Macedonian Phalangite vs Persian Warrior PDF Download

Author: Murray Dahm
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472832183
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
In August 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire and systematically set about its conquest. At the core of Alexander's army were 10,000 members of the phalanx, the phalangites. Armed with a long pike and fighting in formations up to 16 ranks deep, these grizzled veterans were the mainstay of the Macedonian army. Facing them were the myriad armies of the peoples that made up the Persian Empire. At the centre of these forces was the formation known as the Immortals: 10,000 elite infantry, armed with spears and bows. In this study, a noted authority assesses the origins, combat role and battlefield performance of Alexander's phalangites and their Persian opponents in three key battles of the era – the Granicus River, Issus and Gaugamela – at the dawn of a new way of waging war.

Author: Kevin L Giles
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526778793
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 79

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Book Description
This in-depth visual guide, Warriors of the Ancient Greek World, boasts over 140 lavishly detailed photographed and illustrated recreations of the warrior panoplies of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. It covers the heavy infantry and cavalry of Greece and Macedonia, the light infantry and horsemen of the Thracian territories and the fighting men and women of the vast Persian and Scythian realms. The book has been crafted to show these ancient combatants in as much physical, gritty detail and character as possible. The combatants are seen torn from moments in time and dropped onto the page. It illustrates the range of distinct weapons and equipment carried by them, why it was needed and how it was made. It shows how the warriors may have looked whilst on campaign, mud, blood and all.

Author: Manousos E Kambouris
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1399073931
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
Since 500 BC the mainland Greeks had been threatened by the Achaemenid Persian Empire. They had suffered major invasions but subsequent attempts to take the offensive had been thwarted. With Alexander the Great’s invasion the rules changed. In Macedonia a new model army had been developed, taking the traditional hoplite heavy infantry in a new evolutionary direction and similarly transforming the heavy cavalry. These developments neutralized the Persians’ own efforts to modernize their troops, tactics and equipment. Despite the inclusion of a state-of-the-art siege train, the structure of the reformed Macedonian army allowed an unprecedented operational tempo. Manousos Kambouris’ detailed analysis explains that it was Alexander’s intelligent use of these forces, that allowed him to dictate the course of the campaign. His excellent strategic and operational decision-making, based on an intimate knowledge of geography and logistics, along with well-timed movements and clever feints, allowed him to choose his battles, which he then won by tactical brilliance and guts. The author does not neglect to assess the Persian capabilities and decision making, concluding that Darius III was not as inept as often thought. Indeed, he may have been the most militarily capable King of Kings but it was his misfortune to be pitted against the genius of Alexander, the great avenger.

Author: Virginia Loh-Hagan
Publisher: Cherry Lake
ISBN: 1534149104
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
In Battle Royale: Lethal Warriors, we have a matchup of historic magnitude. We took the deadliest warriors from two different time periods and matched them in a battle of weaponry, strength, and grit. Who will come out victorious, Immortals or Navy SEALs? You'll have to read to find out. This series utilizes considerate text written at a higher maturity level with a lower reading level to engage struggling readers. Book includes a table of contents, glossary, index, author biography, sidebars, educational matter, and activities.

Author: Murray Dahm
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472844130
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), waged between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies, involved some of the most important developments in ancient warfare. A life-and-death struggle between the two most powerful Greek city-states in the wake of their combined successes against the Persian invasion of Xerxes in 480–479 BC, the conflict dragged in communities from all over the Greek world on one side or the other. Ranging from the Black Sea to Sicily, the war saw the first recorded widespread use of light-armed troops, reserves, the deep phalanx, and other ideas important for the development of Western warfare into the 4th century BC, such as strategic thinking. It also revealed lessons (some learned and some not) with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of hoplite warfare and the various states in Greece. Featuring full-color artwork and drawing upon an array of sources, this study of three pivotal clashes between Spartan and Athenian hoplite forces during the Peloponnesian War highlights all of these developments and lessons.

Author: Lin Wilder
Publisher: Lin Wilder
ISBN: 0578991233
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
I'm called Esther-a Persian name, and yet I'm a Hebrew. Had I been able to do so, one of the questions I would have asked my mother and father when I grew older was, "Why did you give me this name?" But now, of course, I know why. The story of the orphaned Jewish girl who saves the Jewish nation from extinction is the stuff of fantasy and legend. Did such a person exist? Could an anonymous girl have been selected to be wife of the ancient Persian king of kings? "Esther, soldiers will soon be combing the cities and countryside to look for the most beautiful young virgins. They will take hundreds of young girls for the king's harem. Then the king's eunuchs and servants will spend many months preparing the women for their night with him." His words came faster and faster, wanting to get through this." The author of the award-winning I, Claudia and My Name is Saul ancient novels returns with the story of Esther. Wilder's skills at blending historical fact with vividly imagined, well-founded characters have become her trademark. The Reluctant Queen is guaranteed to captivate both her loyal fans and eager newcomers, right down to its last riveting page.

