Ancient History Encyclopedia, 04 Oct 2019. "Phalanx vs Legion: Battle of Cynoscephalae." The decisive battle happened on flat ground not too far from the site of Thermopylae. 1992. Phalanx vs Legion: Battle of Cynoscephalae. This book is exactly what I expected when I picked it up, a fun opportunity to geek out about to technical aspects of ancient warfare, in this case the relative merits of the Macedonian Phalanx vs the Roman Legion. The reconstruction of the battle is based on Polybius account from Histories,book 18, 24-27. WAB Macedonian Phalanx vs. Roman Legion. Not sure how many accounts there are of the Hoplite Phalanx vs the Legion. Cole’s work spans a time period from approximately the 3rd through the 2nd century BC battlefields with a discipline focus. In a straight up fight which would win, the legion or the phalanx? The maniple was fluid, with each maniple led by centurions who were encouraged to take initiative and lead by example. The battles certainly showcase the manipular legion’s flexibility over the powerful but stiff Macedonian phalanx, but it would have been impossible with all the different variables to find a perfect battlefield matchup of the two formations. As the Roman left met them and held firm, the Roman right marched up the hill in order to deny the rest of Philip’s army the downhill advantage. According to independent scholar Myke Cole, we needn’t rely on … Even a minimally equipped and trained phalanx was still a forward moving force to be reckoned with. For the phalanx, the sixteen-man deep formation had the first five ranks with their spears extending out of the formation while the remaining ranks held their spears upright or at an angle to deflect missiles. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Please help us create teaching materials on Mesopotamia (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. The first combats were during Pyrrhus’ invasion of Italy in 280 BCE. In Rome I I'd make sure to field as much missile troops as I could to decimate the phalanx before they got to my infantry. Original video by Syntagma. Legion, a military organization, originally the largest permanent organization in the armies of ancient Rome. This last battle shows the small unit tactics for which the maniple was built towards but also shows how well the maniple fit the Romans as a people. 'a handful') was a tactical unit of the Roman Republic adopted during the Samnite Wars (343–290 BC). At the battle of Beneventum a few years later the Romans finally prevailed, with help from Pyrrhus’ elephants which charged back into his own lines. This transformation was likely a result of the Samnite wars fought in the varied mountainous terrain of central Italy where the Romans needed a more adaptable formation. This battle is often considered to be a victory of the Roman legion's flexibility over the phalanx's inflexibility unfairly. https://www.ancient.eu/video/1830/. Meanwhile, the remaining Roman right wing advanced up the hill and met the rest of Philips army as they were arriving in bunches. Why did the legion ultimately triumph on the field of battle? (2019, October 04). Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. The author’s work focused on Hellenistic and Roman military unit formations with a tactical analysis. The phalanx was much more rigid, but overwhelmingly powerful in a frontal assault. The organization from Homeric style hero warfare to tightly packed hoplite warfare was world changing. Last modified October 04, 2019. Peter Connolly captures the action as the phalanx pins and pushes back the Romans on the level ground. Phalanx vs Legion: Battle of Cynoscephalae. The game covers the invasions of Southern Italy and Sicily by Pyrrhus, and his campaigns against Rome and Carthage. The Roman legions did meet both the Macedonian phalanx (the more advanced version of the traditional Greek hoplite phalanx, which rendered the hoplite obsolete), as well the the older Greek hoplite phalanx. The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. $4.5 million buys you a P51 Mustang & twenty, yes TWENTY Merlin engines! 1 vs 1 the Legion won't stand a chance. In small groups at first, the Romans dove into these narrow gaps in the lines and fought to widen them. The last great example of maniple and phalanx battle is found at the battle of Pydna during the third Macedonian war between Rome and Perseus. This book is a interesting analysis of the struggle between the legion and the phalanx. While Alexander’s empire grew and fragmented, The Romans were busy with their arduous task of conquering Italy. The javelins thrown by the maniples were also an effective formation breaking tool used to lessen the impact of enemy charges or create holes to exploit with their own charge. The armies of Rome and Philip’s phalanx army met at Cynoscephalae, with a large hill separating the two camps. Most of its vast docking bays were deserted, and the Imperium's inability to replicate its ancient technologies resulted in even minor damage creating signific… The Good – Legion vs Phalanx is highly readable. “The Legion as Phalanx,” Chiron 9:303–18. Ancient History Encyclopedia. The battle is considered one of the best examples of manipular Roman legion superiority over the Macedonian phalanx in terms of flexibility and combat maneuvering.
