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Ancient Greek Military Theory and Practice. Aeneas Tacticus (I)
No full textAbstract
The intention of this article is to present the oldest surviving work of military art of the Greek antiquity written in the mid-fourth century B.C. by of the author known today as Aeneas Tacticus. In 1609 Isaac Casaubon, its first editor, gave it the Latin title Commentarius de toleranda obsidione, How to Survive under Siege. Aeneas Tacticus was an experienced general on the battlefield, and had an equally solid theoretical training based on treatises of warfare which undoubtedly existed before his own, but were less fortunate and have not reached us. The study of this manual reveals that Aeneas Tacticus wrote or designed to write at least five books on military themes and information exists from other sources that he might have written three more books on the subject. Thus, all these works could have formed a Corpus Aeneanum, comparable in value to Clausewitz’s famous work On War. Aeneas’s work was highly appreciated and extremely useful for commanders and strategists of the Antiquity and the Middle Ages and was used and cited by all the authors of treatises on siege until the era of pre-modern warfare.</jats:p
D. Barends, Lexicon Aeneium. A Lexicon and Index to Aeneas Tacticus' Military Manual « On the Defence of Fortified Positions »
No full textDeroy Louis. D. Barends, Lexicon Aeneium. A Lexicon and Index to Aeneas Tacticus' Military Manual « On the Defence of Fortified Positions ». In: L'antiquité classique, Tome 25, fasc. 1, 1956. pp. 178-179
D. Barends, Lexicon Aeneium, a lexicon and index to Aeneas Tacticus Military Manual « on the defence of fortified positions » (Bibliotheca Classica Vangorcumiana, VI), 1955
No full textBurguière Paul. D. Barends, Lexicon Aeneium, a lexicon and index to Aeneas Tacticus Military Manual « on the defence of fortified positions » (Bibliotheca Classica Vangorcumiana, VI), 1955. In: Revue des Études Anciennes. Tome 59, 1957, n°3-4. pp. 423-424
Ancient Greek Military Theory And Practice. Aeneas Tacticus (II)
No full textAbstract
The attention still enjoyed today by Aeneas’ treatise on how to withstand a siege is not merely due to its antiquity. Many of the military principles and practical instructions it conveys are still valid. In addition to these, a closer examination opens a broader insight into the Greek city of the fourth century BC than that for which the manual was originally designed, for scholars found many interesting historical, political, social, ethnographic, and linguistic aspects scattered throughout the text. The aim of this paper is firstly, to emphasize the way in which the ideas and instructions of Aeneas Tacticus are articulated in a rigorous and clear plan and, secondly, to draw attention to some of the issues which are not specific to the military, but began to be considered relevant to the overall picture of the treatise.</jats:p
The Importance of the Hoplite Army in Aeneas Tacticus’ Polis
Get PDFThe identification of Aeneas Tacticus has always been a matter of dispute. Most often he is supposed to have been a mercenary officer, probably from Stymphalus, to whom Xenophon makes reference in Hellenica, 7.3.1. Accordingly, one may find the views that in Aeneas’ treatise a mercenary perspective is adopted, a claim also supported by the observation that the author records the phenomenon of the ubiquitous popularity of paid soldiers in the Greek warfare system of the fourth century BC. In this paper it is argued that Aeneas’ outlook in fact had little in common with mercenary ethics; instead, it is the writer’s deep commitment to civic values (explicitly stated in the Preface) that is stressed. Especially worth pointing out remains Aeneas’ belief that during siege civic patriotism still matters. It is a value on which success in overwhelming the invaders depends: all the steps and preventive actions of the city’s dwellers leading to a successful defense of a native polis must be rooted – according to him – in the conviction that polis in its material (territory, estates, shrines, temples, walls) and spiritual dimension (religion, gods, respect for the parents) constitutes the best framework for life. By the same token, a relatively high importance is given by Aeneas to hoplite troops, usually consisting of yeomen and farmers who were the owners of land. In the author’s conviction they could provide the best possible protection to a polis. Looking from a purely military point of view, hoplite forces – together with auxiliary troops (the light-armed and cavalry, if possible) – were also useful at the time when the enemy entered the city’s territory and ravaged it before attempting a direct assault on the walls
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOPLITE ARMY IN AENEAS TACTICUS’ POLIS
Get PDFThe identifi cation of Aeneas Tacticus has always been a matter of dispute. Most oftenhe is supposed to have been a mercenary offi cer, probably from Stymphalus, to whom Xenophonmakes reference in Hellenica, 7.3.1. Accordingly, one may fi nd the views that in Aeneas’ treatisea mercenary perspective is adopted, a claim also supported by the observation that the author recordsthe phenomenon of the ubiquitous popularity of paid soldiers in the Greek warfare system ofthe fourth century BC. In this paper it is argued that Aeneas’ outlook in fact had little in commonwith mercenary ethics; instead, it is the writer’s deep commitment to civic values (explicitly statedin the Preface) that is stressed. Especially worth pointing out remains Aeneas’ belief that duringsiege civic patriotism still matters. It is a value on which success in overwhelming the invadersdepends: all the steps and preventive actions of the city’s dwellers leading to a successful defenseof a native polis must be rooted – according to him – in the conviction that polis in its material(territory, estates, shrines, temples, walls) and spiritual dimension (religion, gods, respect for theparents) constitutes the best framework for life. By the same token, a relatively high importance isgiven by Aeneas to hoplite troops, usually consisting of yeomen and farmers who were the ownersof land. In the author’s conviction they could provide the best possible protection to a polis.Looking from a purely military point of view, hoplite forces – together with auxiliary troops (thelight-armed and cavalry, if possible) – were also useful at the time when the enemy entered thecity’s territory and ravaged it before attempting a direct assault on the walls
DIE SICHERUNG EINES ANTIKEN STADTTORS BEI AENEAS TACTICUS. QUELLE UND MODELLE
Get PDFAineias (Aeneas Tacticus) legt in seinen Poliorketika dar, wie im Altertum eine kleine Stadt einer Belagerung standhalten kann. Die Schrift ist das älteste militärische Fachbuch, das uns aus der Antike erhalten ist, und bietet die ausführlichste Beschreibung darüber, wie ein Stadttor gesichert wird. Zur Deutung dieser historischen Quelle sind verschiedene, oft hochkomplizierte Modelle vorgeschlagen worden. Der Aufsatz entwickelt eine dem Text eher entsprechende einfache Deutung. Diese vermeidet es, aus anderen Zeugnissen übertragene oder aber nur mit argumenta e silentio begründete Deutungen zum Verständnis des Textes einzusetzen, und macht damit nachvollziehbar, weshalb Aineias weniger auf Technik als vielmehr auf das Vertrauen der Bewohnerschaft zueinander setzt, wenn es um die Sicherung einer von Feinden bedrohten Stadt geht, denn, wie Aineias betont, “zuerst muss man zusehen, ob die Bürger einträchtig sind, da dies bei einer Belagerung das höchste Gut ist.
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