Lecture Notes Unit 1

War

organized group activity, conducted with lethal effects, that diminishes another group

Heraclitus definition of war

father, king of all

Clausivity

continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means, acts of force to compel our enemy to do our will, war - spectrum, always present, realists claim him

Sherman def of war

cruelty, can’t refine, must appeal - terrible hardship, like modern Heraclitus

War- hedges

culture and meaning: anthropological

3Cs model

Explain military innovation: capacity, calculation, culture

capacity

capability of a society to commit resources. scale, tech, enforcement, determined by size and wealth. example: aircraft carrier: US 11, China: 13, World countries: 14. organic: natural resources

calculation

attempts to improve fighting methods. seek advantage, apply to techniques and tech, within culture

culture

shared ideas/roles/meanings/practice, changes the way society uses tech. Bow - different society have different meanings, honorary weapon vs weapon of shame

First WW

aggressive system away soldiers, bad results with war

subculture

broad, society, strategy - win, military, organizational alters

tech determinant

believe central force of war, naturalists believe this is wrong

John Lynn

talks about what war should be, discourse of war, what constitutes civilized war force

Chimpanzee Warfare

prioritize genes, resources, interspecies - trap and carrying capacity either expand or reduce. Is it organized/strategic. Coalitionary killing, self-defense: raiding, rivals, killings of young, don’t kill females. 1.5-2x stronger than humans. Boundary policing. ½ population can be wiped in war. Hierarchal and patriarchal. gain standing

Bonobos

matriarchal, some violence but less common, social bonds not pair bonding

primotology

shows foundation for war, biological determinism. equally violent, shows male competition, warfare led to treaty like altruism, tamp down or enable violence

Paleolithic Era

resources and territory main cause of warfare. Cooperative in-group - effective out group violence. in group can have conflict - compete for playing time vs team group. Art of weapons, skeletal evidence - mass graves. raid and retreat tactic, not always death, not specialized soldiers, leaders want to bottle but basically tried to recruit, no real punishment, episodic. evidence of mutation of punishment, taking of limbs of enemies. High mortality in prehistoric eras. not really open battle but rivals and ambush

Hobbs vs Rosseau

Hobbs: natural is hostile. Rosseau- peaceful and docile, not inherently violent. cooperate in order to compete

foraging and gathering

then tools - 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 BCE. 15-50 ppl: language, bows, spears

Sudan mass grave

Paleolithic era : 59 dead, evidence of cannibalism, violence fairly common

missile

arrows and javelins

Shock

handhelds, swards

dead birds

movie about Papua new guinea tribe

Neolithic era 10,000-3,000BCE

developed agriculture, require territory, sedentary, easier to control, physical fortification and Jericho. dwellings were elevated look like compounds. Repeated form of warfare, divisions of labor could impose more order to early state on rise. slavery form of labor

Neolithic era 3500- 2000BCE

states arise, Egypt, Babylonians, Syria, China, India. unite 1000s of people, linked to agriculture, distributing costs small units combined, head was a king, sold through elites, mobilize population for defense. dynamics - hierarchy, increase effective war for more than just raid

domestication of horses

height, status, first domesticated in Asia in 8000BCE, initially for food, initially used for vehicles not for riding, used to be a lot smaller, advantage over cattle because more self-sufficient, need more land, actually ridden in 3500BCE, for raids in society, stroke and retreat faster, longer distance

War cart

Sumerian, cultural innovation, meant status, 4 wheels, clunky, wooden wheels, elevating person, used extensively

4000 BCE Bronze Era

bronze formation, harder and more durable, more precise, labor intense, mining and smiths, spokes between wheels, 2 wheels, initially steppe but then Syrian, helped consolidate control

Chariots

spread quickly, 2 warriors, 4 horses at large, large amount of skill, battle taxi, used in Iliad, ride to battles, get out and fight not shock weapons, likely to shelter would circle each other, not for fighting, symmetrical competition, same had spokes, more so psychological not for bashing

Chariots in Ancient China

power in status, Greek gods, Egyptian gods, Indian gods. Expansion warfare 1200 BCE, chariot came to China from Steppe, Chinese elites wanted them, grew operated, low walls, served as platforms not weapons, needed horses, maintain trade with steppe people to get horses.

2200 BCE Sha dynasty

first state in China, nomadic Mongol threats.

1600 BCE Shang Dynasty

served under by with lots of resources

Roman Carraballiste 200 BCE

2 wheeled cart, catapult device throws by rope, not widely used, 8 soldiers to operate, fired large arrow, not fast, can’t operate independently, defend encampments.

