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Ancient Wars
The Ancient period is generally accepted as being 600 BCE to 500 CE, before which was the Archaic period, and after which began the Medieval period. However as there is not an Archaic Wars category, it is acceptable to post pre-500 BCE military questions in this area.
1,657 Questions
Which battle did Constantine the Great see the XP sign in the sky?
He was reported to have seen the vision before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.
At which battle did the Athenians defeat the Persians at sea?
At the battle of Salamis in 480 BCE a fleet of southern Greek city states severely defeated the Persian fleet causing it to retire back to Mycale, where it was eliminated the following year.
The Athenian navy formed a significant part of the Greek fleet led by Sparta.
When did the Persians destroy Athens?
Athens was evacuated without a fight in 480 BCE as the Persians advanced. A small foce of diehards on the Acropolis was captures, the remainder fought alongside the other southern Greek forces in the navy and army.
They reoccupied their city after the Persian defeat in 479 BCE and rebuilt the destroyed and looted parts. They also built better walls to defend the city and its port, which came in good stead not against Persians but rather the other Greek cities in the Peloponnesian War fifty years later.
How might the history of Greece have changed if the Persians had succeeded at the marthonon?
The Athenians would have had a Persian-appointed tyrant to govern them, they would in due course have expelled the tyrant as they had done before, and the Greek city-states would have continued fighting each other as was their custom.
Why did the Athenians beat the Persians?
In the early stages from 499 BCE when Persia dominated, they were able to use Greek inter-city rivalries and disunity, ease of bribing their leaders, and in the field, the superiority of their cavalry and the fleets, which latter they levied from Phoenecia, Egypt and the Ionian Greeks as well.
As the Greeks gained more cohesion and the will to combine for their common defence, they were able to consistently defeat the Persians on sea and land, until Persia agreed to peace in 449 BCE.
As a result of the Peloponnesian War?
The city-states involved in the Peloponnesian War were weakened and they lost alot of soildier, who were also the farmers on which the prosperity and even survivability of the city-states depended. Further inter-city wars followed, and Persia had to impose the'King's Peace to stop the strife spilling over to its empire. This weakening of the cities allowed the rise of Macedon which became dominant ad then turned its attento to Persia, taking over its empire. Th Greek city states provided ongoing manpower for this, and the carpetbaggers who profited. The cities sunk into insignificance and subjection by a rising Rome. The drain of men to wars and to the East led First-century CE historian Plutarch to say thet by then there were not 3,000 warriors in all of Greece.
How did the peloponnesian war begin?
Athens used the power of its empire to intervene in the affairs of the southern Greek cities in the Peloponnesian Peninsula and their colonies. These incursions were principally in Corcyra and Potidaea and finally its trade rival Megara which Athens set out to bankrupt. The Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta, of which Megara was a member, demanded that Athens cease this; Athens refused and war broke out.
Who was the Persian king that fought against the Greeks at the battles of salamis and Marathon?
The name of the King that was fighting in the battle of the Marathon was Leonidas. I am not sure which King you are talking about, but this is Athens King.
Reality:
Leonidas was not present at Marathon since he is the king of Sparta and they(the spartan army) arrived late for the battle due to a festival. Athens was a democracy so it had no king. The only king that might have been present was the king of Plataea(the only greek city who helped athens) but history seem to have forgotten his name.
Addendum:
True, there were no kings at Marathon. Perhaps the first answerer is confusing it with the fight at Thermopylae ten years later, when the Spartan king Leonidas led the defence of the pass, or the battle of Plataea eleven years later when there were two kings present - Pausanias king of Sparta and Xerxes king of Persia.
How did Alexander the Great defeat the Persian power?
He first won a battle in Asia Minor, and executed the Greek mercenaries in Persia's employ to warn others off this service. This deprived Persia of a source of armoured warriors to match the Macedonian/Greek ones.
