Enjoy Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol. X.4 - Protecting the Borders

Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol.

Once people began living in settled villages, they began to identify themselves not only by their language and culture, but also by where they lived. Farmers became, to a greater or lesser extent, tied to the land. As villages grew into cities and towns became centers of larger city-states, kingdoms, and even empires, it became increasingly important to clearly define territories and defend them when necessary.

The Source: Sean Manning, The Achaemenid Storehouse at Arad - Reading the Sherds

The hills south of Jerusalem and west of the Dead Sea have generally been poor and remote. The area lacks treasures like cinnamon trees, sparkling rivers, or a convenient route from one rich area to another. But climatic and political accidents have preserved something more precious: a series of short Hebrew and Aramaic texts on potsherds.

Subject: Manousos and Kambouris, on the borders of the Hittite Empire - the Trojan War

While there are many questions about Homer and his works, the Iliad and the Odyssey, one thing seems more or less certain. If there was a historical Trojan War, it must have been a conflict on the edge of the Hittite Empire. Troy, as described by Homer, Thucydides, Pausanias, and other ancient sources, led a coalition or federation of states on the outskirts of the Hittite Empire, in a region called Assuwa. Assuwa had a friendly relationship with Hattusa but, at the time, was autonomous, despite heated previous conflicts against the Mycenaean Greeks and the Hittites alike.

Topic: Gareth Williams, Finding Weaknesses in the Assyrian Empire - Rebel Frontiers

By the time of Ashurbanipal, the Neo-Assyrian Empire had reached its zenith. However, this expansion placed increasing pressure on Assyrian military and administrative resources, resulting in an inability to effectively counter the inevitable incursions.
From its powerful neighboring nations and efficiently controlling any newly conquered lands, how did these shortcomings ultimately limit Assyria's fall?

Subject: Marc G. Desantis, Nero's Long War for Armenia - Corbulo, The Good Soldier

In the 1st century AD, Armenia became a battleground in the great power conflict between Rome and Parthia. The mountainous country was strategically located between each empire, bordering both Roman Asia Minor and the Parthian heartland on the Iranian plateau. Therefore, control of Armenia was of great interest to both states.

Subject: Sidney E. Dean, the Roman amphibious expedition of 12 BC to the shores of the German Sea

In 16 BC, a coalition of Germanic tribes led by the Sicambri crossed the Rhine into Gaul and defeated a detachment of the Roman Fifth Legion, capturing the legion's standard. This provided the emperor Augustus with the opportunity to pursue territorial expansion under the pretext of securing the imperial borders. As part of this expansion, Augustus's stepson, Drusus, launched campaigns against the Germanic tribes east of the Rhine. His first blow, launched in 12 BC, was a daring amphibious campaign that took the Rhine Fleet out to sea, leading his legions to fight further north than any Roman soldiers before them.

Subject: Andrei Pogacias, the Roman Limes North of the Danube - Defending Dacia

The last Roman province to be permanently added to the Roman Empire was Dacia. After two short but bloody campaigns in 101–102 and 105–106 AD, Emperor Trajan defeated the Dacian king Decebalus and transformed his (former) kingdom into a new province. It remained in the Empire until around 275, when Rome was forced to leave due to the incessant barbarian attacks in the area.

Topic: béla santa, the barbarian defensive line of the Romans - the csörsz or devil's dyke

The Csörsz-árok or Devil's Dike, also known as the Limes Sarmatiae, is one of the most elusive ancient defensive lines. Much research has been done on the dike, but most of the evidence is inconclusive. Contemporary sources are silent on its construction, but medieval Hungarian folk tales mention the mythical King Csörsz of the Avars and even the Devil himself as its builder. What seems certain is that it was built as part of an agreement between the Romans and the Sarmatians, and intended to serve as the first line of defense against barbarian raids in the Carpathian Basin.

Subject: Ian Ross, the last Roman campaigns in northern Britain - Picts defeated, Hostis Deleta

In the Roman imagination, northern Britain was a wild and dangerous land at the end of the earth, the place, as the historian Tacitus puts it, "where the world and nature end." Long after the construction of Hadrian's Wall (and later Antonine Wall) in the 2nd century AD, the British border remained a zone of conflict and confrontation.

Special: Justin Swanton, The Macedonian Cavalry Wedge - A Knife Through Butter

In late summer 338 BC, a Macedonian army estimated at about 30,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry faced an allied Greek army of about 35,000 men. The Greeks had chosen a good position. Their left flank lay along the foothills of Mount Turion, blocking the side road leading to Lebedeia, while on the right, the line rested against the Kephissus River, near a projecting spur of Mount Actium. Both flanks were therefore secure.

The Debate: Duncan B. Campbell, Elite Strike Force, or Honor Guard - Rome's Praetorian Guard

The Praetorians of the popular imagination were the brutal, self-serving "power behind the throne" in ancient Rome, ruthlessly efficient in supporting their emperor but quick to change their allegiance. Their status as a well-paid, elite corps is often linked to their prowess on the battlefield. But is there any evidence to support their reputation as an elite strike force?

Hollywood Novels: Graham Sumner, The Roman Army on Screen, Part 5 - Ben-Hur (1959)

By the late 1950s, all the major movie studios were still struggling to compete. With the advent of television, faced with a dwindling audience, MGM studios once again turned to a story from the ancient world to help save it from financial ruin. It was a huge gamble: Ben-Hur, based on a bestselling novel by General Lew Wallace from the late 19th century, was at the time the most expensive film ever produced. The studio had also made the film as a silent in 1925, which hadn't been an overwhelming financial success.
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