Ancient Wars

The basic infantry weapons were first the spear and the sword. They used several ranks - light infantry with javelins, swordsmen with shields forming a shield wall, and a rear line of veteran spearmen.

The spear became a javelin (pilum) with an iron spike and a thicker wooden body of a suitable size to be gripped when throwing. The iron spike was attached to a wooden shaft by two wooden pins, one weaker than the other. On impact the weaker pin broke, so the enemy could not throw it back. If it lodged in a shield, the shaft flopped down, impeding the user's mobility and ability to protect himself.

The sword was the Spanish sword - a short two sided blade adapted from Spain, and used mainly for stabbing.

The shield was curved rectangular. The Romans gave up the shield wall, spacing men a bit apart to give them fighting room to manoeuvre against opponents. Enemy who broke through the gaps were dealt with by waiting succeeding ranks.

In support were auxiliary light infantry armed with bows, javelins and slings. Also cavalry with javelins, bows, swords, at first comprising the few Romans wealthy enough to be able to support a horse (then the state provided them, plus wealthy widows also had to contribute and maintain horses), but as cavalry became more pervasive against horsed invaders, auxiliary cavalry were hired (Germans, Numidians).

Also, missile projectors of various types were provided to harrass enemy formations as a softening up for an attack. As well there was a seige train, which provided the engines necessary to attack fortifications.

There were no specific limits. You had to be fit enough and a Roman Citizen.

This isn't strictly true. In 367 a height requirement of 5' 7" was recorded however it was then abandonded as strictly necessary for ALL the Roman soldiers during the mid to latter 5th century. After that there were many elite formations that you had to be above a specific height for. However on the odd occassion if you possessed extremely developed body mass and excellent skill with arms you could circumvent this.

They left a cultural legacy of architecture, theatre, and language used today. New modern words are often made up from Greek ones - eg their letter psi plus word logos (a discourse) gives rise to psycology; alphabet comes from the Greek letters a and b = alpha and beta; etc.

Boston Massacre.

There were multi advantages for someone who commanded a Roman army, that is, if it were a victorious Roman army. As Rome was a militaristic society, there was great honor associated with commanding an army. A victorious general was a hero, big time. He raised his own prestige and that of his family. There was also the loot involved. The commander got the "lion's share" of it. Most commanders went on to some type of political career after the army and having commanded men, was a big plus in politics. Coins were many times issued after a victory and the general and his victory would be transported all over the empire. So, honor, prestige, loot, politics, and fame could be five advantages.

They had turned their geographical disadvantages to their own favour by building the long walls from the city to their port. They could then defend themselves, supply themselves by sea and launch sea invasions against their enemies - all in their favour.

This allowed them to keep going for 27 years until the Persians gave the Peloponnesian League the money to field a fleet which destroyed the hitherto dominant Athenian one. Athens, then beseiged without supply or allied support, had to surrender.

Because we were all forced down here to live where no one else wanted to be so the white man could take our natural resorces for his own.

According to the founding myth of Rome, the city was founded on April 21, 753 B.C.

There were several flashpoints - the disputes over Kerkyra (corfu), Potidaia and finally Athens' ruinous banning of Megara from trading within the Athenian empire. Sparta, at the behest of its allies, demanded lifting of this ban and Athens refused.

Hannibal had two younger brothers. the youngest was called Mago Barca and Hannibal's other brother was called Hasdrubal

Athens and Eretria on the Greek mainland gave support to the Greek cities in Asia Minor in their rebellion against Persian rule.

In the process, they overdid it by burning down the Persian provincial capital of Sardis.

When the rebellion in Asia Minor is put down, Persia decided to hand out a lesson to the two interlopers and mounts a punitive amphibious force to capture the cities and instal a local tyrant to keep them quiet in future.

The expedition captured Eretria. It then moved on over the strait to Athens, landing on the plain of Marathon.

