Books by Karl Randall
Papers by Karl Randall
A brief discussion on the history of bow construction and profile nomenclature. The article then ... more A brief discussion on the history of bow construction and profile nomenclature. The article then presents updated terminology for both (construction and nomenclature) areas in an attempt to present a set of possible universal terminology.
Hoplite Phalanx Mechanics:
Investigation of Footwork, Spacing and Shield Coverage
Karl Randall (K... more Hoplite Phalanx Mechanics:
Investigation of Footwork, Spacing and Shield Coverage
Karl Randall (Kyungsung Universtiy)
The Greek phalanx has been a subject of study for generations of both historians and military tacticians alike. Almost every conceivable detail of its organization, supply, evolution and social effects has been covered many times over. Yet despite this, there is a relatively poor understanding of how a phalanx actually worked. The stance which individuals took and how far
apart they stood from their compatriots, the position in which the held their weapons, could the second or third ranks engage the enemy and if the hoplite shield provided physical cover to the soldier on one's immediate left are details that have remained largely unexplored. Passages penned by a number of period (or near period) authors that potentially shed light on such these
points remain under debate to this day. It is hoped that the current investigation will provide fresh insight into such details by combining a survey of existing sources with hands on experience, in this case by actually going out and arming a volunteer phalanx on a small scale to see what is both possible and practical. As with any modern recreation, a certain amount of guesswork is involved; the current effort, however, will have the advantage of providing firsthand observations that supply simple and rational explanations of practical phalanx mechanics as a means to shed light on preexisting sources.
[Key Words] Greece, Hoplite, Phalanx, Shield, Footwork, Spacing, History, Military, Warfare
Book Reviews by Karl Randall
War in History, Aug 7, 2013
Conference Presentations by Karl Randall
Pezhetairoi: The Creation and Evolution of the Macedonian Phalanx
Karl Randall
(Kyungsung Univers... more Pezhetairoi: The Creation and Evolution of the Macedonian Phalanx
Karl Randall
(Kyungsung University)
Of the military reforms of Phillip II, perhaps the greatest is the creation of the Macedonian phalanx, or pezhetairoi, and its main weapon, the sarissa, a five and a half meter long thrusting spear. Indeed, prior to Phillip's creation of this reformed phalanx, Macedonian infantry had poor reputation indeed with Demosthenes proclaiming it, "whence it was never yet possible to buy a decent slave." Alexander himself described the lot of the average man prior to the ascension of his father as "he found you vagabonds and destitute of means, most of you clad in hides." Even taking a certain amount of hyperbole into account, there was in fact little infantry tradition in Macedon, and infantry forces prior to this point tended to consist of armed peasants with minimal training and no spirit de corps.
The creation of a new style of infantry unit that was effective enough to overcome heavily armored hoplite units that comprised the bulk of Greek forces was remarkable. Tactically, the creation of the sarissa was simple; to maximize the reach of a two-handed melee weapon. The underlying pressures that spurred this drive during Phillip's time, the antecedents of his innovations and the tactical changes that the rise of the Macedonian phalanx created are worthy of further exploration.
[Key Words] Pezhetairoi, Phalanx, Foot-Companions, Macedon, Philip II, Alexander the Great, Hoplite, Sarissa
Thesis Chapters by Karl Randall
SUMMARY
This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and El... more SUMMARY
This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and Elam. and both identify and quantify the design factors which lead to increased performance possible with composite construction. To accomplish this, the thesis begins by summarizing the problems and flaws that currently exist in the field of history as it applies specifically to archery and bow use. With problems identified, the thesis will then introduce the reader to the basics of bow mechanics, thereby laying the basis for physical testing. This in turn will empirically demonstrate flaws in the current iconographical method of bow identification. The thesis will then devise a new method for iconographic identification of composite construction that has greater proven accuracy, based upon proportional length, which will link extant artifacts with both physical test results and iconographic evidence.
The reader shall then be led through a complete reevaluation of iconographical evidence for Mesopotamia and Elam starting at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and working backwards using this new method of iconographic evaluation to determine the point at which composite bow technology first appears in the ancient Near East. The thesis will finish with an overview of the above accomplishments and their potential impact on the study of ancient and military history.
KEY TERMS
Ancient History, Military History, Archery, Bow, Composite, Experimental Archaeology, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam, Arrow
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Books by Karl Randall
Papers by Karl Randall
Investigation of Footwork, Spacing and Shield Coverage
Karl Randall (Kyungsung Universtiy)
The Greek phalanx has been a subject of study for generations of both historians and military tacticians alike. Almost every conceivable detail of its organization, supply, evolution and social effects has been covered many times over. Yet despite this, there is a relatively poor understanding of how a phalanx actually worked. The stance which individuals took and how far
apart they stood from their compatriots, the position in which the held their weapons, could the second or third ranks engage the enemy and if the hoplite shield provided physical cover to the soldier on one's immediate left are details that have remained largely unexplored. Passages penned by a number of period (or near period) authors that potentially shed light on such these
points remain under debate to this day. It is hoped that the current investigation will provide fresh insight into such details by combining a survey of existing sources with hands on experience, in this case by actually going out and arming a volunteer phalanx on a small scale to see what is both possible and practical. As with any modern recreation, a certain amount of guesswork is involved; the current effort, however, will have the advantage of providing firsthand observations that supply simple and rational explanations of practical phalanx mechanics as a means to shed light on preexisting sources.
