A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A look at history and popular culture
This week we're beginning a series looking at hoplites (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, Intermission, IVa, IVb), the heavy infantry of the ancient Greek poleis in the (early? mid? late?) Archaic and Classical periods, into the Hellenistic. In particular, I want to outline the major debate, which I have alluded to quite a few times here, … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos
This week, in part as a follow-on to our series on the contest between Hellenistic armies and Roman legions, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about Alexander III, who you almost certainly know as Alexander the Great. But I want to discuss his reign with that title, 'the Great' (magnus in Latin or … Continue reading Collections: On the Reign of Alexander III of Macedon, the Great? Part I
In a special treat this week, Michael Taylor, Associate Professor of History at SUNY Albany is back (he has written here once before). This time Michael is taking a look back at what is probably "he most influential book on any aspect of military history in the last fifty years" and I'd argue probably the … Continue reading Michael Taylor on John Keegan’s The Face of Battle: A Retrospective