The Athenian army with the suport of the allied Plataia, confronted the Persian force at Marathon, but stayed in the hills to avoid the superior Persian cavalry. Athens sent to Sparta asking for help, and the Spartans agree to come as soon as an important religious festival is over.

After ten days of standoff, the Athenians noticed the Persian cavalry being loaded on their ships. They took advantage of this, running down and defeating the inferior Persian infantry which was without its cavalry support.

When the fight was over and the Persian ships and cavalry had pushed off, the Athenians saw signls flashing from the hills and noted that the ships had turned south, and realised that they were being rowed around the cape to make a landing near Athens, to dash up to the city and take it through gates opened by traitors, as had happened to Eretria.

The Athenian army ran back the 26 miles to Athens and formed up in front of the city as the Persian cavalry was being unloaded.

The Persians gave up and went home, with only the Eritrian prisoner to show for it. The Spartans were disappointed to arrive too late for the battle, but marched out to view the site, congratulating the Athenians.

This was the first marathon run which is commemorated today. Today's athletes get it easy, not having to wear sandals and carry armour, shields and weapons as did the Athenians.

With no formidable external threat, Greece returned to its normal instability and disputes between city-states on matters of self-interest. Temporary alliances changed until 30 years later Thebes defeated Sparta. It took Persian intervention to restrain the internecine wars, imposing the King's Peace.

Meanwhile Macedonia was growing in power.

The principal contemporary historian was Thucydides, who wrote a very reliable account. His work ended in 411 BCE, and the remainder of the war was taken up, apparently seamlessly, by Xenophon. However comparison of this account with other sources shows that it is flawed and often unreliable. Later secondary historians include Diodorus Siculus, whose accounts are generally extremely unreliable.

Thucydides covered the period 431-411 BCE; Xenophon covered 411-404 BCE.

The Romans conquered where they did initially to protect themselves from neighbors. Later they also conquered economic and trading rivals. Still later, as a great power, they conquered to preserve and extend the power of their Empire.

Greece was not a country. The independent Greek city-states stretched all around the Mediterranean. There were dozens of conflicts between Greek cities and alliances of cities and Persia over several hundreds of years from the 6th Century BCE onwards.

The Second Punic War in which Hannibal was a leading Carthaginian general was won by Rome. During his 15 year invasion of Italy, Hannibal won several battles against Rome, but lost the war when Rome invaded North Africa and defeated him to end the war.

There was no 'Thrmopylai War'. there was a short engageent at Thermopylai as part of the Persian pust into southern Greece.

Mulan is from China, probably Beijing since that's where the emperor lives, and they go there in the movie.

Yes. In 332 BC, Egpyt was under the control of Alexander the Great from Greece. He was a large influence there, and founded one of Egypts greatest cities, Alexandria. Greek rule lasted until 30 BC, long after the death of the great conqueror, Alexander.

The Spartan alliance. In the words of the contemporary historian Thucydides: 'Perdiccas, son of Alexander, king of the Macedonians, had from an old friend and ally (of Athens) been made an enemy. He had been made an enemy by the Athenians entering into alliance with his brother Philip and Derdas, who were in league against him.'

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

The ancient Roman looked like the modern Roman except he would be wearing a toga and tunic, whereas the modern Roman would be wearing a suit and tie or jeans and tee shirt.

Initially a ruling group of thirty of its citizens with Spartan support. These were removed and democratic self-government re-established.

After three wars spanning 120 years, Rome adopted a 'final solution' of selling the Carthaginians into slavery, and turning the city and its land into a resettlement colony for its retired veterans.

He was trying to unify the peoples of the ex-Persian empire with merging his Macedonianand Greek army with the upper-classes of Persian society. This was however largely symbolic, as he also brought in Greek culture and established many cities after the Greek model to 'civilise' the Persians and other peoples within the empire.

This was fairly successful for a time until the empire began to fall apart after his death. The Hellenisation of the succeeding kingdoms his successors set up was largely confined to a veneer of the urban upper classes.