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Macedonian Warrior: Alexander's elite infantryman Paperback – Illustrated, April 25, 2006

by Waldemar Heckel (Author), Ryan Jones (Author), Christa Hook (Illustrator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
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During the reigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great, the Macedonian Army (the phalangites) were reformed and drilled into an invincible fighting force with unique tactics and weaponry. The Macedonian warrior during his service would march over 20,000 miles in the most diverse climates and terrains, fighting in four of the epoch battles of the time. This book examines their initial training, rise to an elite unit under Alexander the Great, and eventual defeat at the battle of Pydna, 168 BC. The daily life, weaponry, experience, and motivations of these men are detailed, using primary sources and anecdotal material.
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  1. Print length
    64 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  4. Publication date
    April 25, 2006
  5. Reading age
    15 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7.25 x 0.15 x 9.7 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9781841769509
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1841769509
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author

Ryan Jones is editor in chief at SLAM, the monthly basketball magazine.  He wrote the first national magazine feature on LeBron James. He is the author of King James: Believe the Hype---The LeBron James Story. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

CHRISTA HOOK began her illustrating career in 1986, after studying under her father Richard Hook. Her work has featured extensively in the worlds of publishing and television. She has established herself as one of Osprey's most popular artists, having illustrated multiple series titles. Her illustrations combine the historian's attention to detail with the artist's sense of drama and atmosphere, and they are sought after by collectors worldwide. Christa lives and works in East Sussex, England.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1841769509
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing; Illustrated edition (April 25, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781841769509
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1841769509
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 15 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 0.15 x 9.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

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Waldemar Heckel

Waldemar Heckel

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
22 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nadia Azumi
5.0 out of 5 stars The elite
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2007
Verified Purchase
A book that details the infantry,as well as the entire history, and army of Alexander the Great.The pictures and explanation of the army,the sarissas,the terminology,not to mention the physical impact is very well written.

You can certainly visualize the battles and what the soldiers went through looking and reading at this book.
3 people found this helpful
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K. Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars Long-needed book
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2007
Verified Purchase
It seems as though most sources on the Alexandrian conquests focus on Alexander's enemies, Alexander's cavalry, or Alexander. The infantry rarely receive any attention, but as in any army, they formed the backbone of his fighting forces and he could not have waged his wars without them. This book focuses solely on them, detailing their origins, tactics, and even their personal lives. This book also helps to clear up the identity of the hypastists. Christa Hook's plates are also wonderful.
2 people found this helpful
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Dwight E. Howell
5.0 out of 5 stars Macedonian Warrior:
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2008
Verified Purchase
The dealer was great. The price I paid was good but the booklet is kind of thin for full price. The information seemed solid and extended my knowledge on this topic which I admit was and is very limited.
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Angel Wiccan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2009
Verified Purchase
I was quite impressed with the quality of the book. Not all used books are this good.
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JPS
3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly good
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
This is a mostly good Osprey title from an author (Waldemar Heckel) who is one of the leading specialists on Alexander and the Successors. The introduction, which manages to summarizes some three centuries of Greek history and warfare in a bit less than four pages while mentioning the main points is quite remarkable and impressive.
The sections mentioning the living conditions of Alexander's infantrymen and the huge hardships that they bore when following him across the Persian Empire and back again are well described and not often mentioned in other books. They seem to have largely drawn from a book written by a French historian (Paul Faure) published some thirty years ago and focusing on the daily life of Alexander's army. Contrary to some other Osprey titles on the Macedonians (those of Nick Sekunda, in particular), this title is more balanced, more complete and also includes a piece on the phalanx in battle, rather than focusing almost exclusively on organization, structure and numbers.

There are, however, a number of issues with this title. While these are more "glitches" than major problems, there are sufficient in number to have a negative impact and reduce the quality of this title.

A first set of problems is suggested by the subtitle of this book which is about "Alexander's elite infantryman". This infantryman did not "come out of the blue" and was not raised and trained by Alexander, but by his father Philip, but the author has comparatively little to see about Philippe and even less about the Macedonian infantry's considerable and mostly stellar performances during his reign. It is rather revealing, for instance, that the chronology goes straight from 358 BC to 338, therefore skipping most of Philip's reign and, more importantly, the numerous and victorious wars against all of his neighbours through which he forged the highly experienced infantry force that his son was to take with him to Asia. It is in this sense that Heckel's subtitle qualifying hypaspistes and pezhetairoi of "elite" is justified, but he does not make this point explicitly. Instead, he clearly indicates that the former were Guard infantry that received the toughest jobs and were therefore elite, while the latter were line infantry drawn partly from herdsmen of Upper Macedonia and partly from peasants of Lower Macedonia.

