Warriors
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcallan soldiers Source: “Armies of the Sixteenth Century – The armies of the Aztec and Inca Empires, other native peoples of the Americas, and the Conquistadores 1450-1608” by Ian Heath. A powerful kingdom in Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest, Tlaxcala was a fierce rival of the Aztecs and gave crucial military and logistical support to the Spaniards…
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FIGHTING COMPLEMENT OF A GREEKÂ TRIREME
The epibates (left) is a citizen-hoplite in his early twenties. His panoply (panoplia), weighing anywhere from 22.7 to 31.7kg (50-70lb), consists of a shield (aspis) some 90cm (35 1/2in.) in diameter, a bronze helmet, a bronze or linen corselet and bronze greaves. Built on a wooden core, the shield is…
MONGOL HORSEMAN
Nomadic horsemen from the Asian steppe, the Mongols established one of the world’s largest ever land empires in the 13th century. After the traditionally warring steppe tribes united under the leadership of Genghis Khan, they launched campaigns of conquest westward into the Middle East and Europe, and eastward to China’s…
The Ottoman Army in the Classical Age
TimarlĂ˝ Sipahis By VEYSEL ŞİMĹžEK In the classical age, a medieval cavalry arm, the TimarlĂ˝ Sipahis (timariot cavalry) along with the permanent salaried troops, formed the backbone of the Ottoman field army. Various auxiliary detachments as well as the forces of vassal principalities could also be added to regular army.…
African Eighteenth Century Warfare I
Kpengla was the seventh King of Dahomey. He succeeded Tegbessou, and ruled from 1774 to 1789. Kpengla’s reign increased the size of the kingdom. He killed the chief of the Popo people, Agbamou, thus extending the empire into what is currently Togo. He destroyed the villages of Ekpe and Badagry…
African Eighteenth Century Warfare II
Symbol of Tegbessou was the sixth King of Dahomey. He succeeded Agadja, and ruled from 1740 to 1774. Tegbessou’s reign was characterized by internal intrigues and a failed foreign policy; he killed many coup-plotters and political enemies, refused to pay tribute to the Yorubas, and lost many battles in the…
Martial Art – archery (kyudo/kyujutsu)
Archery (kyudo; literally “the way of the bow”) was the weapon most closely associated with warriors and was in common use by the end of the prehistoric era, during the fourth or fifth centuries C.E. While the term kyudo is more common today, kyujutsu (“technique of the bow”) was used…