A warrior is a person specializing in combat or

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

fare, especially within the context of a

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior

aristocracies Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

, or caste.

History

Warriors seem to have been present in the earliest pre-state societies. Scholars have argued that horse-riding

Yamnaya The Yamnaya culture or the Yamna culture (russian: Ямная культура, ua, Ямна культура lit. 'culture of pits'), also known as the Pit Grave culture or Ochre Grave culture, was a late Copper Age to early Bronze Age archa ...

warriors from the

Pontic–Caspian steppe The Pontic–Caspian steppe, formed by the Caspian steppe and the Pontic steppe, is the steppeland stretching from the northern shores of the Black Sea (the Pontus Euxinus of antiquity) to the northern area around the Caspian Sea. It extend ...

played a key role during the Indo-European migrations and the diffusion of Indo-European languages across Eurasia. Most of the basic weapons used by warriors appeared before the rise of most hierarchical systems.

Bows and arrows The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles ( arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the practice was com ...

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

s, swords, and other edged weapons were in widespread use. However, with the new findings of metallurgy, the aforementioned weapons had grown in effectiveness. When the first hierarchical systems evolved 5000 years ago, the gap between the rulers and the ruled had increased. Making war to extend the outreach of their territories, rulers often forced men from lower orders of society into the military role. This had been the first use of professional soldiers —a distinct difference from the warrior communities. The warrior ethic in many societies later became the preserve of the

ruling class In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society. In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the capitalist social class who own the means of production and by exte ...

. Egyptian

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...

s would depict themselves in war chariots, shooting at enemies, or smashing others with clubs. Fighting was considered a prestigious activity, but only when associated with status and power. European mounted

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s would often feel contempt for the

foot soldier Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marin ...

s recruited from lower classes. In

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...

n societies of

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

America, the elite aristocratic soldiers remained separated from the lower classes of stone-throwers. The

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of Japan from the 12th to the late 19th century. In contrast to the beliefs of the caste and clan-based warrior, who saw war as a place to attain Courage, valor and Glory (honor), glory, warfare was a practical matter that could change the course of history. History always showed that men of lower orders would almost always outfight warrior elites through an individualistic and humble approach to war, provided that they were practically organized and equipped. This was the approach of the Roman legions who had only the incentive of promotion, as well as a strict level of discipline. When Europe's standing army, standing armies of the 17th and 18th centuries developed, discipline was at the core of their training. Officers had the role of transforming men that they viewed as lower class to become reliable fighting men. Inspired by the Ancient Greek ideals of the 'citizen soldier', many European societies during the Renaissance began to incorporate conscription and raise armies from the general populace. A change in attitude was noted as well, as officers were told to treat their soldiers with moderation and respect. For example, men who fought in the American Civil War often elected their own officers. With the mobilization of citizens in the armies sometimes reaching the millions, societies often made efforts in order to maintain or revive the warrior spirit. This trend continues to the modern day. Due to the heroic connotations of the term "warrior", this metaphor is especially popular in publications advocating or recruiting for a country's military. File:Samurai and Ainu Fuzoku Ema.jpg, Samurai, member of the Japanese warrior caste File:Andrea_del_Castagno_-_Pippo_Spano,_Niccolò_Acciaiuoli,_Francesco_Petrarca_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, 14th century knight Pippo Spano, member of the Order of the Dragon File:Mounted Mongol warrior recreation.jpg, Recreation of a mounted warrior from the Mongol Empire. File:"Clay-daubed Ngoni Warrior, Livingstonia" Malawi, ca.1895 (imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS3-1-013).jpg, Photograph of a Ngoni people, Ngoni warrior with nguni shield c. 1895 File:Wells 0706 054.jpg, A recreation of Legionary, Roman legionaries wearing the ''lorica segmentata'', 1st–3rd century

Warrior communities

* Akinji * Ahir * Al-Haras * Amazons * Fyrd, Anglo-Saxons * Apache * Armatoloi * Ashigaru *Order of Assassins, Assassin * Aswaran * Batavi (Germanic tribe), Batavi * Berserker * Bogatyr * Boxers (group), Boxers * Boyars * Sacred Band of Carthage, Carthaginian * Cataphract * Celtic warfare, Celts * Cheyenne military societies, Cheyenne * Comanche * Comitatus * Condottieri * Cossacks * Crusades, Crusader * Curetes (tribe), Curetes * Dacians * Dahomey Amazons * Dog soldier * Druids * Druzhina * Eagle warrior *Eso Ikoyi * Eight Banners * Gabiniani * Gallowglass * Gargareans * Ghazi (warrior), Ghazi * Gladiator * Gurkha * Hajduks * Harii * Hashashin * Hersir * Herules *Hessian (soldier), Hessian * Scottish clan, Highlander * Hippeis * Hird * Hoplite * Knights Hospitaller, Hospitaller * Housecarl * Hulubalang * Huns * Hyksos * Hwarang * Immortals (Achaemenid Empire), Immortals * Zulu people, Zulu's Impi * Jaguar warriorSánchez-Murillo, R. (2012). La palabra universal. ''Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo.'' Retrieved September 5, 2012, fro
link
. * Janissary * Jinyiwei * Jund * Karaiyar * Karava * Kassites * Khalsa * Kheshig * Kipchaks * Klephts * Knights * Knights Templar * Chhetri, Kshetri * Leidang * Maccabees * Ancient Macedonian army, Macedonians * Maharlika * Mangudai * Mamluk * Māori people * Maravar * Maryannu * Mongols * Morlachs (Venetian irregulars), Morlachs * Moro People * Medjay * Mesedi * Mingghan * Mukkuvar * Nair * Nakh peoples * Ninja/Kunoichi * Normans * Numerus Batavorum * Onna-musha * Optimatoi * Piracy, Pirates * Quilombo * Rajput * Red Lanterns (Boxer Uprising), Red Lantern Sect * Reddy * Roman people, Romans * Ror * Rus' people * Saini * Samurai * Scordisci * Scythians * Seminole * Sengunthar * Shaolin Monastery, Shaolin * ShieldmaidenThe article ''Sköldmö''
in ''Nordisk familjebok'' (1917). * Sioux * Sipahi * Sohei * Somatophylakes * Spartiate, Spartan * Timawa * Teutonic Knights * Thingmen * Triballi * Troy, Trojans * Uskoks * Valkyrie * Varangian Guard * Velir or Vellalar * Vikings * Virago * Voynuks * White Lotus Sect

References

Bibliography

* Ayvazyan A
"The Code of Honor of the Armenian Military (4-5th centuries)"
(2000). * Shannon E. French, ''Code of the Warrior - Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present'' (2003).

External links

Roman Warriors: The Myth of the Military Machine
{{Authority control Anthropology Combat occupations Social classes Social divisions Stock characters Warriors, Warrior code Gendered occupations Men's social titles Western (genre) staples and terminology

History

Warrior communities

See also

References

Bibliography

External links