Author: David Campbell
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472844254
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
In the manner of many Roman generals, Caesar would write his domestic political ambitions in the blood and treasure of foreign lands. His governorship of Cisalpine Gaul gave him the opportunity to demonstrate the greatness of his character to the people of Rome through the subjugation of those outside Rome's borders. The fact that the main account of the subsequent wars in Gaul was written by Caesar himself – by far the most detailed history of the subject, with new reports issued annually for the eager audience at home –is no accident. The Roman Army of the late Republic had long been in the process of structural and change, moving towards the all-volunteer permanent standing force that would for centuries be the bulwark of the coming Empire. Well-armed and armoured, this professional army was trained to operate within self-supporting legions, with auxiliaries employed in roles the legions lacked such as light troops or cavalry. The Roman legions were in many ways a modern force, with formations designed around tactical goals and held together by discipline, training and common purpose. The armies fielded by the tribes of Gaul were for the most part lightly armed and armoured, with fine cavalry and a well-deserved reputation for ferocity. As might be expected from a region made up of different tribes with a range of needs and interests, there was no consensus on how to make war, though when large armies were gathered it was usually with the express purpose of bringing the enemy to heel in a pitched battle. For most Gauls – and certainly the military elites of the tribes – battle was an opportunity to prove their personal courage and skill, raising their status in the eyes of friends and foes alike. Fully illustrated, this study investigates the Roman and Gallic forces pitched into combat in three battles: Bibracte (58 BC), Sabis (57 BC) and Gergovia/Alesia (52 BC). Although charismatic Gallic leaders did rise up – notably Dumnorix of the Aedui and later Vercingetorix of the Arverni – and proved to be men capable of bringing together forces that had the prospect of checking Caesar's ambitions in the bloodiest of ways, it would not be enough. For Caesar his war against the Gauls provided him with enormous power and the springboard he needed to make Rome his own, though his many domestic enemies would ensure that he did not long enjoy his success.

Author: William Horsted
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472850866
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
An illustrated study of the British tribal warriors and Roman auxiliaries who fought in three epic battles for control of Britain in the 1st century AD. Following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, the tribes of the west and north resisted the establishment of a 'Roman peace', led in particular by the chieftain Caratacus. Even in the south-east, resentment of Roman occupation remained, exploding into the revolt of Boudicca's Iceni in AD 60. Roman auxiliaries from two particular peoples are known to have taken part in the invasion of Britain: the Tungrians, from what is now Belgium, and the Batavians, from the delta of the River Rhine in the modern Netherlands. From the late 80s AD, units of both the Batavians and the Tungrians were garrisoned at a fort at Vindolanda in northern Britain. The so called 'Vindolanda tablets' provide an unparalleled body of material with which to reconstruct the lives of these auxiliary soldiers in Britain. Featuring full-colour maps and specially commissioned battlescene and figure artwork plates, this book examines how both the British warriors and the Roman auxiliaries experienced the decades of conflict that followed the invasion. Their recruitment, training, leadership, motivation, culture and beliefs are compared alongside an assessment of three particular battles: the final defeat of Caratacus in the hills of Wales in AD 50; the Roman assault on the island of Mona (Anglesey) in AD 60; and the battle of Mons Graupius in Scotland in AD 83.

Author: Murray Dahm
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472845293
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Ravaged by civil war and pressure from the Huns to the east, in late summer AD 376 the Gothic tribe of the Theruingi – up to 200,000 people under their leader Fritigern – gathered on the northern bank of the River Danube and asked the Eastern Roman emperor, Valens, for asylum within the empire. After agreeing to convert to Arian Christianity and enrol in the Roman Army, the Goths were allowed to cross the Danube and settle in the province of Thrace. Far more people crossed the Danube than the Romans expected, however, and with winter approaching, the local Roman commander, Lupicinus, lacked the resources to feed the newcomers and did not possess sufficient troops to control them. Treated poorly and running out of food, the Goths very quickly lost faith in the Roman promises. Meanwhile, other Gothic tribes also sought permission to cross the Danube. The Greuthungi were refused permission, but soon learned that local Roman garrisons had been depleted to supervise the march of the Theruingi to the town of Marcianopolis, close to the eastern shore of the Black Sea. Taking advantage of this, the Greuthungi also entered Roman territory. Camping outside Marcianopolis, Lupicinus denied the Goths access to the town's food stores, provoking the Theruingi to begin skirmishing with the Roman troops. Fritigern convinced Lupicinus to let the Gothic leaders go and calm their people, but they did nothing to quell the warlike temper of his warriors. Lupicinus summoned troops to him, but in late 376 these Roman forces were defeated – the first of several defeats for the Romans that would culminate in the fateful battle of Adrianople in August 378, at which Roman forces led by the emperor himself confronted the Gothic host. The aftermath and repercussions of Adrianople have been much debated, but historians agree that it marks a decisive moment in the history of the Roman world. This fully illustrated book investigates the fighting men of both sides who clashed at the battles of Marcianopolis, Ad Salices and Adrianople, as the fate of the Western Roman Empire hung in the balance.

Author: Gabriele Esposito
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526787369
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the organization and equipment of the Macedonian army built by Philip II and later employed to world-changing effect by his son, Alexander III (the Great). This work explains how Philip took the traditional forces of Macedon and reformed them into the most modern and sophisticated combined-arms force in the Mediterranean world. Not only the formidable pike phalanx and the hard-charging Companion cavalry, but also the less famous components, such as light and cavalry types, are described in detail. The tactics employed in the great battles that won the largest empire the world had seen are analyzed. With numerous color photos showing replica weapons and equipment in use, this is a vivid, detailed and accessible study of the army that made Alexander great.