Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ib: Subjects of the Successors

This is the second part of the first part of our four part look (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, V) 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, … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ib: Subjects of the Successors →

Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ia: Heirs of Alexander

This week on the blog we are starting what is a planned four-part ten-part series (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, V) 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 … Continue reading Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ia: Heirs of Alexander →

Collections: The Journey of the Roman Gladius and Other Swords

This week I want to do something a little different and discuss the evolution and development of a specific weapon, in this case the famed Roman gladius, the sword of the legions. As we're going to see, this is going to entail a journey covering quite a bit of both time and space as the gladius … Continue reading Collections: The Journey of the Roman Gladius and Other Swords →

Gap Week: December 29, 2023 (Year In Review)

Hey folks! I had planned to do a Fireside for this week with a sort of 'year-in-review' musing, but between the holidays and the whole pedant household coming down with a nasty cold, I'm a bit short of the time and energy to put together a full fireside with recommendations. Instead, I'll offer this brief end-of-year reflection … Continue reading Gap Week: December 29, 2023 (Year In Review) →

Collections: How Many People? Ancient Demography

One of the first questions anyone asks about past societies is, 'how many people were there?' It is one of those basic bits of information and generally speaking those of us who teach these societies are usually prepared with an estimate to answer the question. But what we often don't talk about is how we come to … Continue reading Collections: How Many People? Ancient Demography →

Collections: Shield Walls and Spacing: Hollywood Mobs and Ancient Tactics

This week, we're going to take a look at a different aspect of ancient infantry tactics: how heavy infantry shield formations work. While I've framed this around 'shield walls,' not every kind of shielded heavy infantry fought that way and in practice the line between what is a 'shield wall' and what isn't comes down to … Continue reading Collections: Shield Walls and Spacing: Hollywood Mobs and Ancient Tactics →

Collections: Roman Infantry Tactics: Why the Pilum and not a Spear?

This week's post is intended to answer a question which came up in response to the last post looking at the most common type of Mediterranean spear, which to put it simply is: what is up with the odd Roman heavy infantry kit built around a sword and two javelins (albeit two javelins of an … Continue reading Collections: Roman Infantry Tactics: Why the Pilum and not a Spear? →