Aenia's tactics

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Aineias Taktikos ( Latinized Aeneas Tacticus , German also Aineas the tactician ) was an ancient Greek strategist and military writer of the first half of the 4th century BC. He is possibly identical with the Arcadian general Aeneas of Stymphalos , who lived in 367 BC. For a short time the Greek polis Sikyon was freed from the rule of the tyrant Euphron. He is considered to be the earliest European war writer.

Life

From his writings it can be seen that Aeneas had a comprehensive general education and was obviously also trained in rhetoric. There are many rhetorical figures in his work, but their use shows that he did not master rhetoric . The scriptures also suggest that he had extensive personal experience as a commanding officer and was not a pure theorist. Hence, it is believed that he was active both as a general and as a statesman.

plant

According to Aelianus Tacticus and Polybios , the largely lost work of Aineias Tacticus comprised a series of military-theoretical writings, which together resulted in a comprehensive textbook on strategy as a textbook for generals. The individual writings were called strategika biblia and dealt with

  • Παρασκευαστικὴ βίβλος = book about the military preparations (weapons theory, provisions, means to prepare the enemy obstacles to approach),
  • Ποριστικὴ βίβλος = fundraising,
  • ἐπιβουλῶν βίβλος = precautionary measures against treasonous attacks,
  • Ἀκούσματα = military eloquence (rules for admonishing, encouraging and motivating the team),
  • Siege Technique ( Poliorketik ) and
  • possibly also general tactics.

It should be noted here that Aeneas himself does not mention any scripture that contains the tactics. The existence of such a font is discussed again and again in research. The background is a statement by Aelianus Tacticus that an Aeneas - probably Aeneas Tatcicus - defined tactics as a doctrine of the military movement.

All that has been preserved is a treatise on siege technology (Τακτικὸν ὑπόμνημα περὶ τοῦ πῶς χρῆ πολιορκουμένους ἀντέχεν Taktikón hypomnema perí tu "pos chre poliorkuménus over the defenses" besieged). This work, which lies outside the Attic literary tradition of the fourth century, allows some conclusions to be drawn about the social and political situation in Greece at that time. The work gives a variety of practical hints and examples of lists of war that can be used in the defense of a besieged city. In addition to secret codes and transmission techniques for secret messages, this also includes questions of leadership and the correct selection of guards on the walls and at the gates and much more.

Lore

The work of Aeneas can only be used indirectly through other writers from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Kineas , the confidante of Pyrrhus , summarized the writings - presumably for his king. Philo of Byzantium relies on Aeneas in books 7 and 8 of his mechanics , which deals with the struggle for fortified places. In Polybios there are parts of his section on military preparations, in Onasander , Aelianus Tacticus and Polyainos further passages. Sextus Iulius Africanus takes over large parts of the wording. Until the sixth century AD, Aeneas was quoted or used in almost all authoritative military writings. Nevertheless, only his work on the defense of besieged cities in Codex Laurentianus 55.4 from the 10th century has been transmitted directly. All other surviving manuscripts are based on these.

Manuscripts

  • Codex Laurentianus 55.4
  • Codex Parisinus Graecus 2435 (= A)
  • Codex Parisinus Graecus 2522 (= B)
  • Codex Parisinus Graecus 2443 (= C)
  • Scorialensis' Φ-III-2 (= S)

expenditure

  • Aeneas: Of the defense of cities . In: Hermann Köchly , Wilhelm Rustow (Ed.): Greek war writers . Part 1. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1969 (Greek, German, books.google.de - reprint of the 1853 edition).
  • Richard Schoene: Aeneas Tactici de obsidione toleranda commentariu . Leipzig 1911 (Greek, authoritative text edition on which all other modern editions are based).
  • Marco Bettalli: Enea Tattico. La difesa di una cità assediata (Poliorketika) . Edizioni ETS, Pisa 1990, ISBN 88-7741-534-7 (Greek, Italian, introduction and commentary).
  • David Whitehead: Aineias the Tactician. How to Survive under Siege . Clarendon Press, Oxford / London 2002, ISBN 0-19-814744-9 (English translation with commentary).
  • Kai Brodersen : Aineias / Aeneas Tacticus. City defense / Poliorketika . De Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2017, ISBN 978-3-11-054423-7 (Greek and German with introduction).

literature

  • Hermann Bengtson : The Greek Polis at Aeneas Tacticus . In: Historia . tape 11 , 1962, pp. 458-468 .
  • Truesdell S. Brown: Aeneas Tacticus, Herodotus and the Ionian Revolt . In: Historia . tape 30 , 1981, pp. 385-393 .
  • Sergio Celato: Enea Tattico. Il problema dell'autore e il valore dell'opera dal punto di vista militare . In: Atti e Memorie dell'Accademia Patavina . tape 80 , 1968, pp. 53-67 .
  • Sergio Celato: La Grecia del IV secolo a. C. nell'opera di Enea Tattico . In: Atti e Memorie dell'Accademia Patavina . tape 80 , 1968, pp. 215-244 .
  • Francesco Fiorucci: Aineas the tactician. In: Bernhard Zimmermann , Antonios Rengakos (Hrsg.): Handbook of the Greek literature of antiquity. Volume 2: The Literature of the Classical and Hellenistic Period. CH Beck, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-406-61818-5 , pp. 597-602.
  • Werner Hahlweg (Ed.): Classics of the art of war . Darmstadt 1960.
  • Maria Pretzler, Nick Barley (eds.): Brill's Companion to Aineias Tacticus. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2018, ISBN 978-90-04-22351-6
  • Eduard Schwartz : Aineias 3 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Sp. 1019-1021 (important contribution to researching the work and the author, partly outdated).
  • Albert A. Stahel : Classic Strategy. An evaluation . 4th edition. Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-7281-2920-8 , p. 37-38 .
  • Aloys Winterling : Polis concept and stasis theory of Aeneas Tacticus. On the question of the limits of the Greek polis societies in the 4th century BC Chr . In: Historia . tape 40 , 1991, pp. 193-229 .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The temporal determination results from the dating of his writing on the defense of besieged cities. The latest reported event that can be safely dated dates back to 357 BC. It concerns the message mentioned in Aeneas Tacticus 31,31 that Dionysius II had overthrown of Syracuse .
  2. ↑ See Xenophon: Hellenika . 7.3.1. On Euphron see also Hellenika. 7,1,44-46; see. Diodorus 15.70.3.
  3. ^ Aelian Tact. I 2 provides the reference to the work. In Aelian Tact III 4 the tactic is referred to as knowledge (ἐπιστήμην) of the military movements (πολεμικῶν κινήσεων). See also for a tactical writing WA Oldfather (ed.): Aeneas Tacticus, Asclepiodotus, Onasander, Cambridge and London 1923/2001, p. 8f. u. LW Hunter / SA Handford (ed.): Αἰνείου Πολιορκητικά. Aeneas on Siegecraft, Oxford 1927 p. XIV. On the other hand, see D. Whitehead: Aineias the Tactician. How to Survive under Siege, Oxford / London 2002, p. 15.
  4. ↑ See Aelianus Tacticus 1,2.
  5. ↑ Formerly known as Book 5.
personal data
SURNAME Aenia's tactics
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aeneas tacticus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek strategist and military writer
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC BC or 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC Chr.