejlers Publishers, 2002. Print.

Wilson, David M. The Bayeux Tapestry. New York: Thames & Hudson Inc., 1985.

Horses tumble in a battle between the English and the French (Wilson, pl. 66).

The Battle of Gaugamela was a prime example of how the terrain was important in battle. This battle took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great, from Macedon, and Darius III, leader of the Persians. Alexander led his army to victory. The battle was fought in the plains of Macedonia in Gaugamela, which is a small village near modern-day Iraq because Darius wanted to stop Alexander from encroaching even more on the Persian empire  (Britannica).

Darius specifically picked out this place to have the battle. It was an “empty plain suitable for cavalry; not even shrubs and short bushes hide the ground, and an unobstructed view is allowed even to objects which are far away” (Curtius 247). Also, “if there was any eminence in the plains, [Darius] gave orders that it should be levelled and the whole rising made flat” (Curtius 247). Darius wanted to ensure a level playing field for the battle (no pun intended).

Alexander had a strong cavalry called the Campanian, or Companion, Cavalry. Since they were heavy cavalry, they wore armor, usually consisting of a metal helmet and breastplate (Worley 156). Their weapon was called a sarissa, “a light, cornel-wood spear” which was about nine feet long. The length, weight, and shape provided easy throwing, smooth riding, and multiple attacking maneuvers (Worley 156).

Darius decided to make his cavalry his strong point, especially since Alexander led such a fine cavalry. It was also advantageous that the land was flat and convenient for cavalry. Darius’ formation included a very strong left wing, with approximately twenty thousand cavalry, which would compete with Alexander’s seven thousand (Sidnell 108-109). Alexander was able to view Darius’ formation from some hills. He noted that “even if he massed all his cavalry on that wing they would be outnumbered three to one, and of course his other flank would be left unprotected” (Sidnell 109).

Darius flees during the Battle of Gaugamela (Anonymous).

Works Cited

Anonymous. The Battle of Gaugamela. National Archeological Museum of Spain.

“Battle of Gaugamela.” Britannica, Encyclopaedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. n.d. 28 February 2014.

Curtius, Quintus. History of Alexander: Books I-V. Trans. John C. Rolfe. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1946.

Sidnell, Philip. Warhorse. New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2006.

Worley, Leslie J. Hippeis: The Cavalry of Ancient Greece. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994.

Greek Cavalry–This picture shows how holding weapons while riding limited the soldiers’ abilities.

The Greek cavalry, or hippeis, played a major role in the battlefields of the Peloponnesian War. It was an important characteristic that brought Sparta success. The war lasted from 431 to 404 BC. It took place in mainland Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily.

Athens and Sparta both used cavalry.

Thucydides believed “the growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Sparta, made war inevitable” (Strassler 16). The war started all because of a desire for power.

The horses were very useful in combat. They made traveling easier, and soldiers became comfortably accustomed to riding them. During periods of resting time, they dismounted, and as soon as attacks rose up again, they would “leap easily upon their horses” (Worley 84).

One tactic the Athenian cavalry employed was the use of javelins. They threw javelins at the enemy, and controlled the movement of the whole army. They could throw the javelins while going forward or retreating.

Cavalry also fought in “close quarters” (Gaebel 96) to the enemy with lances and swords in addition to javelins for farther distances.

Some disadvantages came with the cavalry. Hands are occupied while riding a horse, so the rider is not able to carry as many weapons. They ran out of ammunition quickly. Also, throwing javelins from horseback decreases the efficacy of the shot. Accuracy and distance decline (Sidnell 58).

Their cavalry was well-used in observing and attacking when raids occurred. Unfortunately, they soon became overworked. Horses became lame and wounded, and had no time to rest in between battles (Worley 119).

The cavalry was powerful and made up for the times when others’ attempts failed. They stepped in and dominated. For example, the Chalcidians utilized their hoplites, light troops, and peltasts, and then the cavalry. They “at last caused a panic amongst them” (Strassler 137). Their strength in “riding up and charging them just as they pleased” provided victory against Athens.

Bibliography

Gaebel, Robert E. Cavalry Operations in the Ancient Greek World. University of Oklahoma Press, 2002.

Shumate, Johnny. Greek Cavalry. The Lost Treasure Chest.

Sidnell, Philip. Warhorse. New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2006. Print.

Strassler, Robert B., ed. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War. By Thucydides. 1996. New York: Free Press. Print.

Worley, Leslie J. Hippeis. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994. Print.

Hello world! My name is rosina1313. Wishing you all a wonderful day!