Tactical and Strategic Communications in Ancient Greece, Fifth Century Bc
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1 TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS IN ANCIENT GREECE, FIFTH CENTURY BC Principal Supervisor: Professor Hans van Wees. Secondary Supervisor: Dr Paola Ceccarelli. Candidate: Sotirios Christos Peithis Institution: University College London Degree: PhD Warrior playing the salpinx. Attic black-figure lekythos, late 6th–early 5th century BC. I, Sotirios Christos Peithis, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract: This dissertation will examine how effective the transmission of orders was in Ancient Greece in the fifth century BC. We will focus both on short-range tactical means of communication, such as vocal orders, and on wider-ranging strategic methods such as fire-signals. This largely neglected topic falls within the wider purview of ancient military intelligence, which has received some attention over the last decades. Following recent re-examinations of Greek Warfare, we will argue against the prevalent idea that fifth century Greek armies neglected communications. In this we will be following, and furthering, the works of scholars such as Everett Wheeler and Frank Russel, among others. While neither Wheeler nor Russell focus exclusively on the transmission of orders, their respective theories on generalship and intelligence gathering are invaluable to any examination of our own topic. Our main goals concerning tactical communications will be threefold. We will firstly determine whether vocal orders were audible on an ancient battlefield; secondly, we will examine whether Hellenic generals were in a position to issue commands; and thirdly, we will analyse how far Greek armies could be counted upon to follow instructions. As for strategic communications, we will aim to prove that the Greeks were capable of delivering more than rudimentary pre-arranged messages via their fire-signals. We will also examine how crucial strategic communications could be in the planning of a military campaign. This dissertation will thus contribute to the ongoing movement of re-consideration that has gripped ancient Greek military history over the last decades, and hopefully temper seemingly outdated notions concerning Hellenic communications. 3 Impact Statement: Military communications are at the centre of most martial practices. As such, any examination of the topic will impact Greek military history as a whole, in one way or another. This dissertation will specifically aim to disprove outdated theories concerning the transmission of orders in Greek warfare. In so doing, we will contribute to the ongoing re-evaluation of Hellenic military history, and contribute material to important issues such as the undecided hoplite debate. More importantly, however, this dissertation will demonstrate that no battle analysis can be considered complete without a solid understanding of how communications functioned. How can one claim to understand the tactics of Delium or Marathon if they cannot confidently describe the methods of communication available to the Greeks? While we will be focusing on the relatively well-recorded period of the Peloponnesian War, the information uncovered in this dissertation could form the cornerstone of a study into earlier and lesser- known periods such as the Pentekontaetia. The main challenge to such an enterprise will be the lack of primary sources, yet whatever meagre information is uncovered could be linked to the evidence included in this dissertation to establish patterns of development, or even potential regional trends. This dissertation could also, hopefully, contribute to a renewed interest in the otherwise neglected ruins of early warning systems in modern Greece. Many densely populated areas, like Argos or Attica, are dotted with the ruins of dozens of watchtowers that are left untended and ignored. Some of these towers are located within private property, and known only to the local farmers who have lived alongside them for generations. I discovered as much while visiting the Argolid. The members of the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae were incapable of directing me to the towers I needed to examine for the completion of my fourth chapter, but I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the Mitrovgenides while wandering blindly near their lands. They immediately guessed my purpose and guided me to my goal (Figure 40). A renewed academic interest in early-warning systems could, therefore, hopefully contribute to local growth by securing grants for the preservation of these ruins and encouraging 4 academics to actively work with the locals. Students in particular should be encouraged to seek out such ‘irregular’ sources of information instead of relying on more official methods: I would have never found the ruins if not for my chance meeting, convinced as I was that if the experts at the Museum could not help me, no one else could. 5 Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................7 Part I: Tactical Communications........................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 1: The role of the general ......................................................................................................... 30 The Greek general: brawler or leader? .............................................................................................. 30 Tactical communications: limits and capabilities .............................................................................. 46 Evolution of Greek helmets: a shift towards transmission of orders ............................................... 57 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 61 Chapter 2: Changing the course of the battle. ...................................................................................... 62 Pagondas at the Battle of Delium ...................................................................................................... 62 Myronides at the Battle of Oenophyta ............................................................................................. 69 Lamachus in the Second Battle of Syracuse ...................................................................................... 73 Lykophron at the Battle of Solygia .................................................................................................... 76 Agis II at the First battle of Mantinea ............................................................................................... 82 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 111 Chapter 3: The hollow square .............................................................................................................. 113 Part One: The hollow square ........................................................................................................... 114 Part Two: Tactical Communications in the hollow square ............................................................. 129 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 178 Part I: Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 180 Part II: Strategic Communications ................................................................................................... 185 Chapter 4: Fire-Signals ......................................................................................................................... 185 The siege of Plataea ......................................................................................................................... 193 Communications at Plataea ............................................................................................................. 198 Naval expedition against Corcyra .................................................................................................... 203 The Hydraulic telegraph: practicality over effectiveness ............................................................... 208 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 209 Chapter 5: Strategic Communications in the Argolid Campaign ........................................................ 213 Ambush at Methydrium: Argive Strategic Communications in Arcadia ......................................... 213 The Argive Defensive Network of Communications ....................................................................... 223 Agis’ Strategy .................................................................................................................................... 233 Beating the Argive Network ............................................................................................................. 239 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 244 6 Part II: Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 247 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................