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greek armies during the Rome\'s conquest of greece - Printable Version

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greek armies during the Rome\'s conquest of greece - Quintus Aurelius Lepidus - 07-15-2013

Hi

I would like to know how greek armies looked like during Rome's wars in Greece. Periods First Macedonian war (214-205 BC), 2nd Macedonian War (200-196 BC)
were armed.

For instance, the achaean league was armed like hoplites? or more like macedonian looking phalangites?

I've read that Nabis' forces surely were armed like phalangites.

i've read that the aetolians during the peloponessian war were armed like peltasts. from what i've seen about their performance at thermopylae against the romans, i think it is safe to say they still were armed like that during the macedonian wars?

any good books on it? (am reading roman conquests Macedonia and Greece now)


greek armies during the Rome\'s conquest of greece - Dan Howard - 07-15-2013

I would start with Connolly's Greece and Rome at War.


greek armies during the Rome\'s conquest of greece - Macedon - 07-15-2013

The important reforms had already taken place in the most illustrious Greek states. Philopoemen had alredy armed the Achaean league with the sarisa and had reorganized the cavalry, Cleomenes had also introduced the sarisa in the Lacedaemonian army. However, this does not mean that the bulk of the Greek infantry aside the Macedonians would be phalangites (meaning here sarisa bearing). I think that most states, because of their limited manpower, we still have a fragmented Greece, although coalitions like the Achaean and the Aetolian leagues did exist, mostly relied on lighter infantry, not that much armamentwise as tacticalwise. That is, they mainly used thyreophoroi and mercenaries, who usually were similar troops and archers, like the Cretans. The average Greek mercenary would be armored with chain corselet, helm and greaves, javelin, spear and sword and would be fighting more loosely, being superior to the standard phalangite as far as raids and action against raids were concerned. Do not forget, that raids was the standard form of warfare in Greece at the time. They also employed many psiloi and peltastae, archers, slingers and javelineers. Many states also employed Illyrians at the time.

edit: The best resource to study this period is definitely Polybius.