Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol. IX.5 - A Punta De Sarissa

Enjoy Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol Ix.5 - A Punta De Sarissa

Ancient warfare magazine vol ix.5 - at the tip of sarissa
Warriors of the Hellenistic era

Subject: paul johstono, sarissa point - historical introduction < br>
When Alexander fell ill in Babylon, he was lord of a vast but fragile empire and commander of a large and experienced army, but he lacked a ready heir. On his deathbed, the warrior-king is reported to have said that his empire should pass to the strongest (Arian 7.26.3, Diodorus 17.117.4), anticipating the violent power struggle that consumed the following decades.

Source: Michael J. Taylor, The Macedonian Conscription Charta - Children and the Elderly

Macedonia’s position as a Hellenistic power rested on its ability to mobilize large national armies of rugged Macedonian peasants. Indeed, it was only when Philip II began to assemble a massive infantry army that Macedonia transformed from a weak and venal state into a major international player. The Antigonid dynasty (277–168 BC) inherited the military organization and recruitment patterns of Philip and Alexander. By the early 2nd century BC, however, the Macedonian king desperately needed to raise troops to counter a new threat: Rome.

Theme: Manousos E. Kambouris, one identity, three units and many functions - the hypaspist body

The elite hypaspist corps was a special unit, inherited by Alexander along with the other components of the Macedonian army. The importance of these troops, not only during the great battles of Philip and Alexander, has aroused the interest and curiosity of many scholars.

Subject: andrew hillen, the rise and fall of the achaean league - citizen soldiers in hellenistic times

The army of the Achaean League stands in stark contrast to the royal armies that appeared after Alexander’s death. More than anything, the Achaeans represent the continuing evolution of classical citizen soldiers. In the war-torn world of the Hellenistic kings, the citizen soldiers of the League fought to defend themselves with all the strength they had. Though they were outnumbered by other standing armies of the time, the efforts of these soldiers helped create a new kind of Greek community.

Topic: Haggai Olshanetsky, Jewish soldiers in Hellenistic armies - Warriors of Zion

Jewish service in the armies of antiquity remains a rarely discussed topic, especially the case of armed service under Hellenistic rule. One of the reasons for the silence surrounding this topic is due to the way Jews tend to remember the Seleucid Empire, one of the major kingdoms of the Hellenistic period. Jews annually celebrate Hanukkah in commemoration of their victory over the Seleucids and achievement of independence in the 2nd century BCE.

The reenactor: Kurt Schrauder, a late Hellenistic Macedonian officer - splendid and glorious
< br>During the Cleomenean War (228–222 BC), Macedonia under King Antigonus III joined a coalition with the Achaean League against Sparta, which attempted to restore its former hegemony over Greece for the last time. Although actual fighting was limited to the Peloponnesian peninsula, it was several years before the coalition could claim victory. In 222 BC, the united forces of the Achaean League and the Kingdom of Macedonia marched into the homeland of their Laconian enemies and won a decisive victory at Sellasia.

Subject: Sidney E. Dean, Alexander's Struggle for Asia - The Battle of Paraetacene

The Battle of Paraetacene (or Paraitakene) was part of the larger power struggle between Macedonian generals after Alexander the Great's death in 323 BC. Perdiccas initially became regent for Alexander's heirs, his mentally ill brother Philip III and Alexander's infant son, Alexander IV. When Perdiccas attempted to marry Alexander's sister and thus gain power, he was forced to marry Alexander's sister.
On behalf of the crown, several rival generals led by Antipater rebelled (322 BC). Alexander's secretary Eumenes, now satrap of Cappadocia and Paphlonia, supported Perdiccas. This conflict, known as the First Diadochi War, ended with the death of Perdiccas in May 320 BC and the rise of Antipater to regent. The victors sentenced Eumenes to death.

Subject: Marc G. Desantis, The Silver Shields after Alexander - The War of the Old Men

Alexander's hypaspistai (shield-bearers) played a crucial role in Alexander's large river-piece battles of the Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela. Since the hypaspists were relied upon to hold the Macedonian battle line as it thinned, they probably carried equipment more suited to open order combat, such as the 7- to 8-foot-long boat and large hoplite shield, than that employed by ordinary members of the phalanx, who wielded the longer, two-handed sarissa pike.
The Hypaspists most likely gained the regimental nickname of Argyraspides, or "silver shields", at the start of the Indian campaign in 327 BC.

Topic: Robert Holmes, Desertion and the Hellenistic Soldier - To the Strongest

During the Hellenistic period, entire units and common soldiers routinely defected to the enemy and joined the opposing army. Hellenistic soldiers might choose to desert before a battle, or even in the middle of one. On many occasions, captured soldiers were incorporated en masse into the army after a battle. Desertion to an enemy army was a regular part of the Hellenistic soldier's experience and was encouraged by the nature of Hellenistic warfare.

Special: Brian Burfield, Illness and the Roman Army: Fighting the Hidden Enemy

Our image of the Roman soldier is usually that of a strong and robust individual, ready for work and battle.
Yet we rarely imagine a haggard-faced legionary awakening one morning from a fitful feverish sleep with his tongue so swollen and dry that he cannot speak. Having become too weak to walk on his own, he must be helped to the latrines. Having become too weak even to stand upright on the wooden seat, he soon collapses, face down, on the ground. He is later found where he had fallen, amid the filth and stench, dead. A legionary was far more likely to succumb to disease than to die or be wounded by a sword or crossbow. Until very modern times, it has been a disease that has killed and incapacitated more soldiers than any other weapon of war.

The debate: Duncan B. Campbell, military defence or customs barrier? - the function of Hadrian's Wall

A recent book claims that Hadrian’s Wall is larger and grander than was strictly necessary. This analysis, however, raises a more fundamental question: how do we know what was strictly necessary on the border of Roman Britain in AD 120? Why are some scholars certain that Hadrian’s Wall was designed to a higher standard than its purpose required? Ultimately, what was the function of Hadrian’s Wall?

Hollywood novels: David L. Reinke, on the trail of Quo Vadis? - Silver Chalice

Based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Costain, The Silver Chalice (1954) was Warner Brothers' attempt to cash in on the popularity of sword-and-sandal films pioneered by the success of MGM's 1951 box-office hit Quo Vadis. However, it is clear from almost the first frame that Warner Brothers and its director, Victor Saville, had no idea what they were doing.

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