[Key Words] Greece, Hoplite, Phalanx, Shield, Footwork, Spacing, History, Military, Warfare
Book Reviews by Karl Randall
Conference Presentations by Karl Randall
Karl Randall
(Kyungsung University)
Of the military reforms of Phillip II, perhaps the greatest is the creation of the Macedonian phalanx, or pezhetairoi, and its main weapon, the sarissa, a five and a half meter long thrusting spear. Indeed, prior to Phillip's creation of this reformed phalanx, Macedonian infantry had poor reputation indeed with Demosthenes proclaiming it, "whence it was never yet possible to buy a decent slave." Alexander himself described the lot of the average man prior to the ascension of his father as "he found you vagabonds and destitute of means, most of you clad in hides." Even taking a certain amount of hyperbole into account, there was in fact little infantry tradition in Macedon, and infantry forces prior to this point tended to consist of armed peasants with minimal training and no spirit de corps.
The creation of a new style of infantry unit that was effective enough to overcome heavily armored hoplite units that comprised the bulk of Greek forces was remarkable. Tactically, the creation of the sarissa was simple; to maximize the reach of a two-handed melee weapon. The underlying pressures that spurred this drive during Phillip's time, the antecedents of his innovations and the tactical changes that the rise of the Macedonian phalanx created are worthy of further exploration.
[Key Words] Pezhetairoi, Phalanx, Foot-Companions, Macedon, Philip II, Alexander the Great, Hoplite, Sarissa
Thesis Chapters by Karl Randall
This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and Elam. and both identify and quantify the design factors which lead to increased performance possible with composite construction. To accomplish this, the thesis begins by summarizing the problems and flaws that currently exist in the field of history as it applies specifically to archery and bow use. With problems identified, the thesis will then introduce the reader to the basics of bow mechanics, thereby laying the basis for physical testing. This in turn will empirically demonstrate flaws in the current iconographical method of bow identification. The thesis will then devise a new method for iconographic identification of composite construction that has greater proven accuracy, based upon proportional length, which will link extant artifacts with both physical test results and iconographic evidence.
The reader shall then be led through a complete reevaluation of iconographical evidence for Mesopotamia and Elam starting at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and working backwards using this new method of iconographic evaluation to determine the point at which composite bow technology first appears in the ancient Near East. The thesis will finish with an overview of the above accomplishments and their potential impact on the study of ancient and military history.
KEY TERMS
Ancient History, Military History, Archery, Bow, Composite, Experimental Archaeology, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam, Arrow
Investigation of Footwork, Spacing and Shield Coverage
Karl Randall (Kyungsung Universtiy)
The Greek phalanx has been a subject of study for generations of both historians and military tacticians alike. Almost every conceivable detail of its organization, supply, evolution and social effects has been covered many times over. Yet despite this, there is a relatively poor understanding of how a phalanx actually worked. The stance which individuals took and how far
apart they stood from their compatriots, the position in which the held their weapons, could the second or third ranks engage the enemy and if the hoplite shield provided physical cover to the soldier on one's immediate left are details that have remained largely unexplored. Passages penned by a number of period (or near period) authors that potentially shed light on such these
points remain under debate to this day. It is hoped that the current investigation will provide fresh insight into such details by combining a survey of existing sources with hands on experience, in this case by actually going out and arming a volunteer phalanx on a small scale to see what is both possible and practical. As with any modern recreation, a certain amount of guesswork is involved; the current effort, however, will have the advantage of providing firsthand observations that supply simple and rational explanations of practical phalanx mechanics as a means to shed light on preexisting sources.
[Key Words] Greece, Hoplite, Phalanx, Shield, Footwork, Spacing, History, Military, Warfare
Karl Randall
(Kyungsung University)
Of the military reforms of Phillip II, perhaps the greatest is the creation of the Macedonian phalanx, or pezhetairoi, and its main weapon, the sarissa, a five and a half meter long thrusting spear. Indeed, prior to Phillip's creation of this reformed phalanx, Macedonian infantry had poor reputation indeed with Demosthenes proclaiming it, "whence it was never yet possible to buy a decent slave." Alexander himself described the lot of the average man prior to the ascension of his father as "he found you vagabonds and destitute of means, most of you clad in hides." Even taking a certain amount of hyperbole into account, there was in fact little infantry tradition in Macedon, and infantry forces prior to this point tended to consist of armed peasants with minimal training and no spirit de corps.
The creation of a new style of infantry unit that was effective enough to overcome heavily armored hoplite units that comprised the bulk of Greek forces was remarkable. Tactically, the creation of the sarissa was simple; to maximize the reach of a two-handed melee weapon. The underlying pressures that spurred this drive during Phillip's time, the antecedents of his innovations and the tactical changes that the rise of the Macedonian phalanx created are worthy of further exploration.
[Key Words] Pezhetairoi, Phalanx, Foot-Companions, Macedon, Philip II, Alexander the Great, Hoplite, Sarissa
This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and Elam. and both identify and quantify the design factors which lead to increased performance possible with composite construction. To accomplish this, the thesis begins by summarizing the problems and flaws that currently exist in the field of history as it applies specifically to archery and bow use. With problems identified, the thesis will then introduce the reader to the basics of bow mechanics, thereby laying the basis for physical testing. This in turn will empirically demonstrate flaws in the current iconographical method of bow identification. The thesis will then devise a new method for iconographic identification of composite construction that has greater proven accuracy, based upon proportional length, which will link extant artifacts with both physical test results and iconographic evidence.
The reader shall then be led through a complete reevaluation of iconographical evidence for Mesopotamia and Elam starting at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and working backwards using this new method of iconographic evaluation to determine the point at which composite bow technology first appears in the ancient Near East. The thesis will finish with an overview of the above accomplishments and their potential impact on the study of ancient and military history.
KEY TERMS
Ancient History, Military History, Archery, Bow, Composite, Experimental Archaeology, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam, Arrow