The Spartans

The Spartans were a warrior culture that resided in a city state known as Sparta in the lower regions of Greece. The men and women were well trained in the discipline of honor, and individual might, starting from the day of their birth. If a
child in Sparta was born with any physical or mental defects, it would be left on mount Taygetus to die. Every male citizen in Sparta was a soldier (Hoplite). Constant mental and physical training left the Spartans to be considered the greatest military power in Greece. One spartan was generally considered to be worth several of the surrounding states soldiers in battle. They were responsible for repelling the first invasion of Persia, and played extremely vital roles in many battles defending Greece. During the second invasion of the Persians, The Spartans were given full control of Greece's military, along with Athens, and were able to repel Persia's forces. This battle however weakened the Spartans by lowering their ranks (their were generally only 1500-2000 Spartans in the army, as it was a small state) and a civil war between Athens and Sparta left Athens with dominance.

Training for Spartans began at age 7,  they were taken from their families to begin their tutelage to become part of the professional army. The training was very harsh. Most of the time the boys were not fed well and would be punished if caught stealing food. Not for stealing, but for being caught. this was most likely to teach discipline, resourcefulness and to imitate conditions they would face later in life. Fighting each other was encouraged, but not in anger, resulting in small match ups and duels between students. Honor was a crucial part of their education, and cowardice was almost considered a crime.

The Spartan military was for a long time, the backbone of the Greek military power. The spartan army was infantry based and fought using the phalanx formation. This formation was initially invented by the Spartans. The first row of soldiers would lock their heavy shields together creating a wall, while the second and third lines would project their over top of them. The back ranks would then hold their shields in an upright position to block any projectiles coming overhead. Many civilization around Greece used this formation but the Spartans were by far the most accustomed and experienced at using it. Their infantry forces were made up of Hoplites (most states in Greece used Hoplites but the Spartans were considered the most feared and experienced). These soldiers typically wore heavy suits of bronze armor, a helmet made of bronze that protected most of the users face and a heavy shield made of thick wood coated in bronze. The shields were designed in a way that capitalized their offensive capabilities, letting them push ahead while receiving little damage. The standard weapons used wear great spears, sometimes 2.5 meters in length with a curved blade at the front and a short spike at the end used for finishing off soldiers as the phalanx advanced. A short sword was used as a secondary weapon if their spear had broke or if the phalanx lost formation.

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The Samurai

History
The samurai first originated during the Heian period. The Japanese had launched several campaigns to subdue the native Emishi people in the Tohoku region. They employed individual warriors that were trained more extensively than regular soldiers to find and destroy the natives hiding spots. At the same time, many wealthy landowners that had become independent of the central government, hired these warriors to become part of the armys they had built for protection.
Eventually The two most powerful of these clans eventually challenged the central government, which resulted in a free for all battle between the government and the two clans for supremacy of the entire country. The clan led by Minamoto Yoritomo emerged victorious in 1192 and created a military government led by the Shogun (Supreme Military Commanders). These shogun samurai ruled over japan for close to 400 years after that.
In the 15th and 16th century however Japan had a major civil war and the entire country splintered into separate independent states. With each state battling for supremacy, The Samurai warriors were in high demand from each state, as they were the staple of japans military forces. This is the most recognizable period of time for the Samurai, with each separate clan engaged in constant battle, the samurai were always employed on military missions.
The country reunited around the 1500's and the samurai were placed in a high spot of the newly formed social cast system. Relative peace followed this and the need for warriors and feudal skills declined. Many samurai during this time became artists, teachers government officials. The order of Samurai eventually came to an end in the late 1800's.

Description of Samurai Armaments

The Samurai initially wore heavy armor know as "Yoroi". The Yoroi was made of individual scales of iron or thick leather Bound together to form strips. The strips were coated in a liquid that prevented water damage, and then fastened together with silk or leather strings to create chest armor. The need for heavier armor became necessary with the invention of firearms. The scales used in previous armors were replaced by broad plates over thick cloth. The helmets that the samurai wore were an important part of their uniform. Generally made out of iron, they were adorned with decorative and imposing features such as horns and masks made to look ferocious so to strike fear into their enemys. Their armor was often extremely unique and showcased an individuals rank and accomplishments. Frequently, these armors would be adorned with golden beams protruding from their helmets, or jewels on their shoulder and chest pieces.

