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33-528: (Redirected from Strategikon ) Strategicon or Strategikon may refer to: The Strategikon of Maurice , a sixth-century Byzantine manual of war The Strategikon of Kekaumenos , an eleventh-century Byzantine manual of war Strategicon (gaming conventions) , a series held in California Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

66-469: A commander's duties, notably ethical considerations regarding the character, social status, bearing, behaviour, and attitude of a general towards his troops, the enemy, and his fellow-citizens; the morale of the troops, the effect of particular policies and tactics upon morale, and the like; together with much sound advice about elementary matters.... In two respects Onasander differs markedly from other Greek and Roman military writers. He regards everything from

99-708: A commentary upon Plato's Republic . The only details known about Onasander's life are from his own work, the Quintus Veranius to whom he dedicated the Strategikos to was the consul of A.D. 49, who died while in command in Britain ten years later, so the terminus ante quem for the composition of the treatise is 59. The only other references to Onasander from antiquity are in Johannes Lydus , who names an Ὀνήσανδρος among Greek military writers, and in

132-473: A generic topic. Several levels of subsections go into further detail and include maps. These maps are mainly sketches and drawings to show essential symbols of troop positions and highlight the standard designs of formation and manoeuvre of the Byzantine military of the epoch. Books seven and eight tackle with practical advice for the commander in the form of instructions and military maxims . The eleventh book

165-522: A short but comprehensive work on the duties of a general , which was dedicated to Quintus Veranius . The Strategikos was the main source used for the military writings of emperors Maurice and Leo VI , as well as of Maurice of Saxony , who consulted it in a French translation and expressed a high opinion of it. According to the Suda , he was a Platonic philosopher who, in addition to his surviving military work, Strategikos , or The General, also composed

198-419: A war. Book VIII then covers the details of the instructions that the generals would be given by Emperor Maurice and his administrative people. These books cover the surprise attacks and siege strategies that the Byzantine military used at this point in time. They cover different strategies the military would use for a surprise attack on an enemy, or to seize enemy land without a battle. Books XI and XII cover

231-515: Is a practical manual and according to its author "a rather modest elementary handbook [...] for those devoting themselves to generalship", that was to serve as a general guide or handbook to Byzantine art of war . In the introduction of his 1984 translation of the text, George Dennis noted that "the Strategikon is written in a very straightforward and generally uncomplicated Greek." The Strategikon may have been written in an effort to codify

264-562: Is no real parallel in Plato, whereas an almost exact counterpart exists in Aristotle. ... such definitions, however, were the stock in trade of philosophers, and do not presuppose a specific source unless there is some marked similarity in expression. On the contrary, one would rather be inclined to wonder that, in an ethical study of warfare like the present, a commentator upon Plato's Republic should have failed to show at any point some trace of

297-726: Is of interest for ethnographers as it portrays various enemies of the Byzantine Empire, such as the Franks , the Lombards , the Avars , the Turks and the Slavs . The Strategikon also represents and refers to military justice and Byzantine legal literature, since it contains a list of military infractions and their respective penalties. This book contains a great deal of detail on

330-549: The Tactica of the so‑called Leo . Onasander's Strategikos is one of the most important treatises on ancient military matters and provides information not commonly available in other ancient works on Greek military tactics, especially concerning the use of the light infantry in battle. According to Oldfather, the burden of the treatise is really ethics, morale, and the general principles of success in arms.... The treatise consists of forty-two chapters upon various aspects of

363-466: The military reforms brought about by the soldier-emperor Maurice. The true authorship of the Strategikon is still debated among academics. Maurice may have only commissioned it and perhaps his brother Peter or, more likely, another general was the true author. The date also remains debated. If it was written during the 6th century, the Strategikon may have been produced to analyze and reflect on

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396-415: The 6th and 7th century A.D. Its contents primarily focus on cavalry tactics and formation and several chapters elaborate on matters of infantry, siege warfare , logistics , education and training and movement. The author was familiar with antique Hellenistic military treatises, especially Onasander and Aelian , which he utilized as conceptional models rather than sources of content. Each book focuses on

429-711: The [Strategikos], especially in the admonition that friends should fight beside friends (Ch. 24), and in the distinction made between φθόνος and ζῆλος (Ch. 42.25). But the essence of the first idea is as old as Nestor 's advice in the Iliad (Β 362 f.); it was practised among the Eleans , Italic Greeks, Cretans , and Boeotians , being characteristic of the Sacred Band of Thebes , and something similar may not have been unknown at one time in Sparta, hence it can hardly have escaped

462-408: The attention of military writers. The same topic is treated also in extant literature from before the time of Onasander by Xenophon in his Symposium, VIII.32, 34, 35, so that, although Onasander can hardly have been ignorant of the famous passage in Plato (Symposium, 178E ff.), it is hardly necessary to assume that this was its immediate source. As for the discrimination between φθόνος and ζῆλος there

495-413: The baggage train encampment to the front line. An intermediate encampment, closer to the front line, should be established between the battle area and the baggage train; the camp should be fortified and supplied with food for a day at the camp for each bandon. While in transit, the baggage train should be kept separate from the soldiers' marching lines; when enemies are present, the baggage train should be in

528-410: The baggage train should be stationed in a defensible area with water and grass readily available at a distance of approximately 30 to 50 miles away from the location of the main battle and should be staffed with a force of two Banda ; the encampment should forage for food and have equivalent to four days of necessity. The defense force should select known and capable men to form a communication chain from

