The Mycenaean warfare Essay Example for Free

The Mycenaean warfare Essay The Mycenaeans were a people preoccupied with war How conclusively do the various types of archaeological evidence we have for the Mycenaean warfare and defence support this statement? The Mycenaean age began around 1600 BC and came to end around 1100 BC. Although this period was distinguished by its warlike aspects, I would take issue with the statement that the Mycenaeans were preoccupied by war. The first manifestations of the Mycenaean civilisation were found in the Peleponnese, especially in the north-east and the south-west. By around 1400BC the Mycenaean civilisation had penetrated the greater part of mainland Greece and later still the civilisation seems to have expanded far beyond the main body of Greece. Excavations have revealed Mycenaean remains in southern Italy, Egypt, Sicily, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, Cyprus, and sites in Asia Minor. Evidence of Mycenaean settlements has been beyond a doubt found in Rhodes and in Melos. These settlements may have been a general expansion of the Mycenaean civilisation yet large amounts of Mycenaean imports as found at Cyprus indicate to many archaeologists that these may be trade outposts. General expansion would make war necessary rather than a chosen pursuit as the civilisation would have to take new land whilst defending what they already had. Like all of the civilisations of the time the Mycenaean civilisation was agriculturally based, the Linear B tablets list many farmers crops and also the percentage to be given in tax to the king and the percentage to be given to the shrines of the area. The fact that both the palaces and the shrines received a percentage suggests to me that the civilisation was equally concerned with public life as well as war, which the palaces controlled. Much of the crop would be used in the local area; however, the surplus would be exported through the trading points, where a complicated form of bartering was used as payment. It is hard to understand why in a society that had such an organisational system for the listing and trading of goods, particularly agricultural goods, has no record of an organised army if they were preoccupied with war. Although Linear B tablets record lists of men assigned to military and naval duty it seems there was no permanent specially trained force; it is more likely that every man was expected to carry a weapon and use it when called up for military duty. One theory may be that the Mycenaean civilisation might have had a lack of human resources: since the original inhabitants who it has been argued could have been tribes of people who lived in Greece but were not citizens and were never trusted with military service. There are indeed records of many occupations including cabinet makers, perfume makers and even a physician is mentioned in the tablets suggesting wider career options than simply the military. Infrequently and in small numbers Followers are mentioned on the Knossos tablets who could have been the occupants of the warrior tombs found in the vicinity. They probably were specially trained leaders who would organise the recruited armies in times of war rather than the liaison officers they were first thought to be. One tablet has revealed the sectors delegated to each Follower with the concentration of the Followers being in problem areas such as the Bay of Navarino in the southern area of the west coast and the coastal end of the Kiparissia river valley in the north. This indicates small battalions of recruited soldiers led by an experienced officer in areas most likely to be attacked. Due to the general expansion of Mycenaean civilisation and the volatile times in which there were many small kingdoms around the Mycenaean borders, defence was essential in the civilisations survival. Evidence too, can be found in the defensive capabilities of the Mycenaean citadels, which on the whole were built for the possibility of attack and of sieges. All of the citadels commanded wide views: Mycenae having a view across the Plain of Argos to the sea and even Pylos has an extensive view of the coast. These views gave the citadels early warnings of approaching forces and probably the time in which to move the people who lived around the citadel into safety behind the walls, a similar tactic to the shanty towns in Troy. This cannot be proved, however, as the buildings suggest that the usual occupants of the citadels would be the royal family, priests, craftsmen and occasionally guests. Most of the citadels, excluding Pylos, were heavily fortified and built on acropoleis. The walls at Mycenae are between 5. 5m and 7.5 thick using such huge stones that the walls became known as the Cyclopean walls as peasants marvelled that they must have been built by giants. The walls of Tiryns are even more massive than Mycenae but quite different in style: all the outer walls being immensely thick and with chambers built into the south side. There are few entrances for most sites and the entrances that the sites do have are very well protected. At Mycenae both the Lion gate and the Postern gate have defences on three sides (see figure 1, page four) and in particular on the shield-less side of an approaching soldier making attacking the entrances very difficult. The main entrance to Tiryns was up a long ramp under the eastern wall which exposed the attackers all the way on their unshielded sides, this main entrance led to an opening 4. 