Fighting Techniques Of The Ancient World (3000 ...
Assyria began as a small trading community centered at the ancient city of Ashur and grew to become the greatest empire in the ancient world prior to the conquests of Alexander the Great and, after him, the Roman Empire. While the Assyrians' administrative skills were impressive, and they could be adept at diplomacy when necessary, these were not the means by which the empire grew to rule the ancient world from Egypt in the south, through the Levant and Mesopotamia, and over to Asia Minor; it was their skill in warfare.
Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World (3000 ...
The Assyrian war machine was the most efficient military force in the ancient world up until the fall of the empire in 612 BCE. The secret to its success was a professionally trained standing army, iron weapons, advanced engineering skills, effective tactics, and, most importantly, a complete ruthlessness which came to characterize the Assyrians to their neighbors and subjects and still attaches itself to the reputation of Assyria in the modern day. A phrase oft-repeated by Assyrian kings in their inscriptions regarding military conquests is "I destroyed, devastated, and burned with fire" those cities, towns, and regions which resisted Assyrian rule.
Tiglath Pileser I (1115-1076 BCE) revitalized the military and expanded the empire further. The military successes of these kings and those who followed them are all the more impressive when one recognizes that they had only a part-time army at their disposal. Armies in the ancient world were comprised of conscripts who were largely farmers. Therefore, military campaigns were conducted in the summer between the time of planting crops in the spring and their harvest in the fall. Wars were not fought in the winter months at all.
The army was an integrated fighting force of infantry, cavalry, and such special forces as slingers and archers. It was the first army to systematically combine engineering and fighting techniques. Its engineers developed siege engines, built bridges, dug tunnels, and perfected supply and communication systems. Its widespread use of iron weaponry enabled it to put large numbers of soldiers into the field. (49)
He also had at his disposal the largest, most well-trained, and best-equipped fighting force in the history of the world up to that time. The scholar Paul Kriwaczek describes how the army would have appeared to an opponent c. 740 BCE in the following passage:
Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. The formation of the English word "swordsman" is parallel to the Latin word gladiator,[1] a term for the professional fighters who fought against each other and a variety of other foes for the entertainment of spectators in the Roman Empire. The word gladiator itself comes from the Latin word gladius, which is a type of sword.[1]
The sword in ancient Egypt was known by several names, but most are variations of the words sfet, seft or nakhtui. The earliest bronze swords in the country date back 4000 years. Four types of sword are known to have been used: the ma or boomerang-sword based on the hunting stick, the kat or knife-sword, the khopesh or falchion based on the sickle, and a fourth form of straight longsword. The khopesh was used region-wide and is depicted as early as the Sixth Dynasty (3000 BC). It was thick-backed and weighted with bronze, sometimes even with gold hilts in the case of pharaohs. The blade may be edged on one or both sides, and was made from copper alloy, bronze, iron, or blue steel. The double-edge grip-tongue sword is believed to have been introduced by the Sherden and became widely dispersed throughout the Near East. These swords are of various lengths, and were paired with shields. They had a leaf-shaped blade, and a handle which hollows away at the centre and thickens at each end. Middle Eastern swords became dominant throughout North Africa after the introduction of Islam, after which point swordsmanship in the region becomes that of Arabian or Middle Eastern fencing.
The sword has long held a significance in Japanese culture from the reverence and care that the samurai placed in their weapons. The earliest swords in Japan were straight, based on early Chinese jian. Curved blades became more common at the end of the 8th century, with the importation of the curved forging techniques of that time. The shape was more efficient when fighting from horseback. Japanese swordsmanship is primarily two-handed wherein the front hand pushes down and the back hand pulls up while delivering a basic vertical cut. The samurai often carried two swords, the longer katana and the shorter wakizashi, and these were normally wielded individually, though use of both as a pair did occur.
Martial arts is an ancient form of combat consisting of a variety of methods and techniques for fighting, defending oneself, and attacking. It encompasses physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines that help practitioners develop strength and skill. Martial arts styles can vary greatly in terms of the weapons or tools used (including fists, feet, and swords), how much contact is involved in a given technique or practice session (contact-based vs non-contact training), the emphasis on forms or self defense scenarios. Generally speaking, all martial arts style share a common purpose: self-improvement through physical training while incorporating elements of personal discipline.
