How effective were archers/ slingers / skirmishers in Greek, Roman and Medieval Period?
Upvote:1
Archers were valuable during the Medieval period, at battles like Crecy. That's because they were then "formation" troops that made up the backbone of the English army at Crecy (and perhaps one-fifth of the troops fighting on the French side were Genovese bowmen. The Mongols also used archers (on horses) with great effect.
Archers were less valuable during Greek and Roman times. They were NOT formation troops (the latter consisted of armored men in phalanxes or legions with spears or swords). Archers, slingers, etc. were "skirmishers for "prebattle," (ambushes, probing attacks), and post battle (pursuit) maneuvers. Unlike medieval archers, they did not constitute the "main force" during the heart of battles.
Upvote:4
They were fairly to reasonably effective. Otherwise nobody would have bothered with them in the first place. War is not about having the biggest baddest whatever. It is about applying force in the best possible way.
Light infantry were good or important enough to always have some in your army. And they were cheap, or at least cheaper then heavy infantry. A light infantryman had much less armor and needed less training to be reasonably effective. Often the poorer soldiers were found in light infantry units.
One job of the light infantry was scouting. Look for the enemy, observe them, go back and tell your commander about them. While you at it, you can - if the opportunity present itself - lob a few stones or arrows into the enemy.
Another job is to make sure the enemy cannot do whatever it wants, that's skirmishing. The enemy's heavy infantry has to form up first and keep in formation after that. Light infantry can make that difficult. Their harassment of the enemy can delay the formation they want to achieve, kill a few troops, and postpone his advancement somewhat.
At the same time, while you are in front shielding your own formation you prevent your enemy light infantry colleagues to do unto you what you want to do to them: deny them scouting opportunities, and harass your own troops.
It isn't the job of light infantry to stand and die on the spot. That's the work of the triarii, or more general: the heavy infantry. As soon as the enemy starts advancing, or gets angry enough to charge those pesky light infantrymen they run away. Nothing wrong or dishonorable, it's part of their job. The light infantry moves through their own lines and reforms to do something else. Like harassing on the flanks.
Heavy infantry is there to stand and die if necessary. Light infantry is there to bother the enemy and live to fight another day.
Another job the light infantry did was pursuing the defeated enemy. They are light, remember? Meaning: carrying less equipment, thus can run faster. The enemy has to drop as much as they dared, which is pretty much everything. If they want to fight - and most won't - they will have to turn around and face your light infantry. That puts them at a huge disadvantage.
Most casualties didn't happen during the battle, but afterwards. That was a real important job for which light infantry was ideally suited.
As this is as general as can be (the time period is huge) I put together just about everything that is not heavy infantry, for simplicity sake. It takes years of training to become a really professional archer and more years to become a proficient slinger.
More post
- 📝 What are specific parts of this 19th century dress called?
- 📝 Where was the dateline before the concept of the International Dateline?
- 📝 Have the current polar ice caps receded further than those that existed before the beginning of the last Ice Age?
- 📝 Ships:Biggest One Ever
- 📝 Where are the relics of Anthony the Great?
- 📝 What happened to Justice, Nelson Mandela's cousin (or stepbrother)?
- 📝 What was the strategic importance of Moscow to the Soviet Union in Dec 1941?
- 📝 Where were the best ancient wine regions in Israel, called Kerutim & Hatoulim in the Mishna, located on a map?
- 📝 How do I find the sources which determined the year of the fall of Babylon?
- 📝 Post-war plan for Nazi Germany in Russia?
- 📝 Which 'march across the ice' had comparatively the most casualties?
- 📝 Is there a difference between Douhet and Walther Wever's strategic bombing theories?
- 📝 What cultures did, or do, perform human sacrifice on a regular basis?
- 📝 What is the origin of US south region white people?
- 📝 In this cartoon from Puck, what indicates the identities of France and Britain?
- 📝 How would one refer to/address a Shogun?
- 📝 Why was decimal time unsuccessful?
- 📝 Help to identify WW1 or WWII badge
- 📝 Please help identify this medal... German military?
- 📝 Why only in the last few hundred year has science and technology progressed like it has
- 📝 Line houses and laws?
- 📝 What was the prevalence of ethnic minorities in 15th century Bohemia?
- 📝 Why would the Rhodesians trust Blacks in their Army?
- 📝 What happens to the corpses after the world wars?
- 📝 Who was the most successful German spy against Great Britain in WWII, from the contemporary German perspective?
- 📝 Did marriage ever end a war?
- 📝 Was there a nation/state which conquered other ones to gather forces and fight against an even greater enemy?
- 📝 Why do very old arts (paintings, sculptures) look pretty inaccurate and abstract?
- 📝 How did Italy and Germany get rubber in WWII?
- 📝 Why did Lincoln's election prompt the Southern states to secede?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How effective were archers/ slingers / skirmishers in Greek, Roman and Medieval Period?
- 📝 How alcoholic were ancient Greek and Roman wines, before and after dilution?
- 📝 What were Greek and Roman sails made from?
- 📝 How effective were longbow archers against plate-armored infantry?
- 📝 How effective were siege guns and gun boats compared to field artillery in the 19th century?
- 📝 How were provincial Roman accounting and taxes handled under Hadrian?
- 📝 Why were Greek philosophy and sciences taken up by medieval Muslim civilizations, but not contemporary Western Europe?
- 📝 How much smaller were medieval farm animals in England than today?
- 📝 Were Medieval Britons aware of the existence of the Roman Empire?
- 📝 How were concentration and extermination camp guards recruited?
- 📝 How literate were common people in Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How were drawbridges and portcullises used tactically?
- 📝 How common were marital duels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 How were medieval castles built in swamps or marshes without draining them?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Ancient Greek religion and the Ancient Roman religion?
- 📝 How were the cities of Milan and Bruges spared by the Black Death?
- 📝 Were there inns and hostels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 Do Real Roman and Greek warriors have big muscles and six-pack abs like in the movie?
- 📝 How many lives were estimated to have been saved by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs?
- 📝 How were diplomats and their staffs treated when World War II was declared?
- 📝 How expensive were castles? And how were the costs distributed?
- 📝 How did Islam and Hinduism thrive together in Medieval India?
- 📝 How did Christianity replace Roman Paganism and other ancient religions?
- 📝 Were bookshops 'common' in the late 19th century, and how did they differ from modern ones?
- 📝 How accurate and detailed were geographical maps created and updated by the Romans?
- 📝 How Was Roman Military Equipment Created and Distributed
- 📝 How educated were the clergy during the Medieval period?
- 📝 How were servants to the Kaiser of Imperial Germany treated and where may I find more information on them?
- 📝 Pedophilia in ancient Greek and Roman culture
- 📝 How rich were carpenters in Roman Galilee in the 1st century AD?