5m wide with walls 8m thick, there were two gates beyond the first making the entrance almost impenetrable. In the case of a siege fresh water was available in both Mycenae and Tiryns through underground cisterns suggesting that sieges took place quite often at this time and the Mycenaeans wished to prepare themselves for them. Attacks could be launched from a citadel under siege implied by the sally port in Mycenae from which it would be relatively easy for small bands of men to slip in and out without being noticed. All in all the highly defended citadels suggest the Mycenaeans feared being attacked, making the overall culture at the time seem quite warlike and volatile; the Mycenaeans could simply have been fitting into the trend of the area rather than beginning one. Despite this there can be no doubt that the Mycenaeans were warlike in many respects, they are renowned for their fighting ability many scholars believe that they probably conquered Knossos in Crete and ruled there for sometime. The coming of the Mycenaeans certainly brought a dramatic change to the Cretan society, the warrior tombs around Knossos yielded large amounts of weapons and armour. Documents at Knossos also recorded lists of armour and weapons, one document listed fine linen for a tunic and on the second line mentions tunic fittings (epikhitonia) and 1kg of bronze. It has been argued that the bronze could have been a unit of exchange but it is more likely that the document is refering to a reinforced tunic. The same amount of bronze is used, as tunic fittings could have been a cape or overcoat to protect the soldiers upper arms and the shoulders. An even more detailed, incomplete series of documents describes armour in more detail: body armour, a helmet (korus) with four helmet accessories, two cheek pieces, two shoulder pieces, and an unknown number of further accessories. The helmet accessories could have been metal reinforcing plates over a leather or felt base. The accessories (o-pa-wo-ta) were probably plates of metal that were hung on to a tunic to protect the soldier, yet the arrangement of the plates is debatable with many scholars over the world disagreeing with each other. The crude ideogram from Pylos of a head-dress and corslet offers no clue to the arrangement, with there being too few plates for scale armour. We know that they did have leg and lower arm guards such as the Dendra armour, the leg guards were probably linen as shown in late Mycenaean art, but a few bronze ones have been found possibly to be worn over the linen ones. As John Chadwick states the Mycenaean warrior, however well armed, is incomplete without means of locomotion. It is probably the case that the larger part of the army moved on foot; many, we presume, travelled to the battlefield in chariots such as the one depicted in a fresco at Pylos (see figure 2, page five). Chariots can also be read of in many tablets and seen on numerous vase paintings yet due to their impressionistic style or the damage that time has inflicted it is hard to deduce what they actually looked like. The chariots had four-spoked wheels, a fixed axle and were probably very lightweight built out of wood and wickerwork. A fresco at Hagia Triada in Crete points towards there being hide-covered bodies. Two horses probably pulled them, unlike the chariots depicted in the frescoes, as we know from the remains of horses that they were very small breeds. Whether or not the chariots were used actually used in battle, due to the rough terrain and the implications of the Iliad many scholars believe that the chariots were actually used as taxis to the battlefield. Yet it is hard to believe that only soon after the chariot Battle of Kadesh in 1285 BC that no-one was using chariots in battle, the Mycenaeans neighbours, the Hittite certainly used the chariots in battle. One inventory found in armoury of Knossos lists 340 chariot bodies and 1,000 pairs of wheels, this ratio of 3:1 suggests they were intended for more strenuous duties such as fighting. A fresco in Pylos shows two youths attacking a group of men with short swords or daggers, the distinction seems as difficult to understand wen it comes to the tablets as the ideogram could show either a sword or a dagger. The word pa-ka-na could be the Homeric word phasgana but there is evidence that the word may also be a confusion of the original Mycenaean meaning. One of the main reasons for war and expansion may have been the need to secure the Mycenaeans supply of metal brought to Greece through sea-borne trade. Interruptions in the trade routes could have had a detrimental effect on the Mycenaean civilisation; it has been argued that the Greeks may have attacked Troy due to the equally strong civilisations control on the trade routes. The Mycenaeans chief metal was bronze, as they did not have the technological skill to extract and make good iron. Bronze is an alloy made from copper and tin, with the copper coming from Cyprus, the source of the tin is debatable as it could have come from Spain, what is now Czechoslovakia or even Britain. Chadwick argues that the Mycenaeans may have even had small amounts of tin in the land, this I doubt as such a source would surly been mentioned in the tablets. Where ever the metals came from to make the Bronze it was very valuable and the tablets suggest tightly controlled by the palaces who assigned the metal to specific craftsmen and weighed the goods produced. Although bronze was used for making weapons it also had other uses such as to make vessels and perhaps have been used to make various tools. It has been argued that the Mycenaeans had to expand due to the certain lack of these resources, which were used to make most tools and weaponry. The Mycenaeans imported much of these metals probably in return for large amounts of surplus crops. The Mycenaean civilisation came to an end around 1100BC in a series of disasters and fires, one of the first places to be destroyed was Pylos invaded by an unknown adversary. Writing skills disappeared, only to be rediscovered by the Greek hundreds of years later who adapted the Phoenicians techniques. Foreign trade on a large scale also halted and the population became segregated, splitting into small rural settlements rather than the cities they once inhabited. This decay of a once great society took place over an extended time period starting with the destruction of a few cities in 1250BC and has been blamed on Dorian invasions, climate changes or internal struggles. There is no evidence that proves any of these arguments but it is obvious that the volatile times in which the Mycenaeans lived in finally destroyed the civilisation. My main argument against the opinion that the Mycenaeans were preoccupied with war is that they did bring structure into the areas in which they inhabited. Although they were obviously a warlike culture they had strong systems when it came to trade, religion, craft and administration proved most finally by the fact these structures collapsed when the Mycenaean civilisation ended. Bibliography The Mycenaeans by Lord William Taylour The Mycenaean civilisation by John Chadwick http. //www. lfc. edu/academics/greece/BrzMyc. html http://www. portergaud. edu/cmcarver/myce. html.

