Articles

The Place of Archery in Greek Warfare

The Place of Archery in Greek Warfare

By Thomas Nelson Winter

The Longbow, Vol.7, No.3 (1990)

Abstract: Despite the ancient Greek equivalent of an Agincourt, the Greek military mind firmly retained the heavy infantry, rather than the archers, as the main force. Recognized uses of the archer in Greek warfare were to fend off heights of city walls, to perform commando raids, and to provide covering fire for commando-style operations. This essay, written after a fresh reading of the principle Greek historians, puts together all passages where one can see the ancient Greek archer at work and in his military setting.

Introduction: When Pericles proclaims the catalog of Athenian forces at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War (431

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