Download Iron: Assyria and Persia

Iron: Assyria and Persia
Iron
• Historians have argued that iron gave an
unstoppable edge to armies that used it
• Capable of stopping or cutting through bronze
weapons
• This is false for several reasons
– Iron at the time was crude and hard to make
– Against a better organized force, special weapons
weren’t enough
Assyrian Empire
• Based out of the city of Ashur
– Built on major trade routes
• Became a center of trade, and learning and
thus a center of military advancement
Assyrian Technology
• The Recurved Bow
– Added a re-curve to the bow in order to extend its
firing power without extending its length
Siege Equipment
• Assyrian army famous for taking cities
• Turtle Battering Ram
– Armored battering ram that protected forces as
they approached city gates
Assyrian Cavalry
• First use of effective horsemen in battle
• Rode in tandem, one man controlling reigns,
the second firing bow or using spears
• Iron: required high temperature smelters
– Extremely rare in Assyrian army
– Used as prestige weapons, only by generals and
Kings
Assyrian Power
• True strength of the Assyrians was their
psychological tactics
• Army moved in tight units
– Presented the image of an invincible force
– Enemy leaders, when captured would be flayed, their
skin displayed on the walls of their own city
– Terror tactics used against rebellions
– Those who cooperated got to stay on as vassal kings
– Gave impression of Assyrians being dangerous and
unstable foes
Assyrian power
• Assyrian palaces decorated with images of
conquering Assyrian army and fate of those
conquered
The myth of Assyrian warmongering
• Assyrians careful with their conquest
• Only attacked areas that were vital to their
trade interest or threatened wealth
Fall of Assyria
• Assyrian reliance on myth of invincibility
proved to be downfall
– Collapse of Assyrian army during siege of
Jerusalem
– Assyria loses major battle to Babylonian,
Chaldean, and Medes alliance. Leads to panic and
collapse
Persia
• Persian Empire rose in what is now Iran
• First great Persian ruler was Cyrus (560530BCE)
– Conquered nearby Medians and adopted much of
the trappings of their Empire
– Political vacuum created by fall of Assyria allowed
Persia to conquer vast stretches of land
Persian Army
• Persian army famous for its discipline
• Core of the army focused on The Immortals
– Elite group of 10,000 warriors
– Used coordinated archery and infantry charges
– Fired arrows in synchronized volleys to protect
infantry as they advanced
– Closed quickly to hide losses, giving impression of
immortality
Persian conquests
• Persians take all of Assyria and Babylon
• End the Babylonian exile in exchange for
promise of tribute from new Jewish Kingdom
• Conquer Egypt
Immortals
Persian Army
• Core of army supported by client armies
– Armies raised from vassal states
– Made up of large numbers of often poorly trained
men
– Created the image of a vast, powerful and
unstoppable force
– Each client army fought according to their own
customs and traditions
Arab Dromedary Corps
• Used camels instead of horses
• Capable of striking out of deserts or mountain
areas
• Trained as an anti-cavalry force, used lassos to
entangle feet of enemy cavalry
Psychological Effect
• Like the Assyrians, Persians relied on
psychological effects of war
• Massive armies meant enemies typically fled
or surrendered
• Iron Immortals became a terrifying legend
Feeding the Army
• Persians had to master logistics
– The work of organizing, feeding and coordinating
movement of an army
– Corps of highly trained engineers and supply
officers sent ahead of army to establish supply
dumps for approaching soldiers
– Extensive use of camp followers including women
to maintain army in the field
– Meant army could only advance slowly
Persian Soldier
• Typically outfitted with wooden or wicker
shield
• Widespread advancements in smelting led to
use of Iron “Fish Scale” armor
– Tiny iron plates riveted to a leather jacket
– Impressive looking but not very effective
• Heavy use of spears and bows
The Greek-Persian Wars
• First time the Persian Army faced an equally
organized force in the form of the Greeks
• Began when Persian colonies near Greece
began to rebel, urged on by Athens
• Persian King Darius I demanded tribute from
Greek city-states and an end to interference
• Greek refusal led to Persians sending a 1.7
million man army to make an example of
Greeks (492 BCE)
Persia and Greece
Battle of Marathon
• Background: Persians sought to land
overwhelming forces on Greek coast with goal
of marching on and destroying Athens
• Greek forces arrayed in order to stop landing
before it could take hold
Order of Battle
• Greeks used around 7,000 hoplites
– Heavy infantry arrayed in tight battle formation
called phalanxes
Order of Battle
• Persian fleet consisted of 600 triremes
– Standard naval ship of the time
– Literally means “Three oar”
– Three decks of rowers guide ship
• Ram on front to allow for attacking enemy vessels
• Carried a crew of 200
Battle
• Athenians initially told to wait for approaching
Spartans
• Entire Athenian army deployed
– All in battle, no reserves, no one defending Athens
• On seeing Persians landing cavalry, choose to
attack at once
Battle
• Greeks use feint to draw Persians up to the
center
• Hoplite forces then attack Persian flanks in a
double envelopment maneuver
– Simultaneous attacks on both flanks. If carried
out correctly, enemy surrounding and thrown into
disarray
Battle of Marathon
Outcome
• Despite being outnumbered 2-1, Persian
forces routed and flee back to ships.
