Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part II: Hoplite Equipment, Hoplight or Hopheavy?

This is the second part of what looks like it'll be end up as a four part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, Intermission, IVa, IVb) discussing the debates surrounding ancient Greek hoplites, the heavy infantry of the Archaic (800-480) and Classical (480-323) periods. Last week, we outlined the contours of the debate: the major points … Continue reading Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part II: Hoplite Equipment, Hoplight or Hopheavy? →

Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos

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 →

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: 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 →