Alexander The Great took over the kingdom and raised it to become one of the most powerful empires which wasn’t easy. He did all he could with all his power and effort to show that he was worth being called the great. Many people such as Plutarch and Arrian, said how alexander was a hard worker and how he put endless effort to win and become the greatest. He fought for his empire and won and was so overpowered compared to other governments who
The Spartan King ruled supremacy over his one hundred Spartan bodyguards. In fact, being part of the Kings squad held great honor and meant that they were as what they would call a true Spartan. During a war, only one of the kings went into battle while the other stayed in Sparta. This is evidently told by Herodotus as he states that this ‘conflict between Kings Cleomenes and Demaratus is what finalized this decision in a time around 507 BC. Following on, the King would generalize and plan out military campaigns.
One of the most influential people in Rome was Marcus Cicero, a great philopsoper as we say and exam most of his work today we see a story of a honored and respected man as well as loyal, but his loyalty would prove to be his greatest downfall and which would lead to his exicution. (pg. 149) Rome was built of lawyers, judges, and philosophers. (pg. 149) The romans were more practical thinkers and philosophers.
Spartan Strengths and Weaknesses Sparta in its prime is known historically as one of the most powerful ancient military forces ever, rivaling that of both the massive civilizations of Alexander the Great’s Macedonia and Imperial Rome. Spartan society was built around the need to first and foremost form a powerful and efficient standing army. This is obvious in what we now know about Spartan society and culture, yet this single-mindedness could be seen as both the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the Spartans. Sparta turned itself into one of the most feared war machines in the entire ancient world, through a strict culture and society that ensured the citizens were the best possible soldiers they could have, yet this seemed to backfire
Another one of the factors influencing alexander’s win at the battle of Granicus is his troops weapons and amour and how it differentiated from the Persians. Alexander’s army was smaller but this enabled them to be able to afford better weapons and armor. Alexander’s use of pikes in the phalanx formation proved very useful in driving back
Finally, another example of Alexander's political savvy is the fact that he never took slaves from him colonies to bring back to Macedonia. Instead of dictating over his colonies and taking slaves and prisoners of war, he gave his new subjects high ranking positions such as governors, generals and members of the Macedonian army. “Further to consolidate his empire Alexander drafted Persian cavalry into his own army and ordered 30,000 Persian boys to be trained in Macedonian combat techniques.” ( Bowra ) These political techniques were some of what made Alexander of Macedonia “great”. Alexander's commanding, charming and respectable personality was a large factor in what made him “great”. He gained the respect of his men and his empire by always being the leading force and setting an example.
This reform was significant as it the discipline imposed and the skills developed through training made the Roman army “one of the finest fighting machines of antiquity”-Plutarch. The significance of all Marius’ reforms to the Roman military was major in that they provided above all else an intense sense of unity within every legion. Men were included despite background; all men wore the same equipment and were than divided into smaller groups to unite as one. According to Scullard, “Marius made the army more mobile and independent by making the
Spartan weaponry and tactics are well known because of their effectiveness and power. The Greeks made up this next fighting formation but the Spartans, with their high military fitness, took it to another level. The word phalanx was created the poet Homer. Soldiers in heavy armor carried Hoplon shield. Hoplites were named after the shield that they carried.
The advanced chain of command they had gave them the ability to carry out orders with precision. The organisation of the army and the leadership of the officers was another way that the roman army was superior during the course of the Roman Empire. The Roman Army had a diverse and advanced set of tactics which catered for almost every situation the army would come across in regular combat. Firstly there were different tactics for different amounts of troops, tactics for fighting a larger enemy or a smaller enemy, tactics for defence, tactics for offense, ground war, attacking forts and defending forts. They also had naval tactics for different boats, fighting bigger or smaller boats, for different amounts of boats and attacking a ground force using ships.
The Deep Impact of Octavian For forty years Octavian, post 27 B.C. known as Augustus Caesar, held power in Rome and he was able to establish a firm foundation for emperors to come by changing laws and enabling others to act. He believed that the Roman laws had proven to be weak under the Roman Republic and they needed a strong leader. The senate approved and appointed him consul, tribune and commander in chief for life. Augustus is remarkable because unlike the other politicians that came before him once he gained power he was able to keep it.