The one with the longer stick wins, right?
“The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World.” Yeah, but which one triumphs? The phalanx or the legion? As the reviews on this blog are typically spoiler-free, don’t expect me to give that away. Those astute readers who can dredge up from the depths of their minds the not-so-well-known fact about whether the Romans or the Greek-Macedonian tandem held sway over the Mediterranean coastline for hundreds of years, might have some preliminary guesses. The book Legion versus Phalanx is mainly for those who have no idea.
Myke Cole is an amateur military historian but also an enthusiastic and practicing soldier. Through six ancient battles, he attempts to provide a clear answer to this burning question, using a wealth of source material; alongside the well-known ancient historians, he also quotes authors you’ve probably never heard of in your life.
Moreover, Myke Cole skillfully dramatizes the events, making the battle descriptions particularly thrilling. (Though, in the case of the unfortunate water-carrying mule at the Battle of Pydna, he may have gone a bit overboard.)