Nancient macedonian army tactics books

It was created and made formidable by king philip ii of macedon. Alexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army by donald w. By the 5th century bce the military prowess of sparta provided a model for all. A cobweb novel by, a spare life by lidija dimkovska, by. The macedonians were infamous for using the phalanx formation with an innovative longer pike than other traditional pikes used in greece. Mar 07, 2016 philip ii,father of alexander the great, was more responsible than alexander himself for the glory of the macedonian army. The best books on military strategy five books expert. The macedonian warrior during his service would march over 20,000 miles in the most diverse climates and terrains, fighting in four of the epoch battles of the time. Animation presents the tactics of the ancient macedonian army of alexander the great april 3, 2019 while popular history tends to bring forth the notion of alexander the great as a military genius and rightly so, his generalship was not only mirrored by his individual brilliance but also the impressive efforts of his army. Jan 18, 2012 the persian right was held mostly by cavalry syrians, mesopotamians, and warriors from the persian gulf. The story of alexanders tactical and political conquests is only the background for this account. The battle tactics of the army of alexander were generally aimed to force a rapid decision. The army of the kingdom of macedon was among the greatest military forces of the ancient.

They were more flexible than their greek counterparts, the hoplites. Ancient macedonia employed a range of tactics and formations in their military campaigns, the most notable of these is the macedonian phalanx, developed by philip ii and used extensively on campaign by his son alexander the great. This book examines their initial training, rise to an elite unit under. His army, his battles, his enemies is an essential companion for any reader interested in his military campaigns and why he is still regarded as one of the worlds greatest military leaders.

Alexanders use of such tactics was on display throughout his known and documented conquests. Definitely has all the elements of a phalanx there. The phalangites were armed with a much longer spear, the sarissa, and less heavily armoured. Alexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army. How powerful was the ancient macedonian army and what made it. Of all the formations and tactics in military history, few live up to the power and majesty of the macedonian phalanx.

In his book, alexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army, donald w. Nicholas guilds the macedonian is a gripping fictional account of the life of philip of macedon, the king who sired alexander the great and conquered an unprecedented number of ancient greek citystates. The hoplite was an armoured infantry unit of the ancient world. Both army commanders had been waiting for a spark to start the battle, and perseus acted first. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Animation presents the tactics of the ancient macedonian army of alexander.

Introduction of very long spears called a sarissa that philip had specifically designed for use in the phalanx. On 8 september, independence day of the republic of macedonia, the macedonian flag was flown for the first time in kabul. The archers, which wielded longbows, would fire waves of arrows before the battle, attempting to cut the enemy numbers down prior battle. Animation presents the tactics of the ancient macedonian army. The macedonian hoplites armament was topped off with his sword, which was unsheathed in closecombat once the sarissas range was no longer an advantage. Ruth sheppard read ancient and modern history at st johns college, oxford. The army of the kingdom of macedonia was among the greatest military forces of the ancient world. But the kings younger brother philip immediately took control of the kingdom and initiated the reforms that would turn the macedonian army into.

The macedonian empire lasted only 36 years, beginning with philip iis assumption of the throne in 359 b. The mediterranean basin saw the dawn of modern military strategy and tactics. The army of alexander the great ancient history encyclopedia. As with any plodding ancient formation, the macedonian hoplite was susceptible to ranged weapons particularly from archers, slingers or javelinthrowing peltasts. Browse through our ebooks while discovering great authors and exciting books in macedonian. The most prestigious unit in the macedonian army would serve that purpose.

Greek macedonian commander would be alexander the great, and the roman would be julius caesar or scipio. Ancient greek warfare ancient history encyclopedia. The sarissa was the pike used by the ancient macedonian army. On a cold, snowswept night in the ancient greek kingdom of macedon, a son is born to the kings principal wife. The term is particularly and originally used to describe the use of this formation in ancient greek warfare, although the ancient greek writers used it to also describe any massed infantry formation, regardless of its equipment, as does arrian in his array against the allans when he refers to his legions. Logistics lessons from alexander the great if alexander were a ceo. Review ofalexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army. Ancient warfare books ancient world warfare osprey.

Philip ii and the macedonian army weapons and warfare. Shock tactics on the ancient battlefield by vincent lopez. Although the figure of a million infantry and 40,000 cavalry including 200 scythed chariots and 15 elephants is almost certainly exaggerated, alexanders army, with 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry, was nevertheless heavily outnumbered. Inspired by thebes, many cities surrendered to alexanders army before fighting, and subsequently pledged their support and supplies to the macedonian army. He is the author of numerous books about ancient greece, including, most. Detailing the current military strength of north macedonia including air force, army, navy, financials and manpower. Some of the details are still under debate, such as. Macedonian armies after alexander 323168 bc and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.

What are some of alexander the greats military tactics. Aelians work on tactics is a hugely significant piece of ancient military literature, yet. Engels this is a great book, full of facts, dates, maps, tables and a extensive bibliography. Start studying ancient history, alexander the great, the macedonian army. A steady stream of fascinating stories of brilliant military tactics interspersed with rampant postclassical gore.

