12/20/2023 0 Comments Anvil tattoo armyThe “anvil” consisted of the Macedonian phalanx – the crucial defensive arm of Alexander’s army. This tactic, the bread and butter of many of Alexander’s greatest military successes, was made up of two main parts. This was partly due to a brilliant battle tactic Alexander used that made the most of his core infantrymen: the hammer and anvil. The Macedonian phalanx was thus critical to Alexander’s entire campaigning life. Natalie Haynes and Dan Snow discuss the classical accounts which have contributed to our modern understanding of the Trojan War and its terrible aftermath. This provided Alexander another phalanx formation to rival the one made up of now-grumbling Macedonian veterans it also provided him a ready supply of pikemen, available for future conquests. Indeed, so vital was the Macedonian phalanx to the perceived invincibility of Alexander’s army, that he even recruited 30,000 Asian levies and had them trained in the Macedonian manner. The heart of Alexander’s successįor Alexander, the Macedonian phalanx would be the nucleus of his army throughout his conquests – from his first victory on Asian soil at the Granicus in 334 BC, to his final pitched battle against Porus, King of the Parauvas, at the Hydaspes River in India. Philip’s son and successor, Alexander, thus inherited the greatest infantry force of the time. A keystone to Philip’s success was his creation and use of the Macedonian phalanx.īy the time that Philip was unexpectedly assassinated in 336 BC, the Macedonian phalanx men had already established themselves as the dominant military force on the Greek mainland. The Macedonian Empire of King Philip II, prior to his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC. In addition, each soldier carried a small pelta shield strapped on his left arm. Carried in both hands and held four-fifths of the way down the shaft, the sarissa’s extreme length made up for the infantrymen’s light body armour. Taking advantage of Macedonia’s natural resources – mainly the region’s abundance of high-quality timber called “cornel wood” and bronze and iron reserves – Philip equipped his army’s footmen with a four to six-metre-long pike called a sarissa. Recognising that this needed to change, and having already been inspired by the reforms of the Theban general Epaminondas and the Athenian general Iphicrates, Philip initiated reform of his infantry. Having been the victim of numerous invasions by various tribes, the Macedonian footmen were ill-equipped and lacking in training – no more than a rabble. In 359 BC, King Philip II ascended the Macedonian throne and inherited an infantry class that was deep in poverty. Professor Michael Scott discusses the immense age of the Silk Road and its importance to Imperial Rome. The Mediterranean and the Near East was just one part of a much larger, interconnected ancient world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |