The Seleucid Army
The Seleucid Army

Author: Bezalel Bar-Kochva

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1976-05-13

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780521206679

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This is a 1976 study of the organization and tactics of the Seleucid armies from 312 to 129 BC. The first part of the book discusses the numerical strength of the armies, their sources of manpower, the contingents of the regular army, their equipment and historical development, the chain of command, training and discipline. The second part reconstructs the great campaigns in order to examine the Seleucid tactics. The book provides a lesson in Hellenistic and military history and discusses several questions: how did the Hellenistic armies develop after Alexander? What distinguished the Seleucid army as superior to its Hellenistic contemporaries? The answers illuminate the expansion of Hellenism as we learn how the Seleucid army was used as a military, social and cultural instrument to impose the rule of the dynasty over the vast regions of the Empire and how it helped to shape Hellenistic society in the East.

The Seleucid Army of Antiochus the Great
The Seleucid Army of Antiochus the Great

Author: Jean Charl Du Plessis

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2022-04-06

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 1399091808

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*The Seleucid Empire was a superpower of the Hellenistic Age, the largest and most powerful of the Successor States, and it’s army was central to the maintenance of that power. Antiochus III campaigned, generally successfully, from the Mediterranean to India, earning the sobriquet 'the Great'. Jean Charl Du Plessis has produced the most in depth study available in English devoted to the troop types, weapons and armor of Antiochus’ army. He combines the most recent historical research and latest archaeological evidence with a strong element of reconstructive archaeology, that is the making and using of replica equipment. Sections cover the regular, Hellenistic-style core of the army, the auxiliaries from across the Empire and mercenaries, as well as the terror weapons of elephants and scythed chariots. Weapons and armor considered in great detail, including, for example, useful data on the performance of slings and the wounds they could inflict, drawing on modern testing and the author’s own experience. The army’s performance in its many battles, sieges and campaigns is analysed and assessed.

Hellenistic Infantry Reform in the 160's BC
Hellenistic Infantry Reform in the 160's BC

Author: Nick Sekunda

Publisher: Oficyna Naukowa

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13:

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This is a study of how the Ptolemaic and Seleucid infantry were reorganized to make them more successful and more competitive against the might of the Romans. The author argues that in the 160s BC, the Ptolemaic and Seleucid infantry were subject to re-organization and reform to try to combat the military might of the Romans. This Romanization of the military took the form of new tactics and changes in the organization and in the equipment given to the soldier, with evidence coming from archaeological, literary, epigraphic and iconographic sources. The book looks at the pre-Romanized organization of the infantry providing background to the later reforms.

Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt
Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt

Author: Christelle Fischer-Bovet

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-04-10

Total Pages: 475

ISBN-13: 113999185X

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This is the only substantial and up-to-date reference work on the Ptolemaic army. Employing Greek and Egyptian papyri and inscriptions, and building on approaches developed in state-formation theory, it offers a coherent account of how the changing structures of the army in Egypt after Alexander's conquest led to the development of an ethnically more integrated society. A new tripartite division of Ptolemaic history challenges the idea of gradual decline, and emphasizes the reshaping of military structures that took place between c.220 and c.160 BC in response to changes in the nature of warfare, mobilization and demobilization, and financial constraints. An investigation of the socio-economic role played by soldiers permits a reassessment of the cleruchic system and shows how soldiers' associations generated interethnic group solidarity. By integrating Egyptian evidence, Christelle Fischer-Bovet also demonstrates that the connection between the army and local temples offered new ways for Greeks and Egyptians to interact.