Legion versus Phalanx

The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World

Legion versus Phalanx cover

Legion versus Phalanx

The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World

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Description

From the time of ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry Phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and with overlapping shields, they presented an impenetrable wall of metal to the enemy until the Roman legion eclipsed the phalanx as the masters of infantry battle.

Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280-168 BC), this book looks at each formation in detail - delving into their tactics, arms and equipment, organization and deployment. It then examines six documented battles in which the legion fought the phalanx: Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC), and Pydna (168 BC). Drawing on original primary sources, Myke Cole presents a highly detailed but lively history of a defining clash of military formations.

Table of Contents

SECTION I: And in this Corner . . . : Examining the Legion and the Phalanx
Chapter I. Who Would Win in a Fight? The Eagle and the Lion
Chapter II. Not your Father's Phalanx: Philip, Alexander and the Legacy of Epaminondas
Chapter III. Mules that Kill: Under the Eagle of Rome
SECTION II: Fight! The Legion versus the Phalanx in Six Battles
Chapter IV. Heraclea (280 B.C.): Rome's First Test
Chapter V. Asculum (279 B.C.): "One more such victory, and we are undone."
Chapter VI. Beneventum (275 B.C.): Pyrrhus' Last Gasp
Chapter VII. Cynoscephalae (197 B.C.): The Legion Triumphant
Chapter VIII. Magnesia (190 B.C.): No Refuge for Hannibal
Chapter IX. Pydna (168 B.C.): The Fall of the Antigonids
Chapter X. Conclusion: Legion Versus Phalanx

Product details

Published 01 Nov 2018
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 288
ISBN 9781472828422
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Dimensions 233 x 152 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Myke Cole

Following a long career in the military, intellige…

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