He then captured the port cities in the eastern Mediterranean, depriving the Persians of a navy which could attack Greece in Alexander's rear.
He then defeated the Persians in a land battle at Issus which demoralised the Persians and facilitated his destruction of the Persian army at Gaugamela. Darius' demoralised generals assassinated him, hoping to cut a deal with Alexander.
Thereafter coordinated Persian resistance collapsed and he was able to pick off the remaining provinces one at a time.
We don't know. Alphabetic writing was not adopted until the first millennium BCE, so what went on in Greece before then we don't really know. However archaeology tells us that there was warfare in the Mycenaean era between city kingdoms in Crete, the Peloponnese, and the Aegean Islands.
From the poets, we have a story of a war against Troy in the 12th Century BCE, but this more likely to have been a coordinated series of pirate raids chasing loot.
Histories began to be written in the the 5th Century BCE, and from this we get the wars of subjection of the Greek cities of western Asia Minor by Cyrus, king of Persiain the second half of the 6th Century BCE.
Where did Hannibal Barca Conquer?
Hannibal, one of the greatest generals in history, was a Carthaginian. Carthage is in what is now Tunisia & Algeria. By a roundabout route he invades what is now Italy, from Spain, through southern France & then crosses the Alps, elephants and all ! Great battles ensue, Lake Trasieme most notably Cannae. In due course he is defeated in North Africa by the Roman general Scipio Africanus.
Is it true or false that the Minoans most famous victory was probably the Trojan War?
The Minoans were not involved in the Trojan War.
How was Philip II ableto defeat the Greeks?
Phillip II defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE.
How many Persians died in the battle of Thermopylae?
We don't know. The best estimate includes the Spartans lost about 2,300 and the Thespians 1,400 in their last ditch stand to let the other Greek contingents escape. There were other Greek losses.
The Persians lost about 20,000.
How long ago did the Romans exist?
753 BC http://www.exovedate.com/ancient_timeline_one.html ------------ Answer: Romans exist today. Roman history did not end with the fall of the Empire, Italy has gone through many things but it is still there.
The Persian king Darius decided to invade Greece because?
He didn't invade Greece - he sent a punitive expedition against Athens and Eretria, both of which had supported the uprising of Miletus in Asia Minor against Persian rule. In the process, the Athenian and Eretrian forces had burnt the provincial Persian capital of Sardis. After the partial failure of this punitive expedition of 490 BCE against Eretria (captured, inhabitants enslaved) and Athens (turned back at Marathon), Darius determined to bring mainland Greece within his empire. As the mainland cities had been supporting revolts by other Greek cities within his empire (not only Athens and Eretria), he thought that, by absorbing mainland Greece, he would establish an ethnic frontier in the west. He therefore determined to bring whatever cities he could under his rule peacefully (by bribes, and promise to make a faction in a city to be rulers under his rule, ie puppets). Those who resisted would be captured, and puppet rulers imposed on them. He was temporarily diverted by an uprising in Egypt, and then died without launching the expedition. His son Xerxes began to carry it out in 480 BCE.
What happened to Athenian power after the battle of the Marathon?
The main battle had been for the Greeks to fight a sea battle in the strait next to Thermopylai. Holding the pass forced the Persians to try to outflank the position by sea, and the Greek fleet was waiting for this.
The Greeks lost the sea battle and retired to the Strait at Salamis where they refought the sea battle and won, crippling the Persian war effort. The Athenians had meanwhile evacuated their people to other cities, and embarked for the sea battle.
After the Salamis battle, the Persians had to withdraw north for the winter, and the Athenians reoccupied their city.
What is the role of a Roman Republic?
Republic derives from the Latin words res publica= things held in common. Their Republic acknowledged that all citizens had an interest in the state, its property and its state religion, and that they could influence its governance.
This was achieved by three popular assemblies:
- the Tribal Assembly which was all male citizens assembled and voting by tribes.