561-417: The case of an ambush. It also covers formations to deter the ambush from taking place. It provides certain spacings between squads, to prevent an ambush from reaching a squad without the intervention of a squad further behind. This method was also used to help prevent retreats by any soldier, because there would always be someone watching them. Baggage trains should be regarded with utmost care as they contain

594-404: The characters display on the map. These books cover topics ranging from recruitment, to creation of squads, to the strategy of using block formations of men instead of the one lengthy line. They also discuss the importance of having a cavalry and the importance of the cavalry in their specific military style. This book discusses what each part of the formations of the cavalry and tagma would do in

627-480: The experience of the Balkan and Persian campaigns, or the campaigns may have been carried out in compliance with the manual. However, beginning in the late 19th century, a number of historians have, due to perceived philological and technological inconsistencies, argued for a later publication date during the eighth or ninth century. In any case, the work is considered to be one of the most notable military texts of

660-401: The ingredients to make a forward operating base function, including servants and children. Baggage trains should be kept away from areas of battle to avoid dispiriting soldier morale in the event of capture. Reserve horses should be kept with the baggage train at the onset of battle, their utility is not needed at the front line and will only add to the confusion in battle. The encampment area for

693-610: The latter in a large measure paraphrases Onasander. In the Renaissance he enjoyed a remarkable popularity. Translations, beginning with the Latin translation by Niccolò Sagundino in 1493, appeared in rapid succession in Spanish, German, French, Italian, and English, and such a demand, for these were no mere philological exercises, shows that many a practical soldier took to heart his counsel, and that much of it has passed thereby into

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726-475: The medieval Byzantine period, along with treatises attributed to the Byzantine emperors Leo VI ( Tactica ) and Nicephorus Phocas ( De velitatione and the Praecepta Militaria ), among others. Leo's Tactica in particular was greatly inspired by the Strategikon . The text consists of 12 chapters or "books" on various aspects of strategy and tactics, employed by the Byzantine army during

759-418: The middle of the caravan to avoid harassment by enemies. Book VI contains the tactics and drills that the military had at the time to properly train the individual soldier. This gave them all of the knowledge that they would need in battle with weapons, tactics, actions, and strategies. Book VII focuses on the different strategic points that generals must consider prior to engaging in a battle, not necessarily

792-591: The mixed uses of non-cavalry and tagma groups and their various formations. They explain what the rest of the army was to do while the Tagmas and cavalry were in formation and use. In a separate chapter of Book XI, the author presents everything useful, needed and important from a military point of view about the life of specific enemies. Military historians consider the Strategikon to be the earliest sophisticated theory of combined arms at battalion level ( Greek : Tagma ). However, historians still question and debate

825-478: The not infrequent references to war and its basic cause, the character of the good soldier, the need of constant military exercise, the style of life of the soldier, the professional aspect of successful military preparation, mathematics as a necessary element in an officer's education, proposals looking toward the elimination of certain of the more cruel aspects of warfare, at least between civilized states, and similar topics discussed in that great work. Such silence on

858-404: The orderly way of marching through an army's own country when there is no hostile activity. These books cover the formations of the cavalry and Tagma. They include maps to show how these formations appeared on a smaller scale, to help people visualize the formations. These maps have many shapes and characters that some will not understand, but through study they can make sense of them because what

891-500: The origin of the Byzantine Military, and specific information of selections, organization, crimes, and punishment. They go into a great deal of detail on the topics listed below to make sure that there are no confusion on general topics of the Byzantine military. The topics that this book discusses include: training and drilling of soldiers as individuals, the armament of the cavalryman and the basic equipment to be furnished,

924-544: The part of Onasander, although not sufficient, perhaps, to cast doubt on the identity of our author with the writer mentioned by [the Suda], would more naturally suggest that in The General we have a study anterior to a period of preoccupation with Plato. According to Oldfather, the influence of Onasander in antiquity was considerable. Most subsequent military writers are indebted to him, notably Maurice and Leo VI , of whom

957-495: The point of view primarily of the commanding officer, to the question of selecting whom he devotes a long and valuable passage, and he lays uncommon stress upon ethical and religious considerations... there is nothing very philosophic nor technically military in the treatise, which is intended to give merely the broad principles of generalship (στρατηγικαὶ ὑφηγήσεις, prooem. 3), and lays no claim to originality. According to Oldfather: Traces of Platonic philosophy have been sought in

990-471: The title Strategicon . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strategicon&oldid=945935072 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Strategikon of Maurice The work

1023-534: The validity of these sources due to the tradition of copying from ancient Greek and Roman authors, such as Aeneas Tacticus , Arrian or Polybius in Byzantine treatises like the Strategikon , the Tactica , the Sylloge Taktikon , the Praecepta Militaria and others. The Strategikon also testifies to the lasting influence of Latin on the Byzantine terminology of warfare and shows that up until

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1056-454: The various titles of the officers and soldiers, the organization of the army and the assignment of officers, how the tagmatic commanders should select their subordinate officers and combat leaders and organize the Tagma into squads, the regulations about military crimes to be given to the troops, the regulations about military crimes to be given to the tagmatic commanders, military punishments, and

1089-466: The year 600 C.E Latin was still the official command language of the imperial army . Onasander Onasander or Onosander ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ὀνήσανδρος Onesandros or Ὀνόσανδρος Onosandros ; fl. 1st century AD) was a Greek philosopher . He was the author of a commentary on the Republic of Plato , which is lost; as well as of the Strategikos ( Ancient Greek : Στρατηγικός ) -

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