A new king has ascended the throne, keen to revert his kingdoms fortunes. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The kingdom of macedonia lies on the brink of destruction its army defeated and people in despair. Why was the macedonian army so effective in alexanders time. So as a uniform guide this is an excellent book, which is why it is an osprey format. The macedonian ebook by nicholas guild rakuten kobo.

Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the tactics of aelian. But in the ancient world, lets say we are crossing the desert, and we plan to use several wells to. In that span, the two leaders changed the map in the known world. The following historyplex article sheds light on their war strategies in detail. The phalanx of the ancient macedonian kingdom and the later hellenistic successor states was a development of the hoplite phalanx. The rest would be skirmishers, i use 23 units of them mostly javelins. Mar 16, 2014 the general staff meetings before an engagement were therefore vital for the coordination of the armys actions. They were easily stuck in the ground, allowed to attack with several ranks and protected soldiers from arrows when everybody got their spear toward the. His army his battles his enemies general military sheppard, ruth on.

Previously we have covered the evolution of the greek armies prior to the rise of macedon, but the military of hellenistic world became really dominant with the reforms of. In 359 bc following the macedonian defeat from the illyrians which killed the majority of macedonias army and the current king perdiccas iii, perdiccas brother philip ii took the throne. This will be the third in the roman conquests series following italy and spain and one of those with the most obvious appeal. To many greeks, macedon was not part of the greek world. The historic emblem of the macedonians is the star pattern. In addition to the longer sarissa, the macedonian hoplite also utilized a smaller rounded shield easier to maneuver while still supplying some form of critical protection from slicing, stabbing and artillery weaponry. Tactics remained simple the pezhetairoi would hit the center of the opposing. He is an artist that tended to go for impact and vividness.

Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. How the macedonian phalanx conquered the world history hit. Both command an army of equal size, composition and layout of the armies would be of the appropriate era and personal preference of the commander. Most of these chapters developed from papers which were presented at a conference on ancient warfare, held at the national library of wales in aberystwyth, wales, from the 18th. The gaul mercenaries in macedonian army in 3rd century bce. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. May 31, 2018 in many ways, the destiny and legacy of alexander the great were forged by the military prowess, organizational capacity, and revolutionary battle tactics of his ancient macedonian army.

Tactics remained simple the pezhetairoi would hit the center of the opposing army in an oblique angle while the cavalry would attack and punch holes on the flanks. In the ancient greek world, warfare was seen as a necessary evil of the human. Ancient macedonian army acheter english books ex libris. Alexander the great an illustrated military history. Id put in a vote for the sumerian army, which predates the greeks and macedonians by at least quite a few centuries. The pezhetairoi were the heavy infantry in the macedonian army. His victories and the tactics that ensured them are explained and described. As an introduction to macedonian successor history and military tactics sorry not here.

Macedonian armies after alexander 323168 bc menatarms. It should be noted that these are new, modern english translations, accompanied by the modern chinese text of eight venerable classics. We need to understand ancient rome, but should we take lessons from it. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. Perhaps the most famous commander of the ancient world, alexander the great, and his battles and victories. As with the previously abandoned hoplite phalanx, the new army was designed to attack and remained a purely offensive weapon. Not a standing army tactics gradually became outdated no ranged weapons. Although their role would prove crucial in the successes of both philip and then his son alexander, these men were not meant to win the battles on their own. The attack of the macedonian forces was generally made in an oblique battle formation with an advanced right flank and a refused left wing. Prior to the reign of philip ii 382336 bc macedonia was a. No military commander in history has ever won a battle by himself. Pertaining to the latter, youtuber historia civilis has concocted. Persian tactics primarily had four stages involving archers, infantry and cavalry.

This book examines alexanders campaigns in detail and his victories with the. Books and ebooks about warfare in the ancient world, examining the equipment, uniforms, training and tactics of soldiers and warriors on the battlefield, from the spartans of ancient greece to the legendary roman legions. The basic answer to that has little to do with superior tactics or even with better military. Some of the macedonians tried to steal the animal, and the romans fought back. Angus mcbrides paintings for ospreys the army of alexander the great is very colourful but i suspect that the late artist got a bit carried away at times. During the reigns of philip ii and alexander the great, the macedonian army the phalangites were reformed and drilled into an invincible fighting force with unique tactics and weaponry. They primarily fought for the greek city states but also served the later macedonian army. Ancient warfare is war that was conducted from the beginning of recorded history to the end of. Alexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army 9780520042728. They received basic military training, which gave them the advantage of the untrained militia they often came up against. Alexander the great was an ancient macedonian ruler and one of historys greatest military minds who before his death established a powerful, immense empire. This was due to a couple facets that are covered below. Early ancient armies continued to primarily use bows and spears, the same weapons that had been. In march 2003, the army of the republic of macedonia increased its contribution in the isaf mission by sending one section from the 2nd infantry brigade as part of the german contingent.