• Hundreds slaughtered in the water
• 7 Persian triremes captured several more
burned
Outcome
• Greeks see battle as a major psychological
victory, proof that massive Persian force can
be defeated
• Minor annoyance to Persians, requires
redeployment of forces
The Battle of Thermopylae
• Darius I dies shortly after Battle of Marathon,
his successor Xerxes plans to utterly crush
Greek city-states
• Massive Persian army, including Xerxes, and
his train land in Southern Greece
• Spent several years preparing for expedition,
giving Greeks ample time to prepare
Battle of Thermopylae
• Size of Persian army hampers travel north
• Xerxes knows he can’t afford delays, would
allow city-states to further unite against him
• Reaches high mountain pass at Termopylae to
find it defended by a tiny, elite force of
Spartan warriors
– Believes this will be an easy victory
The 300
Background
• Sparta ruled by council and two kings
• Any major decision requires both kings and
council to act unanimously
• Disagreement between Kings means that full
Spartan army cannot be deployed
• King Leonides decides to “take a walk” with
300 companions (all armed to the teeth)
Spartan warriors
• Spartan citizens (vast minority of population)
required to undergo military training at age
20.
• Served in active military until 30.
• Bound by strict honor code in which worst
crime was cowardice in battle
Spartan Warriors
• Heavily armored in Bronze
• Trained to used spears at medium range then
switch to long sword
• Bronze shields
• Highly skilled in tight quarters
• Had little mobility
The Battle
• Spartans and allies arrange themselves to
block Pass (only 50 meters wide)
• Hold out against army for 3 days
– Often used false retreat to lure Spartan army in
and destroy them
– Defeated Immortals in battle thanks to shields
being able to withstand arrow volleys
The Battle
• On 4th Day, Xerxes learns of a second path
through mountains from Greek traitor
• Spartans send their allies back in order to
warn rest of army, hold pass alone
• Spartans fight to the last man
Outcome
• Greeks defeated, but Persian army takes
overwhelming losses
• Persians march to Athens, find it deserted and
burn it
• The Persians, having suffered heavy losses
attempt to reinforce by sea
• Athenian navy draws Persian fleet into a narrow
channel and destroys it
– Xerxes forced to retreat, despite victory, suffers heavy
losses due to starvation and disease
The Final Straw: Battle of Mycale
• Persians succeed in crushing Greek supported
rebellions in Ionia, leaves Greeks once again
vulnerable
• Allied city states prepare a fleet of triremes to
attack Persians and rally Ionian rebels
• Xerxes readies fleet in preparation for Greek
attack
Prelude
• Knowing Greek army is landing, Xerxes has
forces beach several ships and build a palisade
– A fort made of makeshift walls
– Gives away chance to attack Greek navy at sea
• Expects victory, watches battle from hilltop on
a golden throne
• Greeks land successfully and put out call to
Ionians to assemble behind them for one last
battle
Battle
• Persians unable to break heavy Greek lines
• Forced to fall back to palisades
• Greeks engage Persians, holding them long
enough for Ionian allies to circle around
behind and attack the camp
• Persian army slaughtered, Xerxes personally
watches his army crumble
Mycale
Decline of the Empire
• Loss of Persian army leads to successful
Egyptian revolution
• Greeks never again have to worry about
Persian invasion
• Persian army begins adopt Greek tactics and
weapons
– Adopts them just in time for a more
technologically advanced army led by Alexander
the Great to permanently end their Empire
Conclusion
• Persians and Assyrians demonstrate that
better technology and weapons are no match
for superior tactics
• Demonstrate both the success and limits of
psychological warfare