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The Wars of Alexander's Successors 323 – 281 BC: Volume 2 - Battles and Tactics Paperback – October 16, 2019

by Bob Bennett (Author), Mike Roberts (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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When the dying Alexander the Great was asked to whom he bequeathed his vast empire, he supposedly replied to the strongest. There ensued a long series of struggles between his generals and governors for control of these vast territories. Most of these Diadochi, or successors, were consummate professionals who had learnt their trade under Alexander and, in some cases, his father Philip. This second volume studies how they applied that experience and further developed the art of war in a further four decades of warfare. This is a period rich in fascinating tactical developments. The all-conquering Macedonian war machine developed by Philip and Alexander was adapted in various ways (such as the addition of war elephants) by the different successors according to their resources. Siege and naval warfare is also included.
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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen and Sword Military
  4. Publication date
    October 16, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.3 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1526760797
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1526760791
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the information in this book is priceless... No one with an interest of the military history of the period should be without the set."
A Wargamers Needful Things

"This volume covers their armies and the ways in which they fought [...] primarily for those unfamiliar with the period."
The NYMAS Review

About the Author

Bob Bennett has a Certificate in British Archaeology and an MA in Classical Studies from the Open University. Mike Roberts has a degree in South East Asian Studies from Hull University. Both social workers by profession, they met and discovered their mutual enthusiasm for the ancient world over ten years ago and have been researching the Successors of Alexander the Great ever since, creating a website dedicated to the subject.

Mike Roberts is a social worker by training but has had a long-standing interest in the military history of the Classical world. He is the co-author (with his good friend Bob Bennett) of several well-received books: The Wars of Alexander’s Successors (volumes I and II); The Twilight of the Hellenistic World and The Spartan Supremacy. He lives in Dudley.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen and Sword Military; Reprint edition (October 16, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1526760797
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526760791
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nolan
5.0 out of 5 stars The Wars of Alexander's Successors: Volume II: Battles and Tactics
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2010
For what little evidence we have of this era in history, Roberts and Bennett do a good job of recreating battles during the time period. It's useful for anyone wanting to learn about how each of the battles (that have sufficient evidence behind them) were fought, and will expand just about everyone's knowledge of warfare in this time period. They talk about the composition of the armies, different tactical problems each commander faced, and each battle has a map to go along with it. It's definately a great tool to use. I also recommend reading the first Volume which details the campaigns also, since they aren't all mentioned here. About the only battles mentioned in depth are the Battles of Crannon, Paraetacene, Gabene, Gaza, Ipsus, and Eumenes' battle against Craterus. Volume I will talk about troop numbers, the politics of the era, and the campaigns themselves. Definately worth reading.
15 people found this helpful
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Kevin W
3.0 out of 5 stars Funeral Games - Play by Play
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
In volume 1 the authors told a general history of the 40 years after Alexander’s death. With volume 2 Bennett & Roberts revisit the “highlights” of that same time period with an eye towards a tactical analysis of the major land battles, to include Crannon, Paraetencene, Gabene, Gaza, & Ipsus, and the naval battle of Salamis.

While volume 1 extended for a full 40 years (to the assassination of Seleucus in 291 BC) volume 2 ends after only 20 years with the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC as the authors state that detailed records of the battles that followed have largely been lost to time.

To my mind the battles of this time period have a certain sameness that ultimately made volume 2 a less engaging read than volume 1. The successor generals/kings were warriors first and foremost leading their men from the front in heroic fashion; they were frequently at the tip of the spear (almost all ultimately dying in battle as a result) and thus there is not a lot of grand maneuvering or committing of reserves at a crucial moment. Their generalship came prebattle with the manor in which they aligned & deployed their forces; however after the clash began they were too personally involved in the fighting (occasionally even personally seeking out the opposing general) to give orders to any units other than their bodyguard with whom they were fighting.

In addition to covering the large land battles there is an interesting chapter on the naval battles of this time period. Again, featuring the same cast (Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Demetrius rather famously) as they would lead their fleets from the decks of the triremes. The authors make a point that more than once a hard fought naval battle was instantly undone when a fleet would beach at night and have the ships/crews stormed from the land - the practice was to sleep and re-victualize on land; these were warships purpose built for battle, not to carry provisions enabling protracted voyages.

