A warrior is a person specializing in

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

-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 Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

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 played a key role during the

Indo-European migrations The Indo-European migrations were hypothesized migrations of Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) speakers, and subsequent migrations of people speaking derived Indo-European languages, which took place approx. 4000 to 1000 BCE, potentially expla ...

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 common t ...

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 ...

, spears,

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

s, and other

edged weapon An edged weapon, or bladed weapon, is a melee weapon with a cutting edge. Bladed weapons include swords, daggers, knives, and bayonets. Edged weapons are used to cut, hack, or slash; some edged weapons (such as many kinds of swords) may also permit ...

s were in widespread use. However, with the new findings of

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

, 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. Egyptian pharaohs would depict themselves in war

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

s, shooting at enemies, or smashing others with clubs. Fighting was considered a prestigious activity, but only when associated with status and power. European mounted knights would often feel contempt for the foot soldiers recruited from lower classes. In Mesoamerican societies of pre-Columbian America, the

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

aristocratic soldiers remained separated from the lower classes of stone-throwers. The samurai 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 valor and 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 armies A standing army is a permanent, often professional, army. It is composed of full-time soldiers who may be either career soldiers or conscripts. It differs from army reserves, who are enrolled for the long term, but activated only during wars or na ...

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 Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

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 The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

. File:"Clay-daubed Ngoni Warrior, Livingstonia" Malawi, ca.1895 (imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS3-1-013).jpg, Photograph of a Ngoni warrior with nguni shield c. 1895 File:Wells 0706 054.jpg, A recreation of Roman legionaries wearing the '' lorica segmentata'', 1st–3rd century

Warrior communities

* Akinji *

Ahir Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

Al-Haras The haras ( ar, الحرس; "the Guard") was a personal bodyguard unit of the caliphs during the Umayyads and the Abbasids. The haras was also instituted in the Emirate of Córdoba in present-day Spain. Origin Muhammad era The Haras were dep ...

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...

* Anglo-Saxons *

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

* Armatoloi * Ashigaru * Assassin * Aswaran * Batavi *

Berserker In the Old Norse written corpus, berserker were those who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English word '' berserk'' (meaning "furiously violent or out of control"). Berserkers ...

* Bogatyr * Boxers * Boyars *

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

* Cataphract * Celts * Cheyenne *

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

* 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