A second type of issue is that author does not explicitly acknowledge and treat as such the assumptions he makes. One such assumption is the claim that the pezhetairoi regiments that Alexander took with him to Asia were the contingents raised from Upper Macedonia. While plausible, and even probable, this argument seems to rest solely on the origins of their aristocratic commanding officers. A similar issue arises with regards to the infantry's equipment, with most elements (types of breastplates, if any, length of the sarrissa, unit organization etc...) having been hotly debated for decades (and often still hotly debated).

Another set of "glitches", perhaps more serious, can be found in the section describing the phalanx in battle. It could have been interesting to include and discuss Alexander's first battles as King of Macedonia in Europe and the performance of the phalanx against enemies other than the Persians (Granicus, Issos and Gaugamela) and the Indians (battle of the Hydaspes). The latter battle is not really described. The author does not clearly show what role the infantry played, although some units (including the hypaspistes under Seleucos, if I remember correctly) did confront Poros' elephants. One can even wonder to what extent it was worth including this battle at all in this volume since the author states that it was "primarily a cavalry contest".

In all fairness, the author does mention quite extensively one the main reasons for these "glitches": the nature and limitations of the sources, with only fragments of first-hand contemporary or near-contemporary sources remaining and most of the remaining sources being written centuries later, in particular the Roman ones. The other reason which prevents this title from being as good as it could have been is the usual one: insufficient space which prevents the author from being comprehensive.

I also had mixed feelings with regards to the plates. The choice of topics and the balance between plates focused on equipment, plates showing battle scenes and plates focused on military life scenes are rather good. However, having a plate showing one of the most prominent events of Alexander's campaign against Thracians in 336/335 BC only makes the absence of any text on his European campaigns more keenly felt. Finally, I have never appreciated Christa Hook's persistence in blurring the faces of the characters presented, although this is, of course, entirely a matter of personal preference.
One person found this helpful
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Hannibal
5.0 out of 5 stars Mighty Fine By Me.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2006
After reading an initial review of this book on this site I was a bit hesitant to waste my $15 but I went for it anyway. I am sure glad that I took a chance. The book is excellent. Very little has been written about Alexander's foot soldiers (cavalry was his specialty) and what exists from 2000+ years ago is plagued with contradictions and inaccuracies. It is nice to see a modern text try to explain/sort out some of the confusion. I wish the book would have been longer- maybe a future project for the author?

I found nothing wrong with the artwork and was pleasantly suprised with some of the details which were visible in her plates. Angus McBride is my favorite artist with Osprey but I would easy purchase another book with Ms Hooks illustrations.

My only complaint is the way that the author-and many other historians- ends his history of the Macedonian foot soldier with their defeat by a Roman army at Pydna in 168BC. The Macedonian phalanx of 168BC was a shadow of the great formation that Philip and Alexander used to conquer the known world. The 150 years between Alexander and the Romans was not well spent by Macedon and the Diodochi and a decay of tactics and improvements took place. Alexander the Great was a military visionary with a flexible force always in flux. He adapted his forces to meet the demands of both the enemy and the terrain. Others "borrowed" his armies, lands, and power but the real Macedonian warrior died in the summer of 323 when Alexander passed away in Babylon.
12 people found this helpful
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R. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars oppossing opinions
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2006
For many of us who are fans of the Osprey series books, Angus Mcbride's uninspired illustrations in the previous Macedonian books are thankfully updated in this volume on the subject. Contray to earlier criticisms, Christa Hook's illustrations give a realistic feel to the images drawn. They are very life like, and are exactly what I was hoping for in the illustrations on the Macedonian imfantry.

