History of warfare

The history of warfare is the history of war and its evolution and development over time. The study of the history of war is known as military history.

Contents

Periodization

One method of dividing such as massive topic is by cutting it into periods of time. While useful this method tends to be inaccurate and differences in geography mean there is little uniformity. What might be described as ancient warfare is still practiced in a number of parts of the world. Other eras that are distinct in European history, such as the era of Medieval warfare, may have little relevance in East Asia.

Prehistoric warfare, warfare before the development of centralized states.
Ancient warfare, primarily infantry warfare in the era before the stirrup.
Medieval warfare, cavalry predominates in the period between the introduction of the stirrup but is displaced by the development of gunpowder.
Early modern warfare, artillery, infantry, and cavalry work in unison.
Modern warfare, mechanization and the machine gun greatly change the face of warfare.

By theater

War can also be divided based on where it is being fought.

Land warfare , fighting on land
Naval warfare, fighting on the sea
Aerial warfare, fighting in the air
Space warfare, fighting beyond the atmosphere
Winter warfare, fighting during the winter
Desert warfare, fighting in deserts
Amphibious warfare, fighting from sea onto land

By weapon

The history of war can also be divided by the type of weapon used.

By tactics

By peoples

Assyrian warfare
Ancient Egyptian warfare
Ancient Greek warfare
Roman warfare
Arab warfare
Mongol warfare
Crusader warfare
Japanese warfare
Chinese warfare
Native American warfare
Aztec warfare

By war

Categories: Warfare | History by topic