Legion versus Phalanx

From the time of ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry Phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and with overlapping shields, they presented an impenetrable wall of metal to the enemy until the Roman legion eclipsed the phalanx as the masters of infantry battle.

Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280-168 BC), this book looks at each formation in detail - delving into their tactics, arms and equipment, organization and deployment. It then examines six documented battles in which the legion fought the phalanx: Heraclea (280 BC), Asculum (279 BC), Beneventum (275 BC), Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Magnesia (190 BC), and Pydna (168 BC).

Din timpul Sumeriei antice, infanteria grea Falange a dominat campul de lupta. Inarmati cu sulite sau stiute, in picioare umar cu umar si cu scuturi suprapuse, au prezentat inamicului un zid impenetrabil pana cand legiunea romana a eclipsat falanga ca maestri ai luptei de infanterie. Acoperind perioada in care legiunea si falanga. ciocnita (280-168 i.Hr.), aceasta carte analizeaza fiecare formatiune in detaliu - aprofundand in tactica, armele si echipamentele, organizarea si desfasurarea lor.