The trademark weapon of the Samurai was of course the renown Samurai sword, which remains as the sharpest and sturdiest blade even today. The exact process used to make ancient samurai swords is not known but a similar technique is used today to make high quality sushi knives. The swords employed before the invention of the samurai sword were made of either iron or steel. the steel swords were able to have razor sharp edges, but the metal was prone to breaking as it was brittle. The iron swords were much more sturdy and were capable of bending, but could not hold as sharp an edge. A blacksmith basically decided he wasn't into that by creating a sword made of both iron and steel, fusing the two metals together to create a sword that was as sturdy as it was razor sharp. This was the samurai sword which made the warriors who equipped it some of the most feared in the ancient world. it was capable of slashing through most armors with ease as well as being swift, and not overbearingly heavy.

Other weapons employed by the samurai were composite longbows made from bamboo and leather, which were generally given to most warriors. Pole weapons such as spears and halberds were also used but not as widely utilized. The samurai were also know to use chains with either blades or iron balls on the ends, as well as, in later years firearms and cannons.

More info about Samurai.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2127.html
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The New Kingdom of Egypt

After the invasion of the Hyskos, into lower Egypt, Seqenenre Tao became the ruler of Thebes. He formed a large army that utilized much of the technology the Hyskos brought to Egypt in their invasion. He lead them to victory and drove the Hyskos out of Egypt but lost his life in battle. This marked the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, and more focus was put upon military then ever before.
 During the old age,
Egypt had no official military, only groups of peasants and artisans turned militia lead by each regions leader that would come together under the pharaoh if needed. During the new kingdom, This changed and Egypt had a firm organization of professional soldiers, equipped with much more technologically advanced weaponry and defenses. One of the most notable pieces of ancient Egyptian technology was the war chariot. Stolen and redesigned from the Hyskos, the war chariot would be operated by two people or sometimes, on smaller models one. Generally, their would be one driver, who held the reigns steering the horse, and a fighter, most often armed with a composite bow (which was also taken from the Hyskos) and an array of throwing spears. The way that these chariots were redesigned, made them lighter, becoming faster than the chariots employed by all other major powers in the middle east. Infantry soldiers typically wielded composite bows
along with either a short sword or a Kopesh, (A sickle like sword) and wore leather and cloth armor with metal scales over top.They also employed bronze and wooden shields. Other weapons typically used by the military were Spears, Slings, Knifes and various bludgeoning tools. The Egyptians at this point would also invade distant countries by sea, having developed sophisticated warships.
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The Old Kingdom of Egypt

The Egyptian military, was throughout history, a deadly force. Generally engaging in combat with the Libyans of the Sahara desert and the Nubians, Egypt held dominance and maintained their territory while increasing the size of their borders.
During the "old kingdom" Egypt felt that it's most prominent threat was from the Nubians to south. To defend their borders, they built forts deep within this country to deter attacks. having forts on the inside made it so if the Nubians decided to stage an invasion, they would be able to cripple their forces from the inside. none of these forts were ever actually attacked and many remain underwater in lake Nasser. During this period Egypt had no "official army". The governor of each division of egypt had to raise their own made up of volunteers, who would come together and fight as one force under the Pharaoh during times of conflict. many of these divisions, or "Nomes" would often engage in conflict with each other to increase their power in those regions.
Soldiers were equipped with many types of weapons.The army's at this point were more primitive during these time, often not utilizing defenses and being very lightly armed.  Bows were they're most utilized weapon, but they were known to have used spears, shields, cudgels, maces, axes and swords.
The old kingdom was not a very militaristic time in Egypt's history, But the invasion of the Hyksos and the coming of the "new kingdom" brought much technology and advances, turning them into a more significant and dominant force.
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