From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mesopotamian military strategy and tactics
Mesopotamian military strategy and tactics
The Mesopotamian Civilization had a surprisingly adept sopotamians well for many years, but were eventually
grasp of tactics. In fact, they are the first confirmed users outclassed by slingers and archers.
of the shield wall tactic later made famous as thihe Ro- In each race that thrived in Mesopotamia, military
man "testudo formation". It is unknown who first devel- and defensive tactics differ. The Sumerians invented the
oped the tactics, but it is thought to have been developed horse-drawn chariot with lighter wheels, allowing quick
somewhere between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. maneuvering and evasion in the battlefield. Akkadians
Another Mesopotamian tactic involved large, well- and Babylonians focused on their military power because
disciplined (for the time) spearman formations. Armed of constant threats from neighboring tribes and king-
with javelins, they were the first effective missile troops, doms. Amidst all this, however, the Assyrians were one
as shown during their war against the Hittites in around of the most successful military kingdoms. They were one
2000 BC. These missile units were later idealized in the fa- of the first to produce steel which is essential to every
mous epic poem "The Siege of Damascus."[citation needed] army.
So, by around 1700 BC, the Mesopotamian battle for-
mation consisted of the shield wall and short-sword
armed sliders in front, and the missile troops behind,
External links
with charioteers on the flanks. This served the Me- • Stevens, Garry (2003): Mesopotamia, Birth of
Civilisation
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Categories:
• Military history stubs
• Mesopotamia
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