Phalanx greek history books

The phalanx formation is an ancient greek term for a blocklike infantry formation. Jun 29, 2012 the phalanx was a genuine military advancement that forever changed how civilizations waged and fought wars. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Three great battlesmantinea 418 bce, leuctra 371 bce, and gaugamela 331 bcedemonstrate the development of greek and macedonian warfare from the simple hoplite phalanx employed by greek farmers defending their fields, into the powerful, tactically flexible army which allowed alexander the great to conquer the persian empire. The term ancient, or archaic, greece refers to the years 700480 b. Jun 09, 20 men of bronze takes up one of the most important and fiercely debated subjects in ancient history and classics.

Polybius, histories, book 18, the macedonian phalanx. Feb 24, 2020 sigler targeted his research on sumerian, egyptian, greek, and roman societies, and how military advances in technology and tactics in those cultures forever altered the path of history. Find ancient greek history textbooks at up to 90% off. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. While the orthodox view is the end result of a couple of different strands of scholarship, it is fair to say that every expression of this view of greek warfare in the englishspeaking world ultimately goes back to one chapter in g. Founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they all sound incredibly interesting as you can see for yourself by reading the descriptions below. Ancient greek warfare project gutenberg selfpublishing. Greek phalanx illustration ancient history encyclopedia. The romans eliminated the greek phalanx and replaced it with the maniple, which was a looser, more mobile fighting unit. The kingdoms which formed following the death of alexander and the frac.

The spartan phalanx, a tight military formation usually eight men. Originally employed by the spartans, it was developed by epaminondas of thebes d. Bibliography related content books cite this work license. Phalanx, which is a deep dive into the dominance of phalanx formations and how those formations, in. According to thucydides, the thebans had ranks of up to 25 hoplites at the battle of delion. This powerful greek formation allowed the greeks to hold off the powerful persian invasion and spread greek culture throughout the mediterranean. For the record, by greek phalanx i mean hoplites equipped with an aspisthe hoplite shield you so kindly posted a picture of, a dorythe hoplite spear you so kindly posted a picture of, a xiphosthe hoplite sword you so kindly posted a picture of, a bronze cuirassthe hoplite plate armour you so kindly posted a picture of and a corinthian helmetthe very cool. Best books on ancient greek history and literature 259 books. The development of the phalanx began in 675 bc in the greek citystates of corinth, sparta and athens see ferrill 1985, 100.

At the battle of cynocephalae in 197 bce, the romans defeated the greek phalanx easily because. These developments ushered in the archaic period 800480 bc. Cavalry were rare, partly because horses were a scarce resource, and partly because the. Greek hoplites were heavy infantry soldiers, citizensoldiers who equipped themselves when called to fight for the poleis or citystate. Greek phalanxmaniples cohorts greek phalanx 3 the book is analytical with well thought arguments 4 very nicely presented like a.

Spartan tactic greek phalanx with images ancient war. The epic struggle for infantry supremacy in the ancient world is an extraordinary, unique, and seminal study. Greek history ancient history ancient rome ancient greece military art military history hellenistic period greek warrior medieval world this is the first part in a series on the militaries of the macedonian successor states. The macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by philip ii. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the ancient macedonian period, although wars had developed into more protracted operations generally involving sieges and naval combat. Warfare occurred throughout the history of ancient greece, from the greek dark ages on. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. The germans used it against caesar, the anglosaxons used it, the viking used it. Each soldier was armed with the sarissa, a to 21foot spear. A primary reference source was myke coles legion vs. Phalanx battles between greek citystates were the apex competition. A simply fascinating and informative read that is exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, legion versus phalanx. Prior to its development, during the greek dark ages, battles were fought without regard to tactic, strategy, or codes of conduct.

