Illustrations of history

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This magazine is for sharing artwork of historical events, places, personages, etc. Scale models and the like also welcome!

Generally speaking, actual photos of a historical item should go to [email protected]

Photos of ruins should go to [email protected]

Photos of the past should go to [email protected]

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PugJesus

Front row seats to a Hellenistic phalanx, 4th-2nd century BCE (lemmy.world)

submitted 7 months ago by PugJesus to c/historyillustrations

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[–] LilDumpy 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I heard that if you flank them, they can't turn, and then they all die.

[–] PugJesus 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Yep! Even a small force getting around to the flanks can completely ruin a much larger group of men in a phalanx. ~2500 men in the Battle of Cynoscphelae routed a distracted Macedonian phalanx of 16,000.

Later Medieval pike formations would mix in men with halberds and swords to prevent that very scenario.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I do late 16th century reenactment, including pike drill and demonstrations. We all have swords, but the only way to use them is for everyone to drop the 5 meter long pole and draw swords. And you really really don't want to be armed with only a sword on a battlefield.

The alternative is either wheeling around (the turning circle of a unit of pikemen is horrendous), or raising the pike straight up and reforming into a square, and those aren't exactly snap maneuvers.

And the guys pictured here have at least an extra meter of pike to deal with, and a shield too.

[–] MacedWindow 3 points 7 months ago

I'll pass!