Have you ever struggled over a problem or edited your own writing, only to have someone look at it and see the thing that you couldn’t find or solve in seconds? That’s how I felt reading this book. The Greeks dominated the fourth and fifth century BC battlefields with the Phalanx form of warfare, which combined the use of specially armed and armored soldiers (or Hoplites) in specialized formations. As the title implies, the author has taken a fresh look at old evidence of ancient Greek writers and artists and coupled that with modern research, primarily in the form of re-enactors who put on the Panopy, (or armor) and the weapons – in this case, the thrusting spear of the Greek solders – and tests his theories of methods and tactics. In the process, some interesting and groundbreaking developments emerge that shed new light on just what the ancient writers meant and how much artistic license was used in creating the vase paintings we envision when we think of this period of history.
