Macedonian Phalangite Vs Persian Warrior Av Dr Murray Dahm

<p><b>In August 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire and systematically set about its conquest.</b><br><br>At the core of Alexander’s army were 10,000 members of the phalanx, the phalangites. Armed with a long pike and fighting in formations up to 16 ranks deep, these grizzled veterans were the mainstay of the Macedonian army.<br><br> Facing them were the myriad armies of the peoples that made up the Persian Empire. At the centre of these forces was the formation known as the Immortals: 10,000 elite infantry, armed with spears and bows. <br><br> In this study, a noted authority assesses the origins, combat role and battlefield performance of Alexander’s phalangites and their Persian opponents in three key battles of the era – the Granicus River, Issus and Gaugamela – at the dawn of a new way of waging war.</p>