Download or read book The Macedonian Phalanx written by Richard Taylor and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-12-02 with total page 659 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An overview on one of the most successful infantry formations used by Alexander the Great and his successors to dominate the ancient world. The Macedonian pike phalanx dominated the battlefields of Greece and the Near and Middle East for over two centuries. It was one of the most successful infantry formations of the ancient world, only rivaled by the manipular formation of the Roman legions. The phalanx was a key factor in the battlefield success of Alexander the Great and after his death dominated the armies of his Successors (the Diadochoi), who ruled from Greece and Egypt to the borders of India. Richard Taylor gives an overview of the phalanx’s development, organization, equipment and training. He analyses the reasons for its success, with an emphasis on case studies of the many battles in which it was used, from Philip II’s reign to the Mithridatic Wars. He discusses whether the famous defeats by the Romans necessarily mean it was inherently inferior to the manipular legion tactics, and considers what other factors were in play. The clear, accessible and well-researched text is supported by diagrams and battle maps, making this an outstanding study of this mighty formation.
Download or read book Legion versus Phalanx written by Myke Cole and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields interlocking, the men of the phalanx presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. Until, that is, the Roman legion emerged to challenge them as masters of infantry battle. Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280–168 BC), Myke Cole delves into their tactics, arms and equipment, organization and deployment. Drawing on original primary sources to examine six battles in which the legion fought the phalanx – Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC), and Pydna (168 BC) – he shows how and why the Roman legion, with its flexible organization, versatile tactics and iron discipline, came to eclipse the hitherto untouchable Hellenistic phalanx and dominate the ancient battlefield.
Download or read book Philip II of Macedonia written by Richard A. Gabriel and published by Potomac Books, Inc.. This book was released on 2010-08-31 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip II of Macedonia (382–336 BCE), unifier of Greece, author of Greece's first federal constitution, founder of the first territorial state with a centralized administrative structure in Europe, forger of the first Western national army, first great general of the Greek imperial age, strategic and tactical genius, and military reformer who revolutionized warfare in Greece and the West, was one of the greatest captains in the military history of the West. Philip prepared the ground, assembled the resources, conceived the strategic vision, and launched the first modern, tactically sophisticated and strategically capable army in Western military history, making the later victories of his son Alexander possible. Philip's death marked the passing of the classical age of Greek history and warfare and the beginning of its imperial age. To Philip belongs the title of the first great general of a new age of warfare in the West, an age that he initiated with his introduction of a new instrument of war, the Macedonian phalanx, and the tactical doctrines to ensure its success. As a practitioner of the political art, Philip also had no equal. In all these things, Philip exceeded Alexander's triumphs. This book establishes Philip's legitimate and deserved place in military history, which, until now, has been largely minimized in favor of his son by the classicist writers who have dominated the field of ancient biography. Richard Gabriel, renowned military historian, has given us the first military biography of Philip II of Macedonia.
Download or read book The Macedonian Phalanx written by Richard Taylor and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-12-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Macedonian pike phalanx dominated the battlefields of Greece and the Near and Middle East for over two centuries. It was one of the most successful infantry formations of the ancient world, only rivalled by the manipular formation of the Roman legions. The phalanx was a key factor in the battlefield success of Alexander the Great and after his death dominated the armies of his Successors (the Diadochoi), who ruled from Greece and Egypt to the borders of India.Richard Taylor gives an overview of the phalanx's development, organization, equipment and training. He analyses the reasons for its success, with an emphasis on case studies of the many battles in which it was used, from Philip II's reign to the Mithridatic Wars. He discusses whether the famous defeats by the Romans necessarily mean it was inherently inferior to the manipular legion tactics, and considers what other factors were in play. The clear, accessible and well-researched text is supported by diagrams and battle maps, making this an outstanding study of this mighty formation.