- the Centuriate Assembly, which was all male citizens assembled under arms in centuries, voting on war, peace and foreign relations.
- the Plebeian Assembly which included all male citizens who were Plebs (that is not of the small minority Patrician families) which elected 10 Tribunes of the Plebs to sit in the Senate, and enacted laws of their own making.
The Senate was the governing body, with the executive being the magistrates, each of whom had functions (Consuls war leaders and religious custodians, Praetors law and governance etc). It debated and voted on issues, and could enact laws.
What was Hannibal the leader of?
Hannibal Barca (the city Barcelona is named for his family) was a general of the Carthaginian army. During the second war between Rome and Carthage (Second Punic War) he led an expedition from Spain into Italy and spent the next 14 years roving around, attacking Roman forces and trying to get Italian states to rebel against Rome. He could not take Rome as he did not have a siege train. And as Rome could not defeat him in Italy, they sent a force to North Africa to threaten Carthage city and Hannibal was recalled to defend it. He lost the ensuing battle and Rome imposed harsh terms on Carthage.
After the war he became politically engaged and oversaw a rapid economic recovery for Carthage, which alarmed the Romans, who set about using local proxy armies to harass Carthage. Hannibal fled to Asia Minor where he was used by local states to pursue ongoing local wars. Rome got rid of the threat it thought he presented by having him assassinated.
What wars did rome win to control the Mediterranean sea?
Rome did not fight wars in the Mediterranean Sea to win control over this sea. It fought different wars due to different circumstances and different reasons. The control of the Mediterranean Sea was the outcome of these wars, not their purpose. The wars were:
The First Punic War (264-241 BC). Rome and Carthage fought over the control over Sicily.
The First Illyrian War (229-228 BC). It was fought because a problem with piracy in the Adriatic Sea, on the eastern coast of Italy. Rome supported a powerful man to counterbalance Queen Tueta of Illyria who supported piracy. Illyria was on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, opposite Italy.
The Second Illyrian War (220-219 BC). The Illyrians attacked some of Rome's allies.
The Second Punic War (218-202 BC). Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, invaded Italy, but lost.
The Third Punic War (149-146 BC). Rome destroyed Carthage.
The Third Illyrian War (168 BC). The Illyrians allied with Macedon and attacked some of Rome's allies in Greece.
The Fourth Macedonian War (150-148 BC) against Macedon, the largest and the dominant state in Greece. Rome had fought the First Macedonian War (214-205 BC) and made allies in Greece. As a result of this, Rome was drawn into four more wars to support her Greek allies during conflicts between Greek states. After the Fourth Macedonian War, Rome turned Macedon into a puppet state.
The Achaean War (146 BC). The Achaean league, an alliance of Greek city-states in southern Greece, rose up against the Romans. Rome won and annexed mainland Greece to end the political instability of the area.
The Third Mithridatic War (75 to 63 BC). King Mithridates VI of Pontus (in northwestern Turkey) fought three wars against the Romans. At the end of the third war, Rome annexed eastern Turkey.
The Jugurthine War (111-104 BC). King Jugurtha of Numidia (in Algeria) rebelled against the Romans. The Romans won. This war brought the final pacification of northwester Algeria.
The Final Civil War of the Roman Republic (32-30 BC). Octavian (later he was called Augustus) and Mark Antony fought over who would have sole control over Rome. Octavian defeated Mark Antony and his ally, Cleopatra VII of Egypt. Following this Egypt was annexed. This war was a power struggle between the two rivals. Its aim was not the conquest of Egypt.
Wars which I have mentioned but listed were The First Macedonian War (214-205 BC), the Second Macedonian War (200-196 BC), the Third Macedonian War (142-188 BC), the First Mithridatic War (88-84 BC), and the Second Mithridatic War (83-81 BC). A war I have not mentioned is the Roman-Syrian War (192-188 BC) which was fought between Antiochos the Great (the Greek Seleucid king of Syria) and Greek states which were his allies against Greek states which were Rome's allies. Rome fought this war to support her allies.