Over the years, martial arts have been shaped by a culmination of factors to include ancient myths and legends to historical revolutions. Since the beginning of time, different cultures have developed styles of fighting in order to survive, but it is Chinese martial arts that has endured and flourished more than in any other country.
Finally Muay Thai or Thai Boxing is another combat sport which originated from Thailand centuries ago and has grown immensely in popularity due to its applications within mixed martial arts competitions such as UFC where fighters must be proficient at striking while remaining off their back on the ground where they may be more vulnerable to submissions or strikes from their opponents. Muay Thai incorporates punches, kicks, elbows, knees, clinch work , sweeps , trips etc into a lethal combination that can quickly disable an opponent if utilised correctly . While there are hundreds of martial arts styles all over the world these are some of the most common ones practiced today each with their own unique origins , history , techniques , strategies , philosophy's etc which make them unique compared to one another.
The most influential form of martial art is probably karate, originating from Okinawa in the 17th century. Karate was developed by combining techniques from different traditional fighting styles such as Chinese kung fu and Okinawan weapon arts. It has become a popular form of self-defense, sport, and physical fitness worldwide.
Another important martial art is judo, which originated from Japan in the late 19th century. Judo was created by combining classical jujutsu techniques with modern sports principles such as competition and safety rules. Judo has grown to become an Olympic sport today, with many practitioners competing professionally all over the world.
During World War II, William E. Fairbairn, a Shanghai policeman and a leading Western expert on Asian fighting techniques, was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to teach the UK, U.S and Canadian Commando and Ranger forces Jujitsu. After the War, a large number of American servicemen remained in Japan and the adoption of martial arts within Western culture continued.
In the coming years, technology will continue to play a role in making martial arts more accessible than ever before. Digital platforms are offering virtual classes, workshops, or video tutorials on martial arts skills worldwide. This allows enthusiasts to practice wherever they may be without having to search for an instructor. Additionally, gamers can participate in virtual tournaments in games like Tekken or Street Fighter as well as learn techniques from professional fighters who are now featured in different gaming titles.
The earliest formation was the phalanx which was first employed in Sumer c. 3000 BCE and would become the standard for infantry formations for thousands of years. It was made famous at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE when the Greeks employed it effectively to rout the Persians, was perfected by Alexander the Great c. 332 BCE on his campaigns, and was made more formidable by the armies of Rome. The phalanx was employed, in one form or another, by most of the fighting forces in the ancient world. The Greeks employed cavalry to protect the flanks and the Thebans used a combination of cavalry, infantry, and peltasts. The introduction of the war chariot and, later, the use of elephants in battle, supplemented the role of the infantry but never diminished their importance.
Wood begins his review of ancient warships in Egypt, exploring the types of ships they used based on illustrations and other documentary evidence, probable construction techniques and maritime tactics. He follows this approach with other civilizations, arranged in loosely chronological order, covering on the societies that relied on the sea for their perpetuation. After touching on the Sea Peoples, a nomadic group of indefinite origin who are known almost entirely from the derivative descriptions by the kingdoms they attacked, the author turns to the Minoan Crete, Bronze Age Syria, Phoenicia and the city states in the Levant, and finally pre-classical Greece.
Many readers with interest in ancient warships are familiar with the trireme and its extensive role in Greek maritime war-fighting during the classical period, but this book is useful because it clearly describes the developmental thread from much earlier designs that originated millennia before the trireme appeared. Design elements in early vessels cross cultural lines and provide a consistent foundation for subsequent improvements. Ancient galleys, used for war and commerce, contained a single row of as many as 25 oars port and starboard, a single mast with a simply rigged square sail, usually furled during combat, large steering oars for directional control and often a ram on the prow. Dedicated warships utilized a narrow deck between the oarsmen for archers or other troops and platforms or castles at bow and stern for boarders. Greek pentekonters , narrow-beamed vessels with single rows of 25 oars, and later hekatonters with double rows of up to 120 oars in similar-sized hulls, were streamlined versions of earlier multi-role ships and used almost always for warfare, leading directly to the trireme. 041b061a72