Download or read book The Greek Hoplite Phalanx written by Richard Taylor and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-01-31 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Greek hoplite and the phalanx formation in which he fought have been the subject of considerable academic debate over the past century. Dr Richard Taylor provides an overview of the current state of play in the hoplite debate in all its aspects, from fighting techniques to the social and economic background of the ‘hoplite revolution’, in a form that is accessible for the general reader and military history enthusiast. But the book goes further: offering a new perspective on the hoplite phalanx by putting it in the context of other military developments in the Mediterranean world in the middle of the first millennium BC. He argues that the Greek phalanx was different in degree but not in kind from other contemporary heavy infantry formations and that the hoplite debate, with its insistence on the unique nature of the hoplite phalanx, has obscured the similarities with other equivalent formations. The result is a fresh take on a perennially popular subject.
Download or read book The Hannibalian war part of the 21st and 22nd books of Livy adapted by G C Macaulay written by Titus Livius and published by . This book was released on 1880 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Roman Conquests Macedonia and Greece written by Philip Matyszak and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2010-03-10 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed ancient world historian presents an accessible and authoritative account of the Macedonian Wars of the 3rd century, BCE. While the Roman Republic was struggling for survival against the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War, Philip V of Macedon attempted to take advantage of its apparent vulnerability by allying with Hannibal and declaring war. The Romans first negated this threat by deploying allies to keep Philip occupied in Greece and Illyria. Once Carthage was defeated, however, the stage was set for the clash of two of the most successful military systems of the ancient world, the Roman legions versus the Macedonian phalanx. Though sorely tested, the legions emerged victorious from the epic battles of Cynoscephelae and Pydna. The home of Alexander the Great fell under the power of Rome, along with the rest of Greece, which had a profound effect on Roman culture and society. Like the other volumes in this series, this book chronicles these wars in a clear narrative, explaining how the Roman war machine coped with formidable new foes and the challenges of unfamiliar terrain and climate. Specially commissioned color plates bring the main troop types vividly to life in meticulously researched detail.
Download or read book The Greek and Macedonian Art of War written by Frank E. Adcock and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This informal history traces battle tactics and military strategy from the time of the city-states' phalanxes of spearmen to the far-reaching combined operations of specialized land and sea forces in the Hellenistic Age. The author first describes the attitude of the Greek city-state toward war, and shows the military conventions and strategies associated with it. He then recounts how the art of war gradually evolved into new forms through the contributions of such men as the great commander Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon, his son Alexander the Great, and others. He also discusses the independence of land and sea power, describes the first use of calvary, and tells of the ingenious Greek devices of siegecraft, including the "fifth column."
Download or read book Macedonian Armies after Alexander 323 168 BC written by Nicholas Sekunda and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC threw the Macedonians into confusion; there was no capable heir, and no clear successor among the senior figures in Alexander's circle. Initial attempts to preserve the unity of Alexander's conquests gave way to a period of bloody and prolonged warfare. For well over a century the largely mercenary armies of Alexander's successors imposed their influence over the whole of the Near East, while absorbing local military practices. After Rome's decisive defeat of Carthage in 202 BC, Macedonia came under increasing pressure from the Romans. Three wars between the two powers culminated in the Roman victory at Pydna in 168 BC, which laid Alexander's empire to rest and established Roman hegemony in the Near East. Drawing upon a wide array of archaeological and written sources and written by a noted authority on the Hellenistic period, this survey of the organization, battle history and appearance of the armies of Alexander's successors is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned full-colour artwork.
