Ancient Greeces View on War For Teachers

Naval:
Naval warfare was quite new when it came to ancient Greek times. One of the
main places that had ships was Athens. The ships were made for trading with
their foreign neighbours, but they also were used for taking troops to different
places to create and protect colonies. Using the ships, they had created they
could block the enemys bases and harbours. Athens had the biggest fleet of ship
at the peak time there were 200, this was to ensure that the city could maintain
its empire
The type of ship they used was called a trireme which was basically a wood ship
which could move around objects and had a bronze battering ram at the end of
the ship which could break the enemys ships. The ship had 3 levels and was 35
meters long. The ship also had three levels. The ships would be stocked with
archers and healers to guard the ships but the main passenger were the troops.
The ships needed 170 rowers to move the ship. These ships also had things
against it such as there was no place for the troops to sleep, this meant that the
ships had to go back to a harbour and be docked every night. The ships also
were expensive not only to create but also to keep well working. This made the
cost huge for the country

Strategies:
The first strategy for the ancient Greek people was to honour their gods to get
them on their side of any upcoming war, therefore before the Greeks could leave
they had to ask their gods to win. The way they asked their gods to win was by
asking Apollos oracles, sacrificing animals or where a priest would read the
omens of the gods and give out reasoning from the omens. It was also a way of
honouring the gods if you didnt go to war during a religious festival as it would
dishonour the gods, this was especially prominent in civilizations like Sparta.
When all the religious rituals were finished, the next stage was to wait for the
enemy to arrive. To get into the fighting both sides would come towards each
other at the same time. It was a Gentlemanly approach however doing this is
gave a chance for there to be more strategy planning. Even when the two armies
were approaching each other they sang songs to the gods. The Greeks had many
different strategies and one of the better well known ones was called the
Phalanx. This was where multiple men would work together and partially cover
himself and the person next to him with the shield he carried. This would give
the opportunity for the men to advance while also covering and protecting
themselves.

Soldiers:
The main park of the Greek army was the soldiers called the hoplite. The soldiers
would wear bronze armour which would consist of the spear and shield. Further
armour would be paid for by the person if they could afford it, this would include
a bronze helmet, breastplate, and graces, they could also buy ankle guards.
Fighting was also at close contact. This gave the warriors the chance to show
how manly they were and show their excellence. The generals of war would fight
in the front lines as it would lead the other troops. When the troops would go into
big battels and wanted to be able to move faster they would where some leather
armour. Slowly the army started to get more structured which would lead them
to split into different units. This would lead to regiments which was led by a
general. Units would be divided by specialty, age, and a number of different
things.

Spoils:
War Prizes, werent the main motive for conflict, however it was a needed benefit
for the winner which allowed the winner the opportunity to pay his troops and
justify the amount of money that the fight cost for the military. War spoils would
come in many ways however mainly they were forms of territory, money,
precious materials, weapons, and armour. The losers of the war, if they were not
killed, were normally sold, and became slaves, this was what generally happened
to the women and children on the losing side of the wars. It was typical for 10%
of the winnings to be giving appreciatively to the gods and goddesses at one of
the main religious sites like Delphi or Olympia. These sites changed into
museums of weapons and armour as well as other types of treasures that lasted
from the wars.

Important and crucial rituals had to be done quickly straight after the winning
sides victory, this happened to include the recovering of the dead and the
creation of a victory trophy at the precise place on the battlefield where the
troops knew that their team would win. The trophy could have been a range of
different things however it was usually taken weapons and armour from the
opposing side or an image of Zeus. At the end of the war the winning side would
rejoice this would include speeches, festivals, sacrifices and games, this would all
happen before the troops would head home.