Cole, Myke Legion versus Phalanx. The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World

From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and with overlapping shields, they presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. It was the phalanx that allowed Greece to become the dominant power in the Western world. That is, until the Romans developed the legion and cracked the phalanx. In "Legion versus Phalanx" Cole weighs the two fighting forces against each other. Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280-168 BC), he looks at each formation in detail--delving into their tactics, arms, and equipment, organization and deployment. It then examines six key battles in which legion battled phalanx: Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC), and Pydna (168 BC)--battles that determined the fate of the ancient world. Drawing on original primary sources, Myke Cole presents a highly detailed but lively history of this defining clash of military formations.

In "Legion versus Phalanx", the author contrasts the two formations. He covers the period in which the legion and the phalanx clashed (280-168 BC) and looks at each formation in detail - delving into their tactics, weapons and equipment, organisation and deployment. He then examines six key battles in which the Roman legions faced phalanx formations: Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC) and Pydna (168 BC). Battles that determined the fate of the ancient world. Myke Cole uses original sources to present a very detailed but vivid history of this clash of military formations.