1st Edition
Combined Arms Warfare in Ancient Greece From Homer to Alexander the Great and his Successors
Combined Arms Warfare in Ancient Greece examines the timelines of military developments that led from the hoplite-based armies of the ancient Greeks to the hugely successful and multi-faceted armies of Philip II, Alexander the Great, and his Successors. It concentrates on the introduction and development of individual units and their tactical coordination and use in battle in what is termed "combined arms": the effective integration of different unit types into one cohesive battle plan and army allowing each unit to focus on its strengths without having to worry about its weaknesses.
This volume traces the development, and argues for the vital importance, of the use of combined arms in Greek warfare from the Archaic period onwards, especially concerning the Macedonian hegemony, through to its developmental completion in the form of fully "integrated warfare" at the battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE. It argues crucially that warfare should never be viewed in isolation in individual states, regions, conflicts or periods but taken as a collective whole tracing the mutual influence of other cultures and the successful innovations that always result.
Wrightson analyses Greek and Macedonian warfare through the lens of modern military theoretical terminology, making this study accessible to those with a general interest in military history as well as those studying this specific period.
List of figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction part 1: The purpose and methodology of the study
Putting Greek warfare in context
The Theory of Combined Arms
Methodology & Terminology – A conceptual methodological framework:
Combined Arms Warfare
Combined arms in the ancient world: A developmental continuum
‘Integrated warfare’
The process of moving from a basic use of combined arms to integrated warfare
A methodology for examining this process
The focus of this study
Introduction part 2: The theory of combined arms
Combined arms vs. integrated warfare
The effect of terrain on warfare and units
Unit categorization and subdivisions
Infantry – the hands, arms, and chest of the army
Regular Heavy Infantry – the chest and breast plate of the army
Elite heavy infantry – the hands of the army
Light Infantry – the arms of the army
Missile troops
Archers
Javelin men
Slingers
Peltasts
Elite light infantry – the elbows of the army
Cavalry – the feet of the army according to Iphicrates
Heavy Cavalry – the feet of the army
Chariots – earlier feet of the army
Elephants – the joints of the army
Light Cavalry – the legs of the army
Non-missile light cavalry
Horse archers
Field Artillery
Conclusions: The benefit of Combined Arms and Integrated Warfare
Section 1: The Hoplite Revolution in Greece
Chapter 1: Homeric warfare and the introduction of the hoplite
Primary Sources for Greek warfare
Homeric Warfare
Sources
Heavy Infantry
Missile infantry
Infantry Combined arms
Chariots
Cavalry
Combined Arms conclusions
Chapter 2: Archaic Greece – the dominance of the heavy infantry phalanx
Sources
Infantry
Hoplites and the phalanx
Hoplites as individual soldiers
The crucial importance of maintaining balance in hoplite combat
Early hoplites
Tactical separation of light and heavy infantry
Chariots
Cavalry
Combined Arms
Chapter 3: Persia vs. Greece - The advantages of the heavy infantryman
The Persian Empire and its (mis)use of a combined arms army
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Combined arms
The Persian Wars: the mirage of the hoplite’s superiority
Sources
Persian armies exposed without using combined arms properly – Marathon
Combined Arms Conclusions
The beginnings of successful combined arms in Greek armies - Plataea
Xerxes’ army
The Greek army
Infantry
Cavalry
The battle
Combined Arms
Combined Arms conclusions
Section 2: The implementation of Combined arms in Greek warfare
Chapter 4: The Peloponnesian War - Combined arms innovation on the battlefield
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Combined arms
Sicily and the Athenian siege of Syracuse – large scale combined arms in practice
Sources
Early warfare in Sicily
The Athenian Campaign
Combined Arms
Combined arms conclusions
Chapter 5: The Corinthian War and Iphicrates: Light infantry integration
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Combined arms
Combined Arms Conclusions
Chapter 6: The Theban hegemony - the inclusion of heavy cavalry
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Combined arms
Combined arms conclusions
Section 3: Macedon and Integrated Warfare
Chapter 7: Philip II – The sarissa phalanx and heavy cavalry
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Field artillery
Combined Arms
Chaeronea – Macedonian combined arms versus Greek diverse units
Sources
The Battle
Combined arms
Combined Arms Conclusions
Chapter 8: Alexander the Great - linking the heavy cavalry and the phalanx
Sources
Infantry
Cavalry
Artillery
Combined Arms
Combined Arms Conclusions
Issus and Gaugamela: Integrated warfare in action
Sources
Issus
Combined arms
Gaugamela
Combined Arms
Combined Arms Conclusions
Chapter 9: The Successors - War elephants and integrated warfare
Sources
Combined arms
Paraetacene
Combined Arms
Gabiene
Combined Arms
Ipsus
Combined Arms
Combined Arms Conclusions
Conclusion - Greece, Persia and Macedon: The success of combined arms and integrated warfare
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Graham Wrightson is Assistant Professor of History at South Dakota State University, USA. His research focuses primarily on Macedonian military history with a special focus on military manuals and the sarissa phalanx. He also examines comparative warfare between cultures and eras and their influence on each other. He has published multiple articles and papers on Macedonian warfare, has jointly edited three books, and has produced a textbook for the standard US university first-year survey course Western Civilization 1.
"In this relatively slim volume Prof. Sears (New Brunswick, Canada) rather impressively manages to produce an overview of some 1,200 years of warfare in ancient Greece...while primarily intended for those unfamiliar with ancient Greek history, this can be read with some value by experienced scholars as well."
- The NYMAS Review, Autmn-Winter 2019
"To any who would argue that there is nothing new to be added to the study of battles and the general mechanics of war in the Greek world: see Graham Wrightson’s new book ... Wrightson has written an engaging book, which would make an accessible general introduction to Greek land warfare for both college students and the general public"
- Nayda Williams, University of West Georgia, USA, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2020
