Brass Chessmen

Handmade  brass chessmen

Playing a chess game with these brass chessmen,and a trip within the Greek mythology and history,will start.

The legend

In and out of the battlefield, archery has been a skill of great demand and appreciation. Apart from hunting, archers were the legendary defenders of the fortress walls of the city and the ones who offered covering fire during the battle.

The twin gods Apollo and Artemis were masters in archery and protectors of the archers. Philoctetes was one of the most famous archers, who carried the mythical bow of Hercules.

The Chessmen

This period was characterized by fierce local as well as international wars. The aggressiveness of the Pawn and the Knight fully represent the ferocity of these wars. The posture of the King and Queen indicates their unquestionable leadership. The Bishop reveals his consideration for the movements of the imminent battle.
Finally, the Castle is a reproduction of a pillar which characterized the architectural style during that period.

THE FORMATION 

The strength of the Greek phalanx lay in the endurance and discipline of the soldiers . Who made up the closely-packed rectangular formation of shields and spears. Once the phalanx was formed the soldiers would advance slowly toward the opposing army.  Fending off missile blows with their shields and holding the formation tightly in order to break through the ranks of the other side. The use of reserve forces in battle was not conceived of before the 5th century BCE. SO a battle was decided by the formations initially placed in the field and, consequently, the men who made up the phalanx formations had to be prepared to outlast, as well as out-fight, their opponents.

Once the antagonists engaged each other on the field, the battle was on until one side broke ranks and was defeated. The phalanx, then, could be employed in battle in a great ‘pushing match’ .  With the front-liners literally being pushed forward by the shields of the soldiers behind them or, as the phalanx evolved, as a ‘battering ram’ to break the front lines while cavalry harried the flanks.

The Romans  took up the phalanx formation and succeeded in using it to effect during the period of the Roman Republic before the formation was discarded in favor of the three-line Roman legion with which the Roman Empire conquered the known world.