I for one am glad to see that the old school, blocky and oftimes cartoony images of McBride's are being updated. I am not an illusrator, but my work with ancient arms and armour has made me long desire a decent representation of the equipment used by the Macedonian soldiers. I hope that people will also attmept to read the body text to draw a conclusion on the material covered, as well to better understand what it is the plates are illustrating. There are many new ideas about the function and effectiveness of Alexander's army presented in this volume that are sure to please and perhaps spark debate amoung lovers of macedonian arms.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
JPS
3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a mostly good Osprey title from an author (Waldemar Heckel) who is one of the leading specialists on Alexander and the Successors. The introduction, which manages to summarizes some three centuries of Greek history and warfare in a bit less than four pages while mentioning the main points is quite remarkable and impressive.
The sections mentioning the living conditions of Alexander's infantrymen and the huge hardships that they bore when following him across the Persian Empire and back again are well described and not often mentioned in other books. They seem to have largely drawn from a book written by a French historian (Paul Faure) published some thirty years ago and focusing on the daily life of Alexander's army. Contrary to some other Osprey titles on the Macedonians (those of Nick Sekunda, in particular), this title is more balanced, more complete and also includes a piece on the phalanx in battle, rather than focusing almost exclusively on organization, structure and numbers.

There are, however, a number of issues with this title. While these are more "glitches" than major problems, there are sufficient in number to have a negative impact and reduce the quality of this title.

A first set of problems is suggested by the subtitle of this book which is about "Alexander's elite infantryman". This infantryman did not "come out of the blue" and was not raised and trained by Alexander, but by his father Philip, but the author has comparatively little to see about Philippe and even less about the Macedonian infantry's considerable and mostly stellar performances during his reign. It is rather revealing, for instance, that the chronology goes straight from 358 BC to 338, therefore skipping most of Philip's reign and, more importantly, the numerous and victorious wars against all of his neighbours through which he forged the highly experienced infantry force that his son was to take with him to Asia. It is in this sense that Heckel's subtitle qualifying hypaspistes and pezhetairoi of "elite" is justified, but he does not make this point explicitly. Instead, he clearly indicates that the former were Guard infantry that received the toughest jobs and were therefore elite, while the latter were line infantry drawn partly from herdsmen of Upper Macedonia and partly from peasants of Lower Macedonia.

A second type of issue is that author does not explicitly acknowledge and treat as such the assumptions he makes. One such assumption is the claim that the pezhetairoi regiments that Alexander took with him to Asia were the contingents raised from Upper Macedonia. While plausible, and even probable, this argument seems to rest solely on the origins of their aristocratic commanding officers. A similar issue arises with regards to the infantry's equipment, with most elements (types of breastplates, if any, length of the sarrissa, unit organization etc...) having been hotly debated for decades (and often still being debated).

Another set of "glitches", perhaps more serious, can be found in the section describing the phalanx in battle. It could have been interesting to include and discuss Alexander's first battles as King of Macedonia in Europe and the performance of the phalanx against enemies other than the Persians (Granicus, Issos and Gaugamela) and the Indians (battle of the Hydaspes). The latter battle is not really described and the author does not clearly show what role the infantry played, although some units (including the hypaspistes under Seleucos, if I remember correctly) did confront Poros' elephants. One can even wonder to what extent it was worth including at all in this volume since the author states that it was "primarily a cavalry contest".

In all fairness, the author does mention quite extensively one the main reasons for these "glitches": the nature and limitations of the sources, with only fragments of first-hand contemporary or near-contemporary sources remaining and most of the remaining sources being written centuries later, in particular the Roman ones. The other reason which prevents this title from being as good as it could have been is the usual one: insufficient space which prevents the author from being comprehensive.

I also had mixed feelings with regards to the plates. The choice of topics and the balance between plates focused on equipment, plates showing battle scenes and plates focused on military life scenes are rather good. However, having a plate showing one of the most prominent events of Alexander's campaign against Thracians in 336/335 BC only makes the absence of any text on his European campaigns more keenly felt. Finally, I have never appreciated Christa Hook's persistence in blurring the faces of the characters presented, although this is, of course, entirely a matter of personal preference.
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L.A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Utile
Reviewed in France on July 18, 2011
Verified Purchase
Voici un "bon" Osprey qui permet de bien comprendre le fonctionnement et l'usage de la phalange de piquiers ou "phalange macédonienne".
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Simon G.
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
It is as good as Osprey books get
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