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Greek Archery
#1
Hi all,<br>
<br>
can anybody give some information on Greek archery? Bow any arrows were obviously used in the Hellenistic culture, for hunting as well as military purposes.<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
Helge <p></p><i></i>
If you run away from an archer...
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#2
Richomeres,<br>
<br>
Archery was never the strongest point of the Greeks. But it can’t be said that bows were strange or unknown to them. As you said they used it in hunting and war. One of most picturesque scenes in Iliad is Odyssey, killing suitors of his wife with a bow and arrows. Homer savours this bloody heroic deed and marvels at Odyssey’s skill.<br>
According to Mediterranean standards Greeks were rather good at archery. Cretan archers were highly valued as mercenaries in many states of this region.<br>
<br>
<br>
But when it came to Greeks’ contact with the Asiatic East it was the different story.<br>
<br>
Good example is ‘Anabasis, or March Up Country’ by Xenophon.<br>
The Anabasis is his story of the march to Persia to aid Cyrus, who enlisted Greek help to try and take the throne from Artaxerxes, and the ensuing return of the Greeks, in which Xenophon played a leading role. This occurred between 401 B.C. and March 399 B.C.<br>
<br>
On their return from the center of Asia the Greeks found themselves in a serious disadvantage in missile weapons, especially bows.<br>
<br>
“At present the enemy shoot and sling beyond our range, so that our Cretan archers are no match for them…<br>
…for the Cretans had a shorter range than the Persians, and at the same time, being light-armed troops, they lay cooped up within the ranks of the heavy infantry…<br>
…Cleonymus the Laconian, shot with an arrow in the ribs right through shield and corselet, as also Basias, an Arcadian, shot clean through the head.<br>
…the barbarians … the only weapons they had to carry were bows and slings. When discharging the arrow, they draw the string by getting a purchase with the left foot planted 28 forward on the lower end of the bow. The arrows pierced through shield and cuirass…â€ÂÂ
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#3
The Persians practises trajectory shooting at long range - which the Greeks did not do at the time - and probably used lighter arrows than the Greeks (as the Greeks were able to match the Persians in range when using the Persian arrows).<br>
<br>
Greek bowmen were fairly common, becoming more so especially in the Hellenistic period (many cities training their youth in archery and hiring instructors), and seem to always have fought as Psiloi. Cretan bowmen were of course particularly famous, serving as mercenaries all over the Mediterranean.<br>
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@Warrior11<br>
<br>
I seriously doubt that the Greeks envied the Parthian shot; like the Romans, they considered running away unmanly. <p></p><i></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#4
StrategyM,<br>
<br>
One particular Greek, Xenophon, valued very high what you call a ‘Parthian shot’. He was rather smart and understood fairly well, that it was a war ruse. BTW, Greeks were a very intelligent people.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
warrior11<br>
<img src="http://www.chathome.com.ua/smile/182.gif" style="border:0;"/><br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#5
Xenophon was very un-Greek. He even valued cavalry. <p></p><i></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#6
StrategyM,<br>
<br>
So you say that being Greek means not valuing cavalry?<br>
Don’t say so in Thessaly (for instance) – you risk being trampled down by their horses.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
warrior11<br>
<img src="http://www.chathome.com.ua/smile/182.gif" style="border:0;"/><br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#7
The Thessalians were hellenized Barbarians; not Greeks. Just like the Makedones, Epirotes, etc.<br>
<br>
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub152.ezboard.com/bgreekarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=strategym>StrategyM</A> at: 10/29/03 19:59<br></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#8
I agree with you about the Makedones and Epirotes. But whatever gave you that idea about the Thessalians?<br>
<br>
Hellene tribes came from the North and conquered Greece between 2200 and 2000 BC. They annihilated and assimilated aborigines, supposedly speaking non-Indo-European languages. Aeolians occupied Thessaly. Then as you know came Dorians. Sparta, Crete and Thessaly had a lot of similarities in their social structure. I consider Thessalians to be as Greek as Greeks could possibly be. The Greeks thought so too.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#9
The fact that Thessalia was settled by a group of peoples separate from that of the rest of Crete; that the core of Greek civilization/culture - the Polis - was almost absent from Thessalia until the Theban reorganization in 360 BCE, and the fact that by the later part of the period, they were hardly distinguished from Macedonians. And very clearly, the "Greeks" did not always treat the Thessalians as they would their southern fellows.<br>
<br>
But granted, the term Greek is fairly imprecise and "floating", depending on which historical period one is in, and what you define as being a "Greek".<br>
<br>
If you prefer, substitute the word "Achaian" for Greek in the above (Achaia was defined, by the Romans, as being everything south of Thessalia). <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub152.ezboard.com/bgreekarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=strategym>StrategyM</A> at: 10/30/03 22:49<br></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#10
Untill 146 BC if you were allowed to particiapte in the Olympic games you were considered Greek racially and calturally.<br>
Southern Greeks were SNOBS. They considerd their northern brothers as peasant bumkins to say the least.<br>
Even today in modern Greece we have the bad habit of doubting if anybody outside our neighborhood is Greek.<br>
Why do you think civil war is our national hobby?<br>
Kind regards <p></p><i></i>
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#11
Hi Stefanus! Big Grin
Here the picture that you ask me 8) From Vergina: Greatest Height .465m. ( 18 1/4 in ) and Greatest Width .255m. ( 10 in. )
[Image: th22.jpg]
  
Remarks by Philip on the Athenian Leaders:
Philip said that the Athenians were like the bust of Hermes: all mouth and dick. 
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#12
And Here 2 Scythian Female's vs Greek re-enactors Big Grin

[Image: gallery4.jpg]
[Image: archers_sheilds.jpg][Image: female.jpg][Image: london16.jpg][Image: london18.jpg]
  
Remarks by Philip on the Athenian Leaders:
Philip said that the Athenians were like the bust of Hermes: all mouth and dick. 
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#13
The pictures might show things that happened in the vichinity of Cherson. Odyssos, Stavroupolis, Melitopolis and other Greek colonies in Krimea and west Pontos 2000 yrs ago. Very nice staff.
The Gorytos is atributed to a Skythian Queen that Philip had married before Olympias. I am sure thes ladys in photoes would like to have something like that!
Waitng to see you in person
Kind regards

Stefanos
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