Chapter 22 Conclusion: “We Are the Champions”: the Underlying Reality of Ancient War

In: Brill's Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great
Author:
Edward M. Anson
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Type:
Chapter
Pages:
579–603
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004715066_024

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Abstract

When comparing the list of war crimes compiled by the United Nations with the activities of Alexander the Great, Sabine Müller, in this volume, has stated, “the Macedonian rulers would have been notorious offenders.” Victor Hanson has compared Alexander’s atrocities with those of Adolph Hitler. While the latter is a bit of an exaggeration, it is only so because the ancients lacked the technology to kill and destroy on such a massive scale. As has been remarked by Brian Bosworth, what limited the extent of massacres in the ancient world was the physical requirements to achieve them. Warfare was not simply a decisive way to settle disputes, it was the means of declaring the fundamental dominance of the aggressor over the victim. Violence and terror were often “what the weak had to suffer.” War in the Greek world had a long history as an approved means of seeking revenge, pursuing glory, or in the words of Plato acquiring what one needed. Committing genocide through the annihilation of peoples or the enslaving of survivors, was the ultimate measure of triumph and superiority, the decisive proclamation by the Champions.

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Series:  Brill's Companions to Classical Studies, Volume: 10 and  Brill's Companions to Classical Studies: Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World, Volume: 10
Cover Brill's Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great
E-Book ISBN:
9789004715066
Publisher:
Brill
Print Publication Date:
13 Dec 2024
Front Matter
Introduction: Not the Usual Treatment of Philip II and Alexander III of Macedon
Part 1 The Combat and Campaigns of Philip and Alexander
Part 2 The Combatants
Part 3 Organization and Structure
Part 4 Maintenance
Part 5 The Psychology of War
Part 6 Nature of Command
Part 7 The Human Cost of War
Part 8 In Closing
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