The greek dark age drew to a close as a significant increase in population allowed urbanized culture to be restored, and the rise of the citystates poleis. History of the peloponnesian war by thucydides, the histories by herodotus, the peloponnesian war by donald kagan, the il. The strength of the greek phalanx lay in the endurance and discipline of the. Nonfiction but can also include ancient greek literature, myths, poetry, drama and philosophy. The only advantage the macedonian phalanx had over the hoplite phalanx was its use of calvary. Apr 16, 2018 three great battlesmantinea 418 bce, leuctra 371 bce, and gaugamela 331 bcedemonstrate the development of greek and macedonian warfare from the simple hoplite phalanx employed by greek farmers defending their fields, into the powerful, tactically flexible army which allowed alexander the great to conquer the persian empire. The backbone of classical greek armies was the phalanx of heavily armored. Greek warfare seems to be one of the few areas of ancient history. Greek people called a soldier who fought this way a hoplite hoplight, and they called a group of soldiers who fought this way a hoplite phalanx faylanks. His is the notion that hoplite phalanx open battle on the plain. Phalanx and fallacies ways forward in the study of ancient greek. A discussion on the differences and opposing merits of the greek phalanx vs. Jan 18, 2012 the strength of the greek phalanx lay in the endurance and discipline of the soldiers who made up the closelypacked rectangular formation of shields and spears. Alexanders core unit in the phalanx was the syntagma, normally 16 men deep.

I ran across this post that argues that the greek phalanx was actually a superior infantry formation and the author even goes on to say that alexanders army was superior in all respects to julius caesars wondering if any military history experts would like to pass their opinions and offer suggestions for good books that may help provided a comparison. How did the development of the phalanx affect greek society. In the nineteenth century, george grote argued that the phalanx battle formation of the hoplite farmer citizensoldier. In greek texts, the phalanx may be deployed for battle, on the march, or even camped, thus. A captivating guide to the thracian captivating history. Hoplite and phalanx in archaic and classical greece. Bred for battleunderstanding ancient spartas military machine.

Im creating a reading list for myself for my becoming wellread project, and ive started by identifying the books by the ancient greeks that i want to read. Tactically, there were four major differences between macedonianstyle phalangists and later middle age and renaissance pike formations. The formation was made up of spearmen carrying 18 to 20 ft 5. Macedonian phalanx and alexander the great greek history, ancient history. Read legion versus phalanx by myke cole for free with a 30 day free trial. Perhaps most notably, the phalanx of phillipalexander differed in several key aspects from the one utilised by later generals. Macedonian phalanx century bc the ancient greek kingdom greek history, ancient. A good example of what im talking about would be the chigi vase.

Jul 15, 2016 a discussion on the differences and opposing merits of the greek phalanx vs. Men of bronze takes up one of the most important and fiercely debated subjects in ancient history and classics. In the nineteenth century, george grote argued that the phalanx battle formation. Ancient history encyclopedia limited is a nonprofit company registered in the united kingdom. Locking shields in packed formations is common from china to the vikings. Dec 22, 20 ancient greek history the phalanx 05 historyden.

Why was the macedonian phalanx so effective in alexanders. Macedonian phalanx simple english wikipedia, the free. Phalanx formation simple english wikipedia, the free. The term is particularly and originally used to describe the use of this formation in ancient. Sep 28, 2019 greek hoplites were heavy infantry soldiers, citizensoldiers who equipped themselves when called to fight for the poleis or citystate. This book is remarkable, not because of the quality of the work though. Again the greeks didnt invent the formation because the formation is quite common sense. Historians like hans van wees and peter krentz advocate a. Greek phalanx versus roman legion discussionquestion i ran across this post that argues that the greek phalanx was actually a superior infantry formation and the author even goes on to say that alexanders army was superior in all respects to julius caesars. Please support ancient history encyclopedia foundation. A major contribution to the debate over ancient greek warfare by some of the worlds leading scholars. The organization from homeric style hero warfare to tightly packed hoplite warfare was world changing.

