Art of War. Sun TzuЧитать онлайн книгу.
by Herodotus, who informs us that the Grecians fought a battle with the Amazons on the river Thermodoon, and defeated them. After their victory, they carried off all the Amazons they could take alive, in three ships. But whilst they were out at sea, these Amazons conspired against the men, and killed them all. Having, however, no knowledge of navigation, nor any skill in the use of the rudder, sails, or oars, they were driven by the wind and tide till they arrived at the precipices of the lake Maeotis, in the territories of the Scythians. Here they went ashore, and seized the first horses they met with, and began to plunder the inhabitants. The Scythians at first took them to be men; but after they had taken some prisoners, they discovered them to be women. They were then unwilling to carry on hostilities against them; and by degrees a number of the young Scythians formed connections with them, and were desirous that these gentle dames should live with them as wives, and be incorporated with the rest of the Scythians. The Amazons agreed to continue their connection with their Scythian husbands, but refused to associate with the rest of the inhabitants of the country, and especially with the women of it. Their marriages are attended with the circumstance: no virgin is permitted to marry till she has killed an enemy in the field.
Diodorus Siculus says “There was formerly a nation, who dwelt near the Thermodoon, which was subjected to the government of women, and in which the women managed all the military affairs, like men. Among these female warriors was one who excelled the rest in strength and valour. She assembled an army of women, whom she trained in military discipline, and subdued some of the neighbouring nations. Afterwards, having by her valour increased her fame, she led her army against the rest; and being successful, she was so puffed up, that she styled herself the daughter of Mars, and ordered the men to spin wool, and do the work of the women within doors. She also made laws, by which the women were enjoined to go to the wars, and the men to be kept at home in a servile state, and employed in the meanest offices. Having become eminent for skill in military affairs, she at length built a large city at the mouth of the Thermodoon, and adorned it with a magnificent palace. In her enterprises she enforced military discipline and good order; and she added to her empire all the adjoining nations, even to the river Tanais. She at last ended her days like a heroine, falling in a battle, in which she fought courageously. She was succeeded in the kingdom by her daughter, who imitated the valour of her mother, and in some exploits excelled her. She caused the girls from their infancy exercised in hunting, and trained up military exercises. She instituted solemn festivals and sacrifices to Mars and Diana, which were named Tauropoli. She afterwards carried her arms beyond the Tanais and subdued all the people of those regions, even unto Thrace. Returning with a great quantity of spoils into her own kingdom, she caused magnificent temples to be erected to the deities before mentioned; and she gained the love of her subjects, by her mild and gentle government. She afterwards undertook an expedition against those who were on the other side of the river, and subjected to her dominion a great part of Asia, extending her arms as far as Syria.”
The Rape of the Sabine Women
[The word “rape” in this context refers to an older usage, meaning “abduction”; from lat. raptio]
This episode in Roman mythology relates the collective abduction of the Sabine women during the founding of Rome by Romulus. A shortage of women led the Romans to seize those from their neighbours. Romulus also took other steps to increase the numbers of his new settlement. He made an ordinance compelling every man to rear all the male children, and the first-born of the female; and he prohibited the killing of infants, unless they were imperfectly formed. He likewise opened an asylum for refugees from foreign states on the Capitoline hill; the traces of which revealed themselves in later times.
The reception of refugees in the asylum disturbs the natural proportion of the two sexes, and produces a community in which the men preponderate. Hence Romulus sends to the neighbouring cities, inviting them to give their daughters in marriage to the Romans. His proposals are rejected, and he accordingly resorts to stratagem for effecting his purpose. He institutes a festival called Consualia (which continued to be celebrated in later times), and invites the neighbouring people to the amusement. On a signal given by himself, the unmarried women are seized, and detained as wives for the Romans. Other causes were found for the rape of the Sabine women; some considered it as an intentional provocative to war, and some thought that it was intended to bring about a reciprocity of marriages with the neighbouring states. Hersilia – who, according to some accounts, was the wife of Romulus, and, according to others, of Hostilius, the grandfather of King Tullus Hostilius – is reported to have been among these Sabine women. Certain ceremonies of the Roman marriage – which supposed the bride to be taken against her will to her husband’s house – and particularly the cry of Talassio, which was customary on that occasion – were derived from the Rape of the Sabines.
The outrage thus committed by the Romans roused the anger of the neighbouring cities, and particularly of Cænina, Antemnæ, and Crustumerium, which prepared to attack Rome, and attempted to induce the more powerful Sabine nation to join in the war. Romulus speedily marched against the people of Cænina: he defeated them, killed their king Acron with his own hand, and stripped off his arms, which he dedicated as spolia opima in the temple of Jupiter Feretrius. Hence arose the custom when the Roman general slew the hostile general, of dedicating his spoils in this temple. The event, however happened only twice in Roman history after the deed of Romulus; viz., once when Cornelius Cossus slew the Veientine king Tolumnius, and again when Marcellus slew a king of the Gauls. Romulus then turned his arms against Antemnae; and having reduced this town, he returned with the spoil to Rome, and his army preceding him in a triumphal procession; and this was the origin of the Roman Triumph, so celebrated in later times. Romulus made these towns Roman colonies, by sending three hundred Roman colonists into each, and confiscating one third of the land for their use; while he removed them in the tribes and curiæ. Similar measures were adopted towards Crustumerium.
Nicolas Poussin, The Rape of the Sabine Women, 1637.
Oil on canvas, 154 × 206 cm.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Antiquity to Christianisation of the Roman Empire
Standard of Ur, “War” panel (detail), 2600 BCE.
Mosaic in wooden frame, 21.6 × 49.5 cm.
British Museum, London.
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, c. 2350–2000 BCE.
Limestone, 200 × 150 cm.
Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Photographer: Wikimedia Commons user Rama.
The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin of Akkad
Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.
In reference to this most interesting stele of Naram-Sin we may here mention another inscription of this king, found quite recently at Susa and published only this year, which throws additional light on Naram-Sin’s allies and on the empire which he and his grandfather Sargon founded. The new inscription was engraved on the base of a diorite statue. From the inscription we learn that Naram-Sin was head of a confederation of nine chief allies, or vassal princes, and waged war on his enemies with their assistance. Among these nine allies of course the Princes of Sidurm Saluni and Lulubi are to be included. The new text further records that Naram-Sin made an expedition against Magan (the Sinaitic peninsula), and defeated Manium, the lord of that region, and that he cut blocks of stone and transported them to his city of Agade, where from one of them he made the statue