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 figuresAcknowledgementsIntroduction part 1: The purpose and methodology of the study Putting Greek warfare in contextThe Theory of Combined ArmsMethodology & Terminology – A conceptual methodological framework: Combined Arms WarfareCombined arms in the ancient world: A developmental continuum‘Integrated warfare’The process of moving from a basic use of combined arms to integrated warfareA methodology for examining this process The focus of this studyIntroduction part 2: The theory of combined arms Combined arms vs. integrated warfareThe effect of terrain on warfare and unitsUnit categorization and subdivisions Infantry – the hands, arms, and chest of the armyRegular Heavy Infantry – the chest and breast plate of the armyElite heavy infantry – the hands of the armyLight Infantry – the arms of the armyMissile troopsArchersJavelin menSlingersPeltastsElite light infantry – the elbows of the armyCavalry – the feet of the army according to IphicratesHeavy Cavalry – the feet of the armyChariots – earlier feet of the armyElephants – the joints of the armyLight Cavalry – the legs of the armyNon-missile light cavalryHorse archersField ArtilleryConclusions: The benefit of Combined Arms and Integrated Warfare Section 1: The Hoplite Revolution in GreeceChapter 1: Homeric warfare and the introduction of the hoplitePrimary Sources for Greek warfareHomeric WarfareSourcesHeavy InfantryMissile infantryInfantry Combined armsChariotsCavalryCombined Arms conclusionsChapter 2: Archaic Greece – the dominance of the heavy infantry phalanxSourcesInfantry Hoplites and the phalanxHoplites as individual soldiersThe crucial importance of maintaining balance in hoplite combatEarly hoplitesTactical separation of light and heavy infantryChariotsCavalryCombined ArmsChapter 3: Persia vs. Greece - The advantages of the heavy infantrymanThe Persian Empire and its (mis)use of a combined arms army SourcesInfantryCavalryCombined arms The Persian Wars: the mirage of the hoplite’s superioritySourcesPersian armies exposed without using combined arms properly – Marathon Combined Arms ConclusionsThe beginnings of successful combined arms in Greek armies - PlataeaXerxes’ armyThe Greek armyInfantryCavalryThe battleCombined ArmsCombined Arms conclusionsSection 2: The implementation of Combined arms in Greek warfareChapter 4: The Peloponnesian War - Combined arms innovation on the battlefield SourcesInfantryCavalryCombined armsSicily and the Athenian siege of Syracuse – large scale combined arms in practiceSourcesEarly warfare in Sicily The Athenian CampaignCombined ArmsCombined arms conclusionsChapter 5: The Corinthian War and Iphicrates: Light infantry integrationSources InfantryCavalryCombined armsCombined Arms ConclusionsChapter 6: The Theban hegemony - the inclusion of heavy cavalrySourcesInfantryCavalryCombined armsCombined arms conclusionsSection 3: Macedon and Integrated WarfareChapter 7: Philip II – The sarissa phalanx and heavy cavalrySourcesInfantryCavalryField artilleryCombined ArmsChaeronea – Macedonian combined arms versus Greek diverse unitsSourcesThe BattleCombined armsCombined Arms ConclusionsChapter 8: Alexander the Great - linking the heavy cavalry and the phalanxSourcesInfantryCavalryArtilleryCombined ArmsCombined Arms ConclusionsIssus and Gaugamela: Integrated warfare in actionSourcesIssusCombined armsGaugamelaCombined ArmsCombined Arms ConclusionsChapter 9: The Successors - War elephants and integrated warfareSourcesCombined armsParaetacene Combined Arms GabieneCombined ArmsIpsusCombined ArmsCombined Arms ConclusionsConclusion - Greece, Persia and Macedon: The success of combined arms and integrated warfareBibliography Index

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.