Classical Greek tactics : a cultural history

What determined the choices of the Greeks on the battlefield? Were their tactics defined by unwritten moral rules, or was all considered fair in war? In Classical Greek Tactics: A Cultural History , Roel Konijnendijk re-examines the literary evidence for the battle tactics and tactical thought of the Greeks during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Rejecting the traditional image of limited, ritualised battle, Konijnendijk sketches a world of brutally destructive engagements, restricted only by the stubborn amateurism of the men who fought. The resulting model of hoplite battle does away with most received wisdom about the nature of Greek battle tactics, and redefines the way they reflected the values of Greek culture as a whole.

• Acknowledgements p. vii
• Notes on Style p. viii
• Introduction p. 1
• 1 The Prussian Model of Hoplite Battle p. 6
• The Traditional View of Tactics p. 6
• The Prussians p. 7
• The English p. 12
• The Americans p. 17
• The Case of Leuktra p. 24
• The Theories p. 25
• The Basics p. 29
• The Problem p. 34
• 2 'Improvisers in Soldiering': Training for War p. 39
• The Question p. 39
• Good Order p. 42
• Skill at Arms p. 58
• 3 'The Finest, Flattest Piece of Land': Where to Fight p. 72
• Traditions p. 72
• Practice p. 79
• Theory p. 91
• 4 'Deployed to Fit the Need': Forming Up for Battle p. 95
• Worthless Hoplites p. 95
• Ways to Deploy p. 107
• Positions of Honour p. 116
• The Depth of the Line p. 126
• 5 'Utterly Outmatched in Skill': Battle Tactics p. 139
• Controlling Battle p. 139
• The Tools of the Tactician p. 153
• How to Win p. 162
• Theory p. 173
• 6 'No Shortage of People to Kill': The Rout and Its Aftermath p. 178
• Fight or Flight p. 178
• A Divine Gift p. 188
• Last Rites p. 206
• Conclusion p. 216
• The Context of Tactical Thought p. 216
• A New Model of Hoplite Battle p. 218
• The Greek Way of War p. 224
• Works Cited p. 229
• Index of Passages Cited p. 243
• General Index p. 253