What Held Ancient Armies Together?

Following an introduction, the nine papers in this collection, all by well-regarded scholars, address different ways in which cohesion could develop, uniting the troops in a military force within the conditions under which they were serving, using examples drawn from Greek, Carthaginian, and Roman history.

The introduction usefully discusses the difference between “vertical” cohesion (“downward or upward cohesion between leaders and followers”) and “horizontal” cohesion (“cohesion at the primary group level . . . the crew or squad, and perhaps the platoon”), and then offers an overview of the nature of ancient armies.

The essays are,

· “The Eager Amateurs: Unit Cohesion and the Athenian Hoplite Phalanx.”

· “The Rhodian Slingers in Xenophon’s Anabasis.”

· “Keeping it Together: Aeneas Tacticus and Unit Cohesion in Ancient Greek Siege Warfare.”

· “Unit Cohesion in the Multi-Ethnic Armies of Carthage.”

· “Roman Standards and Trumpets as Implements of Unit Cohesion in Battle.”

· “The Legionary Standards as a Means of Religious Cohesion.”

· “Looking for Unit Cohesion at the End of Antiquity.”

· “‘. . . They Were Routed’: Cohesion and Disintegration in Ancient Battle.”

One may quibble with some of the contents or conclusions (e.g., “The Eager Amateurs” makes no mention of the ephebe), but Unit Cohesion and Warfare in the Ancient World is a valuable read for those with an interest in ancient warfare and students of military sociology.

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Note: Unit Cohesion and Warfare in the Ancient World is also available in hardcover & e-editions.

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