Democracy and Transportation in America :: Politics Political Research Papers

Democracy and Transportation in America In 1952, Charles E. Wilson resigned as President of GM to become Secretary of Defense. At the confirmation he was asked if he could make a decision in the interest of the nation if it were adverse to GM. "Yes sir, I could," Wilson said. "I cannot conceive of one, because for years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors and vice versa. The difference does not exist."1 Yet his GM is accused of undermining the American transportation infrastructure and destroying a viable, superior streetcar network in order to sell more cars. Regardless of the validity of this conspiracy theory, the fact remains that America destroyed vast mass transit networks to make way for private and public automotive transportation. The question of whether the transfer from iron to asphalt was advisable also asks what makes a good transportation network. Both transportation systems are valid, but unique features of American cities and culture made automobiles the better choice. Conspi racies of the powerful in the USA pale compared to the tyranny of the majority. Regardless of economic or social considerations, public demand made the key decisions in building the American transportation network. A transportation network must be judged for its cost-effectiveness. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in 1952 made its tenet, "that a profit should be returned on an investment applies as well to highway projects as to general business ventures."2 Cost-effectiveness includes safety, ease of use, and flexibility in the eyes of both the local government and individual users. Unfortunately, "little or no supporting evidence"3 exists and few studies compared the systems. Since no monetary value can be placed on human life, comparisons of safety are even fewer and less thorough. A simple account of accident records, however, is a good judge of safety. Studies of system costs, ont the other hand, are purely monetary and more frequent. From the operator's standpoint, costs break down to overhead and construction, maintenance of cars and lines, operation costs, and profits. From the users' standpoint the only cost is the fare. Some considerations are particular to the town. Users must determine, first of all, whether it is even possible to go from one point to another. This is especially important for those who are not able to walk long distances. Riders must also decide whether the restrictions of a certain mode - say, timetables for trains, or driving laws - are acceptable.