From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Legion Versus Phalanx: The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World, by Myke Cole, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, U.K., 2018, $30. (2000-year-old spoiler alert: The legion wins) The question explored in this book is: Why. My negative thoughts on … The author has quite a few thoughtful insights into the nature of classical warfare. The individual Roman had more room to operate, with a large shield and effective sword allowing them to confidently engage and defend individually and as a group by locking shields. The individual soldier of the phalanx was tied to the cohesion of his unit, but had the safety of multiple spearheads between the front row and the enemy. Syntagma, . This victory was mainly due to poorly commanded troops on Perseus's name (note, not Alexander hehe). Phalanx vs Legion: Battle of Cynoscephalae. The maps, if a bit creative, are quite good, and most of the illustrations are useful. Ancient History Encyclopedia. This powerful Hellenic formation allowed the ancient Greeks to hold off the powerful Persian invasion and spread Hellenic culture throughout the Mediterranean. The pliability of the Roman maniple allowed them to fight in any size group from whole legion advances to the individual soldier, ready for any occasion on the battlefield with two javelins, a large shield, and an effective gladius. The Roman legion proved itself superior against both. Cole clearly loves the subject. There are several key differences in the formations. The Roman infantry met the phalanx and did not break, but were steadily forced back towards the broken ground behind them. The reconstruction of the battle is based on Polybius account from Histories,book 18 , 24-27. Last edited by Phalanx300; 11-17-2009 at 13:25. The exact method of this formation engaging in battle has been questioned due to the large gaps, but it seems that the gaps remained while engaged to allow the rear lines through to support when needed. This transformation was likely a result of the Samnite wars fought in the varied mountainous terrain of central Italy where the Romans needed a more adaptable formation. The titanic struggle between Rome and Carthage had prevented the Roman's from pursuing a policy of all out war against the Greeks. Both are brilliant commanders but Alexander never faced an equal commander, Caesar did, Vercingetorix or Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus to Name the most famous ones. By William McLaughlin for War History Online, Concentration Camp Guard Who Hid in US for 75 Years Will Be Deported. In his histories, Polybius directly address the strengths and weakness of both formations. As gaps grew, more, presumably fresh, men from the rear lines were fed through to completely infiltrate dozens of segments of the phalanx and the Macedonians soon broke. In the foreground, a maniple has exploited a gap in the arrayed pikes of the white shield phalanx. Until, that is, the Roman legion emerged to challenge them as masters of infantry battle. I'm often asked questions such as this: Web. Details for these battles are scarce but while it seems that though the phalanx did indeed steamroll through the Romans, it was done with great difficulty and at Beneventum the flexibility of the maniples allowed them to seize the openings made by the rampaging elephants to cause a rout. The earliest Roman ventures across the Adriatic had occurred before the Second Punic War. The maps, if a bit creative, are quite good, and most of the illustrations are useful. The two armies lined up, each splitting the cavalry on the wings and the Macedonian phalanx advanced. Myke Cole uses six battles where the two fighting systems clashed, along with the history surrounding them, to discuss this. Three major battles were fought with the first two being Pyrrhic victories for Pyrrhus. Legion versus Phalanx begins by asking a simple question. Raised in ancient Greece, Polybius fought in Hellenic battles before being sent to Rome as a hostage, though he was given great freedoms during his stay. Join Date Oct 2007 Location Belgrade, Serbia Posts 1,186. Initially adopting a hoplite style phalanx due to influence from Southern Italian Hellenic colonies, the army eventually transformed into the flexible manipular legion. This book is a interesting analysis of the struggle between the legion and the phalanx. Built to sustain a Legion, it was far too large to be garrisoned by a mere Chapter of Space Marines. The expanding early Roman Republic found the Greek phalanx formation too Ancient History Encyclopedia. Myke Cole’s biography is diverse and he brings that diversity into the book. Maksimus. The Roman manipular formation was quite a unique layout. The two formations actually met in battle a handful of times with varied results. Initially adopting a hoplite style phalanx due to influence from Southern Italian Hellenic colonies, the army eventually transformed into the flexible manipular legion. My negative thoughts on … Each of the battles mention featured varying skill and experiences for the commanders and the armies in general. This transformation was likely a result of the Samnite wars fought in the varied mountainous terrain of central Italy where the Romans needed a more adaptable formation. 11-17-2009, 13:44 #24. The best descriptions of the formations come from the historian Polybius. With all the expertise of a 12 minute video, I cant see how this really shows it. The tight formation with the average phalangites taking up a frontage of three feet meant that, theoretically, the average soldier, who needed twice the frontage to operate with sword or spear, faced a total of ten spear points. True? From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. 23 Dec 2020. Phalanx vs Legion : Battle of Cynoscephalae July 2020 The roman victory in the battle of Cynoscephalae ( 197 BC ) marked the end of the second macedonian war … The Macedonian phalanx took the concept of cohesive group warfare to another level with the sarissa armed phalangites and under Philip and Alexander, steamrolled every opponent in front of them. At Heraclea and Asculum the tried and true Macedonian phalanx faced the Roman maniple that had only been established 40-100 years before. Barely after wrapping up the second Punic war, the Romans invaded Macedon to take the fight to Philip V, who had been an ally of Carthage and was now harassing Roman-allied Hellenic cities. In celebration of the book, please leave a comment detailing what you think is a classic legion vs phalanx battle. The battle is considered one of the best examples of manipular Roman legion superiority over the Macedonian phalanx in terms of flexibility and combat maneuvering. The flexibility of the maniples allowed them to surround and destroy each unit until the rest of Philip’s forces fled. "Phalanx vs Legion: Battle of Cynoscephalae." ———. Not purely a defensive formation, the phalanx could advance forward with pikes churning through virtually any opponent with ease. By M32, the Phalanx was already in a state of decay. Problem is that phalanx is a formation, 'legion' is a unit..it's like comparing apples to elephants. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes. The only phalanx with that level of experience would have been Alexander IIIs, and he basically never got into a situation where his phalanx needed to adapt to a changing situation. The term legion also denotes the military system by which imperial Rome conquered and ruled the ancient world.
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