Hoplite battles frequently took place in long, straight valleysso common in the greek mainlandwhere the phalanx could occupy the entire width of the valley and thus protect its flanks and its rear. The roman army abandoned the greek phalanx in favor of. The most accessible military history book i have ever read. A hoplite phalanx was a very strong military formation but it only worked if all the soldiers were well trained, and if they were all brave enough to hold the line if anyone started to run away, the whole line would fall apart, and. This powerful greek formation allowed the greeks to hold off the powerful persian invasion and spread greek culture.

A hoplite phalanx was a very strong military formation but it only worked if all the soldiers were well trained, and if they were all brave enough to hold the line. The phalanx formation reached its height of effectiveness in the conquests of alexander the great who was able to move large bodies of men very quickly and whose brilliant strategies on the field made skillful use of the formation. The basic greek formation was made more flexible by philip ii of macedon and his son, alexander iii the great. The phalanx was a genuine military advancement that forever changed how civilizations waged and fought wars. Sigler targeted his research on sumerian, egyptian, greek, and roman societies, and how military advances in technology and tactics in those cultures forever altered the path of history. The phalanx constituted of at least 8 ranks of hoplite warriors, however if possible more than 8 ranks were used to give the men a deeper sense of security. There could be multiple such instances of attempts to push, but it seems from the accounts of the ancients that these were perfectly orchestrated. The phalanx was a term used as far back as the writings of homer, but the deadly combat formation was perfected around the seventh century b. The greek phalanx was nearly unstoppable in its intended mode of combat.

Macedonianstyle phalanges were in much larger formations than in later pike warfare in the early renaissan. Illustration of the greek phalanx positioned for battle the sketch illustrates the deadly formation of the phalanx in ancient greek warfare. Ancient history encyclopedia foundation is a nonprofit organization registered in canada. Read legion versus phalanx online by myke cole books free 30. The hoplite phalanx is a frequent subject in ancient greek art at this point, the phalanx would put its collective weight to push back the enemy line and thus create fear and panic among its ranks.

See more ideas about greek warrior, ancient greece and greek history. Asked in ancient history, greek and roman mythologies did the phalanx. It was the innovation of the phalanx that changed all of this. In fact there are numerous battles that shown when an unsopported phalangite phalanx meet a hoplite phalanx hoplite would chew their lines ranging from battles that philip had with the greeks, to the persians employing greek hoplite mercenaries, to. How did the macedonian phalanx differ tactically from the. Best books on ancient greek history and literature ancient greece. The phalanx was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy. The greek hoplites heavy infantry were armed with spears, swords, or similar weapons. Greek historian considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the peloponnesian war that contains the funeral oration of pericles peloponnesian war war between athens and sparta won by sparta, but left greece as a whole weak and ready to fall to its neighbors to the thebans and then the macedonians. The soldiers were arrayed in rows 8 or 16, with arms at the ready, making a solid block that could sweep bristling through the more dispersed ranks of the enemy. Grundys thucydides and the history of his age 1911. Army sniper charged with murder on the battlefield in new book, saving. The macedonian phalanx in my sixth book i made a promise, still unfulfilled, of taking a fitting opportunity of drawing a comparison between the arms of the romans and macedonians, and their respective system of tactics, and pointing out how they differ for better or worse from each other. It was used by his son alexander the great to conquer the persian empire.

The mass of infantry marched forward as one entity against opponents. The system was used by city states, who often fought each other. The book in great detail explained the main battle formation used by both the greeks and the macedonians the phalanx. Once the phalanx was formed the soldiers would advance slowly toward the opposing army, fending off missle blows with their shields and holding the formation tightly in order to break. A beautiful photography coffee table photobook tour guide book with photo pictures of the spectacular country its cities and greek islands within europe paperback at walmart and save. They even had judges to determine a clear winner and loser. In the nineteenth century, george grote argued that the phalanx. See more ideas about ancient greece, greek warrior and alexander the great. A student of hanson claimed the soldiers carrying the spears over their heads showed that hoplites fought with their spear overhand instead of an under grip and that this was the earliest representation of a hoplite phalanx source.