We have been waging war as long as we exist. Likewise in the Greek world in the Archaic period (c. 800 to ca. 500 B.C.). It is striking, however, that the interstate wars in the Greek motherland, on the Doric and Ionian islands and in the Greek coastal towns in Asia Minor had a 'limited' character. But how can this 'limited' character be explained?
The “limited” warfare in archaic Greece had a number of features. One of these characteristics was making agreements about the time and place of fighting. The battles took place on specially selected terrains or open fields at a pre-arranged time. The use of ambushes, surprise attacks and stratagems was virtually non-existent in archaic warfare. The formal declaration of war arose from this announcement of a battle in classical times.
Another characteristic was making agreements about the weapons to be used. It was decided in advance with which weapons they were going to fight. Some were banned, others allowed.
A third characteristic that the archaic Greeks used in their warfare was the fighting of duels. These duels were fought by two or more 'champions'. Sometimes even by groups of three hundred 'champions'. These duels could be alternate. Intended to limit the number of casualties. It was not uncommon for both armies to watch. There was a battle for a bet. In addition, duels were fought as part of the battle. Both during the battle and just before the battle. The 'champions' or champions jumped forward from the first ranks to challenge the opponent to a duel. We encountered this form of duels especially at the beginning of the Archaic period. Duels were also a limitation in the number of participants.
A fourth feature of warfare in archaic Greece was the settlement of conflicts through arbitration. This could be one or more people, but also a union, such as an Amphiktyonie, or a city. It was the beginning of the settlement of disputes through diplomatic means.
We also see the limited nature of archaic warfare in the more humane treatment of the vanquished. Prisoners and vanquished were no longer killed, but enslaved, expelled, released for ransom, but also without paying ransom, or left alone. A more humane treatment that we also see in the treatment of the fallen. They were no longer left on the battlefield, but were removed from the battlefield, whether or not during a truce, and then buried or cremated. Heralds took care of these truces. Another task of them was to announce the battles and to arrange agreements about the weapons to be used. The peace treaty arose from the armistices in later times. Heralds were inviolable. Together with the actions of envoys and messengers, they arranged mutual communication between the warring parties. Contacts between the warring parties were not broken.
Parallel cultures
These features of interstate warfare in the archaic Greek motherland, on the Doric and Ionian islands and in the Greek coastal towns of Asia Minor are also reflected in the warfare of Rome from ca. 753 to c. 338 B.C., the China from c. 800 to c. 300 B.C.. India from about 1000 B.C. to about 100 A.D., the Celts and Germans from the centuries around the beginning of our era and among primitive peoples.
These primitive peoples fight their conflicts in a limited way when they fight against people or groups belonging to the same cultural unit. They usually compete for a border area or for honour. They fight unrestrictedly against people or groups that do not belong to this cultural unit. In doing so, they compete for existential issues, such as their naked survival.
Cultural Unity
So it must have been with the archaic Greeks. From the beginning of the Archaic period, there arose a Greek cultural unity, a pan-Hellenic feeling, the feeling of being one people. Contributing factors were a population explosion at the end of the Dark Age, the origin of poleis (cities) and the growing together of the various settlements, the emergence of trade contacts with non-Greeks, having a related language and the introduction of an alphabet, the itinerant storytellers with their stories about the Greek past such as the Homeric epics, having a recognizable religion with a clear world of gods and the associated festivals and sporting events such as the Olympic Games.
In addition, or rather above that, the limitation of the archaic interstate declaration of war can also be explained by the emergence of a 'pan-Hellenic aristocratism'. Population growth towards the end of the Dark Age became the old power structure with its basileus (kings) unworkable and aristocratic families emerged as new leaders. This monopolization of power by aristocrats was followed by their monopolization of the battlefield. This was a result of a combination of them as champions and the arrival of the bronze panoplia (armor) with her hoplon (shield). This in turn necessitated another arrangement:the hoplite phalanx. It was only usable on open, flat terrain. The hoplites made agreements about this, went to the battlefield, positioned themselves there, waited for the enemy and started the battle.
The stakes of the archaic Greek interstate wars were border demarcation and honour. Border demarcation had become necessary after the settlements were growing against each other due to population growth. Honor had always been an important element for the aristocrats to fight for. Both on the battlefield and in the sports arena. The competitive thinking that characterized the aristocratic, archaic culture spilled over into the hoplite phalanx and the poleis during the Archaic period. as a whole.