The Macedonian War Machine, 359-281 BC

by David Karunanithy

Overview

“[A] splendid and scholarly work . . . an essential guide for all serious students of military history and warfare in the age of Alexander.”—Professor Waldemar Heckel, University of Calgary
 
The army that emerged from the reforms of Philip II of Macedon proved to be one of the most successful in the whole of the ancient period. Much has been written on aspects of Macedonian warfare, particularly the generalship of its most famous proponent, Alexander the Great, yet many studies retread the same paths and draw conclusion on the same narrow evidential base, while leaving important aspects and sources of information untouched. David Karunanithy concentrates on filling the gaps in existing studies, presenting and studying evidence frequently overlooked or ignored.
 
The book is divided into four sections, each presenting a wealth of detail on various aspects: Preparation (including chapters on training techniques, various aspects of arms and armor production and supply and the provision and management of cavalry mounts); Support (eg noncombatant specialists, bridge building, field engineering, construction of field camps and little-known combat units in Asia); Dress and Battle Equipment (drawing on much neglected evidence and including such details as officers’ plumes, wreaths and finger rings); Alexander’s Veterans and Life on Campaign (the Silver Shields; baggage trains and personal kit, servants and families, camp life and recreation).
 
“Karunanithy’s achievement is to draw together all the available evidence—artistic, numeristic, archaeological and literary—producing a thoroughly readable and coherent work . . . it should be a mandatory acquisition for anyone with an interest in the history of ancient Macedonia and its military.”—Ancient Warfare

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783469963
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Karunanithy has had a lifelong interest in ancient warfare and has written numerous well-recieved articles for specialist magazines, such as Slingshot. He is a researcher for the Oxford English Dictionary by trade, but has written one previous book on the use of dogs in ancient and medieval warfare.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Preface xii

Acknowledgements xv

Foreword xvii

Maps xviii

Part I Origins and Perspectives 1

1 The Macedonian Army's Place in History 3

2 Transmission of Military Knowledge 8

Part II Preparation 17

3 Training Soldiers 19

4 Supplying Arms, Armour and Cloth 40

5 Cavalry Horses 64

Part III Dress and Panoplies 79

6 Cavalry 81

7 Infantry 100

8 Officers 116

9 Swords 137

Part IV The Men 145

10 Veterans and their Families 147

11 Marching 172

12 Camping 186

Part V Ingenuity 207

13 Technical Expertise 209

14 Little Known Combat Units in Asia 224

Epilogue: Macedonian Militarism and the Impact of Pydna 227

Appendix 1 Some Military Figures in Macedonian Funerary Art 235

Appendix 2 Evidence for Cavalry Clothing Colours 241

Notes 251

Bibliography 305

Index 341