The Greek Hoplite Phalanx: The Iconic Heavy Infantry of the Classical Greek World

by Richard Taylor

Overview

The Greek hoplite and the phalanx formation have been the subject of considerable academic debate over the past century. Dr Richard Taylor provides an overview of the current state of play in the hoplite debate in all its aspects, from fighting techniques to the social and economic background of the ‘hoplite revolution’, in a form that is accessible for the general reader and military history enthusiast. But the book goes further: offering a new perspective on the hoplite phalanx by putting it in the context of other military developments in the Mediterranean world in the middle of the first millennium BC. He argues that the Greek phalanx was different in degree but not in kind from other contemporary heavy infantry formations and that the hoplite debate, with its insistence on the unique nature of the hoplite phalanx, has obscured the similarities with other equivalent formations. The result is a fresh take on a perennially popular subject.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526788573
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/04/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	560
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dr Richard Taylor holds BA and DPhil degrees in Ancient History from Oxford University. His doctoral thesis won the Hellenic Foundation prize for best UK thesis in classics and ancient history (and forms the basis for part of The Macedonian Phalanx ). He has published a number of articles on ancient history and warfare in Slingshot , the journal of the Society of Ancients. He has worked in publishing and IT, and is currently employed at a UK university.

Table of Contents

Introduction viii

Chapter 1 Origins 1

Chapter 2 Arms and Armour 54

Chapter 3 Organization and Drill 98

Chapter 4 Hoplites and Citizens 156

Chapter 5 Command and Control 215

Chapter 6 Hoplites at War 254

Chapter 7 The Hoplite Battle 309

Chapter 8 Fighting in the Phalanx 391

Chapter 9 Decline of the Hoplite 463

List of Battles 482

Glossary 487

Notes 490

Abbreviations and Translations 520

Bibliography 521

Index 528

Editorial Reviews

[The Greek Hoplite Phalanx] is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a five page List of Battles, a three page Glossary, thirty pages of Notes, a one page listing of Abbreviations & Translations, a seven page Bibliography, and a five page Index – making [it] a welcome and highly recommended addition to the growing library of Ancient Greek cultural and military histories.

Midwest Book Review