Remember that is what an osprey is a uniform guide mostly for hobbiests so if you are looking for a complete guide to antigonid military history this is not the place. Philip ii unified greece under the rule of macedonia. From his father king philip of macedonia he inherited a versatile, welltrained. Ancient macedonian battle tactics military wiki fandom. If you want to siege the enemy go with some ballistae on your army, 2 are more than enough. He developed alliances with conquered and friendly locals, which enabled his army to be constantly provided magazines of provisions. Several of these key battles were fought by the armies of ancient greece and rome. In its time, this intricately designed method of fighting proved a super weapon, forming the nucleus of armies commanded by some of historys best military leaders from pyrrhus to alexander the great. The mobility and protection that the macedonian phalanx provided made it a formidable tactic in hellenistic warfare. Was the macedonian phalanx more effective than hoplites. Nov 21, 2016 the army that phillip ii created and alexander would utilize, was a dominant force and overwhelmingly powerful in comparison to opposing armies. If i had a choice, i know which army i would like to be in the macedonian army was a professional army, highly organised particularly in the alexandrian age. Now for the actual battle tactics, you will have to adopt the equivalent of the phalanx, but on all of your army.

Animation presents the tactics of the ancient macedonian. The tactics and strategies of the roman army helped them fend more than half of the world, and thus they came to be known as one of the best armies, which remains unchanged even today. Soon light infantry and skirmishers from both sides began to slowly escalate the conflict. Review of alexander the great and the logistics of the macedonian army, by donald w. The phalanx properly supported by its cavalry and light forces with an alexander or phillip ii would probably overwhelm the legions who at the time were more akin to the greek hoplites.

Military strategy classics of ancient china english. The tactics of aelian by christopher matthew books on. The january 2009 issue of armchair general magazine presents our cover story article, 50 battles that shaped our world. Ancient warfare books books and ebooks about warfare in the ancient world, examining the equipment, uniforms, training and tactics of soldiers and warriors on the battlefield, from the spartans of ancient greece to the legendary roman legions. Jan 15, 2016 keep in mind that this is a presentation to give you an understanding for the principal functions of this army and not an illustration of an actual battle, for those you have to alter the army. The macedonian army perfected the coordination of different troop types, an early example of combined arms tactics the heavy infantry phalanx, skirmish infantry, archers, light cavalry and heavy cavalry, and siege engines were all deployed in battle.

Ancient macedonian military equipment, cavalry units and formations of macedon. Review of alexander the great and the logistics of the. B070075 5 are not always clear and sometimes debated, there is a clear consensus that the macedonian military underwent significant changes during the reign of philip ii. The cavalry would then attempt to run into the enemy and sever communications between generals and soldiers. The evolution of greek military institutions and tactics. Perhaps the most famous commander of the ancient world, alexander the great. At no time in macedonian history did things look more dismal than in 360 bce, when balkan tribes killed the king and overran much of macedon. That is exactly why they claim that there is no modern macedonian nation, not in greece not anywhere, and continue to deny the basic human rights of their macedonian minority through politics filled with paranoia, politics which without the revision of the ancient history could not breathe. The battle of gaugamela, 331 bce ancient history encyclopedia.

Macedonian army battle tactics cavalry cavalry greek infantry in normal formation thessalian cavalry to stop enemy outflanking macedonian phalanx used as a holding force hypaspists used to keep contact between phalanx and companion cavalry companion cavalry used to deliver the main blow light troops and cavalry to stop enemy. The first versions of the phalanx were 10 men wide and 10 deep in a square shape. Strategy, tactics, and innovation the roman army is widely regarded as one of the most effective fighting forces in human history, influencing the development of military tactics for generations afterwards. Its actual length is unknown, but apparently it was twice. Strategies and deception, the thieves of war klemmata, as the greeks. I think macedonian army should remain a disambiguation page, but this article should be moved to something less ambigious, such as ancient macedonian army, or possibly even macedonian army ancient kingdom, mirroring macedonia ancient kingdom.

Most of the macedonians did not speak greek, and their social organization was closer to that of the homeric world, with its hereditary kingships and clan chiefs, than it was to the contemporary world of the greek polis. Philip ii was a hostage in thebes for much of his youth 367360, where he witnessed the combat tactics of the general epaminondas, which then influenced. The first mobile instrument to be used as a shock tactic in warfare was the chariot. The macedonian warrior during his service would march over 20000. They could fight inn the traditional greekhoplite formation when armed with a hoplite shield and spear of traditional length. The term is particularly and originally used to describe the use of this formation in ancient greek warfare, although the ancient greek writers used it to also describe any massed infantry formation, regardless of its equipment, as does arrian in his array against the allans when he refers to. Jun 30, 20 the macedonian army alexander the great 1. Philip established new tactics that forever ended the highly stylized mode that had characterized classic greek warfare, and alexanders superb. To that end, in many ways, the destiny and legacy of alexander were rather forged by the military prowess, organizational capacity, and revolutionary battle tactics of his commanded macedonians. But the kings younger brother philip immediately took control of the kingdom and initiated the reforms that would turn the macedonian army into a wellorganized war machine. It was under such leaders as philip ii 382336 bc and alexander the great 356323 bc of macedonia and hannibal 247183 bc of carthage that the first great strides were made in military.