Informative Speech over Immigration Essay

As an individual who has witnessed family friends of immigrants that came to this country over 20 years ago in hope of a better future. I understand why so many immigrants are willing to cross a border so dangerous and treacherous to reach a country that is called the land of opportunities. What we call The Unites States of America the land of the free. An average of 2,700 illegal immigrants are willing to cross the border each day leaving there families and risking their own life’s to cross to the US. Mostly in the news we tend to hear only the superficial fact but never the real facts or the stories of the capture immigrants. If we would just take time to listen to the real stories of what I called the unforgotten children and women. We could understand the reason why immigrants are willing to take such a difficult decision to cross a border in order to improve their life styles of their families within the economy, escape prosecution of gangs and looking for a better future for the children. The majority of individuals take advantage of the economy while immigrants lack the ability of this advantage. We were given the basic necessities or even more. This country has given us the opportunity to have dreams and make those dreams come true. Many children in other countries are not given the same chance or choices that we have. In the pass year there has been an increase of 50% more immigrants children’s trying to cross the border and the percentage continues to increase each year. Many of these children have a reason to leave their families and take a dangerous journey up north on their own; either with little or no money or even just cloths on their back. While immigrants are crossing the border to have a better economy, some also chose to cross the border to escape gangs. For instance, a 12 year old boy from Honduras not much older than my brother and cousin decided to leave his mom; took with him a grocery plastic bag which contained a set of clean clothes and a picture of his mother. He ventured out on his journey. On the way he was confronted with drugs, alcohol and things that a child that age should not experience. He begged for food and slept in the streets waiting for the next train to come. The train is the fastest way to travel when there is no money to pay a coyote or smuggler but is also the most dangerous. Many have died trying to jump El Diablo; a dangerous train. When asked, â€Å"Why do you want to come to the US?† His response was simple; â€Å"I want to work so I can help my mom and buy her a big house† This is a 12 year old boy’s dream, to work, but if you ask a 12 year old boy living in the U.S. what he wants to do he would most likely response, â€Å"I want to play video games.† Other children are not leaving because they want to but because they have to. They are trying to escape the gangs in their country because if they do not join they can consider them self dead. Parents hire coyotes to bring their children to U.S for a better future but some in the process don’t make it. So children decide to take the chance than joining a gang. These are the children many of people are turning their back on, Children with good moral values. As for the women that try to cross the border they are not just risking their life but also risking being trap into sex slavery. There have been many cases where the same people they pay to cross the border kidnap them and make them sex slaves. We should not go too far here in our country there are many immigrant women trap in sex slavery. The majority come to this country trying to escape from the abuse of their husbands or looking for a better life for the children they have left behind. Many are single mothers that are not able to feed their kids and they look up north for hope. Is this the cost women should have to make in other to have a chance at freedom or a better future? Many immigrants’ women have to sell their bodies to pay the coyotes that cross them over to the U. S. and the ones that refuse we can find their bodies in a ditch unrecognizable. All that is left is a cross with an empty name. The economy in their countries is so bad that many immigrant/individuals are willing to risk their life to give better future to their families. Immigrants are individuals who are trying to improve their life styles for their families within the economy, escape prosecution of gangs, and looking for more in their future. Everyone should have a chance to stay in the United States of America since we are all immigrants. We all travel from all different countries to make the U.S. what is today. Immigrants are not just people trying to take jobs like many say or criminals that the news makes it seem. Each individual has a story to tell. Some are just like you and me or children that are like our little brothers or sisters. Some are women and men like our mothers and fathers that give their life for the best of their children.

Love and Happiness - 782 Words

Collins I Anita Collins Professor: White English 0300 7 pm 29th March 2011 Love and Happiness According to the Webster dictionary love is to share one’s life, and downfalls; not just ones personal property; love is an affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; a strong feeling of attraction. Being honest about you and allowing the other person involved in the relationship to really get to know who you really are. Happiness is an agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended with enjoyment. To love and be loved is the beauty of life; many people yearn†¦show more content†¦Happiness is perspective dependent emotion; it means that what could make someone happy could not be of importance to someone else. Happiness is just like love it is energy and when it’s shared it brings out the best results; try thinking of a moment when you share a joke with a friend the laughter brings out the best that makes you feel good and happy. Although this is what gives a good feeling; a happy person in fact can attract a lot of love because in fact its easily reflected in every activity; otherwise this creates a strong bond between love and happiness; however people will always return your Collins III charming smile, even though they are frowning and looking angry people will scowl at you. There is a common edge that â€Å"life is hard and we have to struggle to be happy; with this in mind I tend to differ to our expectations of struggles and problems. It’s amazing when things are moving so swiftly for us; we subconsciously wait for the storm to come. Life was meant to be easy but pessimism interferes with the flow of happiness in our lives. 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