Legion versus Phalanx: The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World

(Paperback)

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From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields interlocking, the men of the phalanx presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. Until, that is, the Roman legion emerged to challenge them as masters of infantry battle. Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280168 BC), Myke Cole delves into their tactics, arms and equipment, organization and deployment. Drawing on original primary sources to examine six 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) he shows how and why the Roman legion, with its flexible organization, versatile tactics and iron discipline, came to eclipse the hitherto untouchable Hellenistic phalanx and dominate the ancient battlefield.

Reviews

On the face of it, this could be a turgidly dry chin-stroking look into ancient warfare tactics but, thanks the brio of author Myke Cole, it's anything but. [...] The author points out elements that are largely accepted as fact thanks to detailed reports, and others where supposition comes into play, but he does this with a skill that makes it seem like a discussion between friends, not a lecture. With an excellent colour plate section full of photos of armour, illustrations, ancient graphics and diagrams of troop dispositions you have a highly entertaining and yet worthy look into how and why the Roman Legion was so effective against the Phalanx that had previously dominated the battlefield. * The Armourer, January 2019 *
Amazing, detailed, thoroughly researched and genuinely exciting. * Anna Stephens, Author of 'Godblind' *

Author Bio

Myke Cole has had a colourful and varied career, with service in war and crisis response. He began as a security contractor to the CIA, and transitioned into a federal intelligence position first with DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), and then with the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence). He commanded the reserve at US Coast Guard Station New York, where he was responsible for maritime law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations around the island of Manhattan. He went on to work for the NYPD in cyber threat intelligence, and currently works as a security and intelligence consultant in the private sector. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. He has published extensively in military history and security, including pieces in the journals of the American Association of Museums and the American Historical Association, and is also a popular fantasy and science fiction novelist with several major imprints, including Ace/Roc, Tor and Angry Robot. Myke also appeared on CBS hit TV show Hunted, where he joined a team of elite investigators pursuing fugitives across the southeastern United States.