Tag Archives: kids

Japanese Wako

Wako where Japanese pirates from approximately 900 to 1600 AD. They operated in the seas around Japan, Korea, China and south-east Asia. The name Wako was originally Chinese, Wa meant both dwarfs and Japanese and Ko meant Pirates. Actually the Wako were criminal clans that ranged from Japanese buccaneers to Chinese raiders to Korean ex-navalists. At certain times the Wako clans managed to invade the coast of Korea, China and Taiwan. Some Daimyos created Wako clans to raid on their behalf and in exchange for protection and legality of their actions they had to pay a portion of the spoils to the Daimyo. 

In my next post I will tell you a story about the early Wako.

The Real Trojan War

The Trojan war is thought to be historically a conflict between the Assuwa confederation and the Ahhiyawa kingdom [Mycenaeans]. The Assuwa was a confederation of 22 cities including Wilusa, which is also known as Troy. Historians say the conflict ran from 1278BC to 1184BC. The Assuwa confederation broke off from the Hittite empire after the battle of Kadesh between Egypt and the Hittites in 1274BC when it gave up the Aegean coastal lands. 

The Lycians and the Pelasgians (allies of Troy) in the legend were the Luka and the Palest tribes of sea people. The evidence for the Mycenaeans attacking the confederation rather than just Troy was when they destroyed the land of the confederation and a little bit beyond.

Do you know any good facts about the Trojans?

Greek trade

In ancient Greece, international trade began about 750BC because of factors like colonisation, spread of coinage, less pirates and interstate alliances. Greek pottery was in great demand and has been found on the Atlantic coast of Africa. The most important exports were wine and olives, while cereals, spices and precious metals were imported. Most traders didn’t have their own vessel so they rented a ship from a special ship-dealer. If the boat sank the trader didn’t have to pay, so some traders deliberately scuttled their ship!

Archimedes’ Mirror(s)

According to historians, Archimedes [A famous inventor] created a mirror[s] that deflected the sun’s rays and used them to burn ships of the invading Romans. Modern reenactors try to recreate it, but they can’t make it work at the range of 100 feet what was the range according to historians. There could have been more than one mirror. The first account of a mirror was 800 years after the siege of Syracuse! Do you think it is a myth?

Ancient Greek week

This week will be about ancient Greece, hope you like it. 

Hoplites

Today I will be talking about Hoplites. A Hoplite is a foot soldier in ancient Greece with heavy bronze armour, a large shield called a hoplon (or aspis), a spear and a sword. Hoplites fight in a formation called a phalanx, a formation where the shields are tightly overlapping. The question is when did proto phalanxes (lots of little formations working together) become a major phalanx (one big formation)? There are three theories: 1. Between 750 BC-650 BC because of a change in weapons and armour. 2. Between 800 BC-750 BC because the major phalanx got shown as the better one of the two and rapidly spread through Greece. 3. Between 750 BC – 450 BC because the true major phalanx never emerged until the large scale fighting against the Persians. Which one do you think is right?

Triremes

It is a mystery is that the triremes ships are the largest Greek warship to be pictured but there are larger ships like the quadireme and the quinquereme. There is even a tessarakonteres that is a “forty”! The translation for the Greek word for quadireme is “four oar” we assume it means four banks of rowers but who would make a ship with forty banks! What do you think?