Who was sent from Athenian commanders at the Battle of Marathon to seek help from the Spartans?
They sent Pheidippedes to run to Sparta to ask them to come (round trip 120 miles, he hallucinated on the way back and died). The Spartans were in the middle of a religious ceremony when he arrived, and said they would come as soon as it was over. When it was, they did the 60 miles to Athens in a day, but missed the battle, marched on to view the dead, came back and congratulated the Athenians and went home. The Athenians also asked the Plataians for help. A small city, it turned out 1,000 to add to the Athenian 9,000, and fought well. Athens always looked after little Plataia's welfare afterwards. Some stories say that Pheidippedes ran to Athens after the battle to let them know that the Athenians had won, so that they wouldn't surrender the city to the Persians. He is said to have gasped out his message to the cities leaders before collapsing and dying. As Pheidippides was dead by the time of the battle of Marathon, he would have had difficulty in running off to bring tidings of the battle. In fact, it was the whole Athenian army which ran the 26 miles over the hills to Athens. They had seen the Persian cavalry being embarked before the battle, and guessed that it was sailing around the peninsula to Athens to gallop up and occupy the city, whose gates would be opened for them by the Hippias faction. The Athenian infantry would then have been locked out, and harrassed from the rear by the Persian infantry. The Athenian infantry got there just in time, forming up in front of the city as the Persian cavalry was disembarking. The Persians, frustrated, and with their infantry force defeated earlier, went home.
Who won the Persian Spartan wars?
First of all there was never Spartan Persian war.Only Persian invasion of GREECE. The Spartans fought alongside other Greeks in second of those invasions which were in 490 and in 480 BC. The Persians were defeated by ALLIED army of GREEKS, with navy lead by Athens and ground forces by Sparta. In first invasion Persians were defeated by only Athens and her allies.
How were the Greeks able to defeat the Persians at Marathon?
The Athenian army waited for reinforcement from Sparta, but then they saw the Persian cavalry being embarked on ships they rushed down and defeated the inferior Persian infantry without their cavalry protection.
Then, realisng that the Persian cavalry was being rowed around to attack the city whose gates would be opened by traitors, they ran back 26 miles over the hills to form up in front of the city just as the persia cavalry was being disembarked. The persians went home.
Try doing a Marathon run carrying armour, shield, weapons and wearing sandals.
The Athenians and Plataeans were waiting in the hills around the plain, where the Persian cavalry couldn't get at them, for reinforcements from Sparta. The observed the Persian cavalry being loaded onto ships and rushed down and defeated the inferior unarmoured Persian infantry unprotected by their cavalry.
List of Caesar's assassins :
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Marcus Junius Brutus
Servius Sulpicius Galba
Quintus Ligarius
Lucius Minucius Basilus
Publius Servilius Casca Longus (brother of Gaius Servilius Casca)
Gaius Servilius Casca (brother of Publius Servilius Casca Longus and the one responsible for the first stab)
Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus
Lucius Tillius Cimber
Gaius Trebonius
Lucius Cassius Longinus (brother of Gaius Cassius Longinus)
Gaius Cassius Parmensis
Caecilius (brother of Bucolianus)
Bucolianus (brother of Caecilius)
Rubrius Ruga
Marcus Spurius
Publius Sextius Naso
Lucius Pontius Aquila
Petronius
Decimus Turullius
Pacuvius Antistius Labeo
What was the most famous ancient roman battle?
Just off the top of my head I want to say the most Roman troops ever present at a single battle was probably Philippi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Philippi) with around 200,000 Romans and the largest battle (in terms of total Romans and non-Romans) was likely Alesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia). Of course, I think the number of Gauls at that battle is still under debate, but we know about big Caesar's army was and we know the Gauls had many times more soldiers. Vercellae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vercellae) and Watling Street (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Watling_Street) were also exceptionally large battles.
