Mesopotamian military strategy and tactics

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The Mesopotamian Civilization had a surprisingly adept grasp of tactics. In fact, they are the first confirmed users of the shield wall tactic later made famous as the Roman "testudo formation". It is unknown who first developed all this, but it is thought to have been developed somewhere between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.

Another Mesopotamian tactic involved large, well-disciplined (for the time) spearman formations. Armed with javelins, they were the first effective missile troops, as shown during their war against the Hittites in around 2000 BC. These missile units were later idealized in the famous epic poem "The Siege of Damascus."

So, by around 1700 BC, the Mesopotamian wall of battle consisted of the shield wall and short-sword armed sliders in front, and the missile troops behind, with charioteers on the flanks. This served the Mesopotamians well for many years, but were eventually outclassed by slingers and archers.