Download or read book Ancient Battle Formations written by Justin Swanton and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-08-30 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An analysis of ancient Greek, Roman, and Macedonian winning battle formations, from why they worked, the equipment and men used, and how they broke down. Justin Swanton examines the principal battle-winning formations of the ancient world, determining their composition, function and efficacy. An introductory chapter looks at the fundamental components of the principal battle formations of heavy and light infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots, showing how they bolstered the individual's soldier's willingness to fight. The rest of the book focuses on massed infantry that reigned supreme in this era: the heavily armored Greek hoplite phalanx that was immune to the weaponry of its non-Greek opponents; the Macedonian pike phalanx that was unbeatable against frontal attacks so long as it kept order; the Roman triplex acies which, contrary to popular opinion, consisted of continuous lines in open order, with file spaces wide enough to allow embattled infantry to fall back after which those files closed up instantly against the enemy. A careful study of the Greek and Latin of the sources sheds fresh light on how these formations were organized and worked, reevaluating many conventional notions and leading to some surprising conclusions. Praise for Ancient Battle Formations “This book is both important for its thoroughly researched, original and well-argued historical conclusions and an enjoyable read. Highly recommended.” —Professor F. Noel Zaal (BA, LLB University of Natal, LLM Durban-Westville, LLM Columbia, PhD Wits
Download or read book Soldiers and Ghosts written by J. E. Lendon and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sparta, Macedonia, and Rome--how did these nations come to dominate the ancient world? Lendon shows readers that the most successful armies were those that made the most effective use of cultural tradition.
Download or read book Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army written by Donald W. Engels and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-11-10 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The most important work on Alexander the Great to appear in a long time. Neither scholarship nor semi-fictional biography will ever be the same again. . . .Engels at last uses all the archaeological work done in Asia in the past generation and makes it accessible. . . . Careful analyses of terrain, climate, and supply requirements are throughout combined in a masterly fashion to help account for Alexander's strategic decision in the light of the options open to him...The chief merit of this splendid book is perhaps the way in which it brings an ancient army to life, as it really was and moved: the hours it took for simple operations of washing and cooking and feeding animals; the train of noncombatants moving with the army. . . . this is a book that will set the reader thinking. There are not many books on Alexander the Great that do."—New York Review of Books
Download or read book Arrian s History of the Expedition of Alexander the Great and Conquest of Persia written by Arrian and published by . This book was released on 1812 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Taken at the Flood written by Robin Waterfield and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addressing a marginalized era of Greek and Roman history, Taken at the Flood offers a compelling narrative of Rome's conquest of Greece.
Download or read book Great Battles of the Hellenistic World written by Joseph Pietrykowski and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pietrykowski analyses the Macedonian art of war from its development under Philip II, perfection under Alexander the Great, and further adaptation under the Successor States. Focussing on twenty battles spanning the era of Macedonian primacy, we see the evolving just the forces, strategies and tactics employed by Hellenistic generals and gain an understanding of their successes and ultimate failures when facing new foes such as the Romans. Clear diagrams make the action easy to follow.
Download or read book Rome and the Third Macedonian War written by Paul J. Burton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-12 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Readable full-length narrative of the Third Macedonian War, which effectively made Rome an almost global power beyond compare.
Download or read book The Antigonid Army written by Nicholas Sekunda and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with the Macedonian army under the Antigonid dynasty, who ruled Macedon from 294 BC until 168 BC. The representational evidence is mainly dealt with in the first two chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the Tomb of Lyson and Kallikles, and Chapter 2 with the survival of some Antigonid Court art in Roman copies. The rest of the book deals with the literary and epigraphic material relating to the army. Chapter 3 deals with Army Command and Staff, Chapter 4 with the Cavalry, Chapter 5 with Infantry Equipment and Chapter 6 with Infantry Organization. Chapter 7 deals with the Mobilization of the army, and so, necessarily with the way the kingdom of Macedonia was organized. The final Chapter 8 is concerned with the evidence for the leukaspides phalanx in the Antigonid army. The leukaspides are only mentioned twice in an Antigonid context, at the battles of Sellasia and Pydna, and the author reaches the controversial conclusion is that the references refer to allied forces of thureophoroi during the two battles. In the course of this chapter the author attempts a new reconstruction of the battle of Pydna. The book neither deals with artillery nor naval matters.
