A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A look at history and popular culture
This is the third part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb) look at the how the Roman military system and its manipular legion were able to defeat the Hellenistic military system and its Macedonian sarisa phalanx in the third and second centuries BC. Last time, … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVc: Perseus
This is the second part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa) look at the context between the Roman military system based on the manipular legion and the Hellenistic military system structured around the Macedonian sarisa phalanx in the third and second century BC. Last time we … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVb: Antiochus III
This is the first part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb) look at why the thing to use to beat a Macedonian sarisa phalanx is, in fact, a Roman legion in the third and second century BC. Last time, we finished our look at the third-century successes … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVa: Philip V
This is the second part of the third part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa) look at the performance of the Roman army and its legions in the third and second century BC against the Hellenistic armies of the heirs of Alexander. Last time, we sought to assess some of the assumed … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IIIb: Pyrrhus
This is the first part of the third part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa) look at the triumph of the Roman legions in the third and second century over the Hellenistic armies of the heirs of Alexander. Last time, we looked at some of the operational and strategic advantages that the … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IIIa: Peak Pike-Phalanx
This is the second part of the second part of the second part of our four part look at the great third and second century BC contest between the Romans and the heirs of Alexander, asking the question, "What can defeat a Macedonian sarisa-phalanx?" Last time, we started looking at the Romans with an in-depth … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IIb: Handfuls of Maniples
This is the first part of the second part of our four? four part look at the great third and second century BC contest between the Hellenistic armies of the heirs of Alexander and the Roman legions. Last time, we looked at the Hellenistic army as a complete system, incorporating not just the famed Macedonian sarisa-phalanx, … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IIa: How a Legion Fights
This is the second part of the first part of our four part look at the context between the Hellenistic army and its Macedonian phalanx and the Romans with their legions. Last week, we looked at the weapons, organization and fighting style of the Macedonian phalanx, the infantry core of the armies of the Hellenistic world, … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ib: Subjects of the Successors
This week on the blog we are starting what is a planned four-part series looking at the twilight of Hellenistic warfare and the triumph of the Roman legion. Our core question is a really common one: why was the Roman legion able to decisively defeat the Hellenistic sarisa-phalanx? It's a question that crops up on social … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ia: Heirs of Alexander