War Elephants 1000BCE

India, seen limited, they are large, can’t really be domesticated, carry throwers on back, bad for combat. 1 month breeding period tried to induce during war. Driven by men, large tower came later, signal to other people, protected by men, psychological, broke up formations, block enemy, romans figured out how to deal - waited to kill human crew, 17 yrs to reach maturity, 18-22 gestation period, difficult to breed

Battle of Zana

defeat of Hannibal, neutralized elephants.

decline of chariots 1200-700BCE

initial dark age, better horse archers, chariots basically useless,

Greek Warriors misunderstanding

spartan race - not related at all. 300 movie is so inaccurate. Premise 300 ppl vs Persia. Cultural bias against missile weapon, not a throwing spear, break form - bad thing, not a sea of people - didn’t impale themselves, Iliad occur way before classical period. 8th century BCE - semi mythical events (events 800 yrs before classical)

Actuality of greek warriors

city-state, hoplites, individual is less important

City States 800 BCE

Athens, Corinth, Sparta, Thebes, fewer than a few hundred thousand, size of Rhode Island.

Accropolis

in the core of the city, surrounded by farms

Hopalites on Chigi Vase 645 BCE

provided own amour - 20-40% of city states, most farmers and artists, most soldiers not professional (aside from Sparta)

panopoly

40-70 lbs., shins, breastplate, head, shield, weapon, spear, brought a servant, nothing worse than losing shield, sheer force and determination

Greeks used

sheer force and determination when fighting

agriculture

grapes, olives, and grains, very hardy, can’t strike at agriculture divided as effective warfare, battle in summer, short but effective

capacity of war

states can’t sustain long season of campaign

calculation of greeks

within culture made sense

culture of greece

polis, collective, prove yourself

rules/norms

declared officially can both sides, shouldn’t occur during this, not in temples, not killing kids, bows and throwing spear are dishonorable

Peloponnesian war

casualties came from retreat, diseases and famine, not hoplite battle

Greeks vs Persian 490 BCE

more vicious than persian, defected a bunch

rise of Macedonia

northern Greece, alexander the great

700-1000 BCE

focus on mediterranean; most canoes in Mesopotamia used paddles, reeds, crafts, led to conflict - piracy, five ships designed of workforce until 1000 BCE, up until, not war ships

900-700 BCE

galley warships, human and sail propel, not long distance, military because of rams, evolved like naturally, metal head, weighed ½ a ton, collide into another ship, soldiers could fire missiles, protect rowers, vulnerable if hill penetrated, eventually rowers stacked

600 BCE

Greek produce Triremes, 3 levels of rowing, 170 rowers, lightweight, 11 miles per hour, did have sails, mainly about ramming, more type soldiers, bronze ram

limitations of galley

lasted 20 years, only small city states could do this, had to fight close to land, densely packed no long distance, limited crew and shipping cargo, worked land armies, no night access, Peloponnesian war, people couldn’t land, requires skill and strength, 16x more densely populated

Innovation in naval was slow

expansion, high costs, 450 BCE more improvement, risk of drowning

Gigantic in Hellenistic

5 banks of rowers, was semi-effective, multiple rowers to one oar, bigger and more power, useful for sieges

Roman Galley

mostly land power, controlling trade routes, large fleets with towers and bridges, able to win, Augusts - smaller ships, training, loyalty, 30,000 rowers

Byzantine Empire

eastern Rome - Constantinople, fire changed warfare, flame shooting out of boat, also had flamethrower, highly secretive

Qin Dynasty

agricultural, very large, 221 - 206 BCE, feuding states, state warriors, crafted terra cotta army, transportation was much harder

Warring States

iron - specific tactics, officers try to avoid combat did not fight. Specialization in war, moved away from chariots due to terrain, standing military

Nomads

mobile,unlike agricultural society, pick up and go, fire in battle and withdraw

Han

tried to imitate steppe tribes, recruit allies, professionalism, high population, conscription 2 yrs service and training every 8 months until the age of 50. Not too much burden for families, 30 CE abolish conscription, combined arms - arches and swordsman, effective in fixed battles - tactical advantages

Crossbow

made of bronze, dates ack to warring states period, draws by strains, lock a bolt with propels bow, slower process, omplex and short range, bolt had to be thicker to penetrate armor, smaller and easier to use, mass produce, effective

Terra cotta army

246-208 BCE, ceremonial representation, eternal crowns of his empire, burial complex, uniforms and weapons, hierarchy, very detailed, 8000 soldiers bronze weapons, supposed to have a whole fortress, each soldier 300 lbs.

Han fortification

walls, forts, ditches, settlers encouraged to move to frontier, great wall is an example but multiple different dynasties. Han - different, smaller not stone, alert system,

Wen

perspective embraced by elites, war as something bad,

Yu

war is always present