Hoplites fighting in Phalanx formation

[TraderTrey9785]

Besides, Victor Davis Hanson doesn't have any more experience in a phalanx than Hans van Wees does.

Good point -- I find some of the information that both scholars perpetuate as 'incomplete.' It's not to say that they aren't good scholars, but I think sitting back and writing about something based on your own translations of the original Greek is very fluid. When one word can have 30 different meanings in English or other languages, I think there is always going to be information that modern scholars will never obtain from primary sources. I think Hans van Wees has some really novel ideas that might contain a lot of substance, and I feel the same way toward Hanson.

I think it would be a great idea if modern scholars could actually test some of the 'descriptions' that are found in ancient authors. After reading van Wees, I support a lot of his conclusions, and I think that Hanson's basic description of hoplite fighting, while distinguished, is still missing a few pieces. Warfare changes so quickly that it is hard to keep up, and much harder to recreate. Look at the technological changes between World War II and Korea -- that isn't much of a time span but in many ways it is like comparing apples and oranges. I think there is too much information that we don't know and to embrace one single opinion about the way things were is a huge mistake.

I also think that modern academics use a lot of prominent authors as the so-called experts. While Goldsworthy, as all of us would agree, is one of the best concerning matters of the Roman Army, that doesn't mean that myself, or any other member of RAT shouldn't try to question and further some of his ideas....otherwise, how will Classics and Ancient History continue to evolve and survive in a world that constantly wants to forget it? I think when it all boils down in the end, most of us are probably just frustrated that no matter how hard we try, we'll never fully understand the ancient mindset, or the way that they did things -- :? That doesn't mean we shouldn't try though!