New hoplite book

[PMBardunias]

Anyone read this? Interesting to see the wildly unlikely theory of Homeric combat during the Persian wars labelled the "new orthodoxy". I was less than impressed with Schwartz's last article on the topic, for it was simply a rehash of old arguements (something which largely holds true for all of the recent debate on this topic). I can only hope he read my article and gave up on the many elements of othismos put forth by its supporters that don't stand up to scientific scrutiny. Both sides in this debate are like the blind men around the elephant.

Reinstating the hoplite: Arms, armour and phalanx fighting in Archaic and Classical Greece
by Adam Schwartz

Recent research into the military history of ancient Greece has questioned the central role traditionally ascribed to the famous hoplite phalanx by historians and suggests that even as late as the Persian Wars of 480-479 BC, Greek battles consisted essentially of open fighting and duels between individual combatants, in an almost Homeric fashion. In this meticulous study, Adam Schwartz in turn questions the new orthodoxy. Departing from a detailed scrutiny of hoplite equipment and its physical characteristics, the author demonstrates that this equipment must in fact have been developed specifically to meet the needs of warriors fighting in phalanx formations, which, it is shown, can be traced back into the eighth century BC. In this way, the study is not only a reappraisal of the role of the phalanx, but also a significant contribution to the study of Archaic Greek history. Great emphasis is, furthermore, placed upon the illumination of such crucial questions as the duration of the average hoplite battle and the role of the othismos - pushing - in deciding the outcome. In short, this book will quickly claim its place as one of the basic studies of ancient Greek hoplite battle. ca. 320p