Finally, there is also a chapter on famous sieges during this time period (Megalopolis & Rhodes). The authors discuss the relative balance of siege warfare at the time (offense vs defense) and that the outcome of sieges seemed to turn on the enthusiasm of the local populace to resist, or not.

As I am not planning on any tabletop miniature gaming, I’m not sure that volume 2 added much to my body of knowledge of the era therefore I’m giving it one less star than I did to volume 1. However, if you are looking for details on how these battles were fought and unfolded, please add one star to this review.
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Pasha Proudfoot
2.0 out of 5 stars Better of reading Polybius
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
Horribly written. Unintelligible in many pages. Book might be worthwhile with good editing and a revision. Maps are worse than useless. Better of just reading Loeb & Loeb Polybius
Subject matter is wonderful.
3 people found this helpful
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JPS
3.0 out of 5 stars Too little or too much?
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2012
First posted on Amazon.co.uk on 26 January 2012

I basically agree with the two other reviewers of this volume who concluded by stating that the content of this volume could - and perhaps should - have been folded into the first volume, given that the book is somewhat slim (178 pages plus 6 pages of introduction). However, you can also argue that it is rather light on content. One of the reviewers in fact hints at that when mentioning that the naval aspects of the wars are covered in some 20 short pages. Compare this, for instance, with John Grainger's Hellenistic and Roman Naval Wars published in 2011 in the same collection and who devotes 56 pages to Hellenistic naval wars (after deducting the first 10 pages which are about Alexander's Naval War). Compare also with "The Age of Titans" - a whole book just published by Oxford University Press of the great hellenistic navies (250 pages plus another 100 or so for annexes, a glossary, notes, bibloigraphy and not counting numerous maps).

Much the same can be said about the other areas that Bennett and Roberts' book cover. Rather than an in-depth analysis of battles and tactics, it is in fact a selection of the most well known battles of the period, with a heavy emphasis on those fought by Eumenes. No battle taking place after Ipsos is covered, although we do have sources for at least some of them, even if these may be not as good. There is, however, a rather good chapter on "border wars" but even there, the narrative is somewhat sketchy. On sieges, however, the same kind of comment made for naval warfare can be made: only a dozen pages.

However, my main grip with this book is with the first chapter on "Soldiers and Armies" which, in itself, could also have been the topic of a whole book and which is covered in less than 30 pages. There are many problems with this chapter, starting with the authors tendancy to confuse hoplite phalanxes with sarrissa phalanxes and superficially comparing the two with Roman legions to come up with the very conventional statement that the latter was more flexible, just because Polybios said so some 22 centuries ago. This is probably the worst chapter in the book. Just try pushing forward in closed order hoplite style with the small phalangite shield while carrying a 7.5 kg sarissa in both hands! It is physically impossible.

Moreover, a number of statements surrounding Polybios are questionable or even wrong. First, the pro-Roman Achean was describing the phalanx of his days (around 220 to 167 BC) which may have differed in a number of respects with the phalanxes of the Successors (especially since we know that the length of sarrissas varied from 15 feet to 21 feet during the 150 years or so). Second, we have evidence from the reign of Philip of Macedon, but also from the battles of both Ipsos (in 301 BC) and Magnesia (in 190 BC) against the Romans which show that the pike phalanx was capable of turning to meet an ennemy attaccking its flank - so, the formation may not have been that rigid. Third, Polybios' "expertise" may be somewhat questionable; As an aristocrat, he was a cavalryman and it is unlikely that he ever fought in a phalanx (if he fought at all). In addition, he was a hostage in Rome for 17 years, as the book indicates, and as from the age of 35 in 168, so his command and practical experience would have been, at best, somewhat limited. Fourth, of course, he was very much pro-roman (and, being an Achean, he was also anti-macedonian), so he was not exactly an unbiased witnessed and probably not a very qualified one either...

There are a number of other elements missing from this book, in particular in the first chapter. Given the numbers of soldiers that they provided, a whole discussion on mercenaries, and in particular on Greek mercenaries, would have been valuable, but it is entirely missing. Also, and more generally, a discussion on troop numbers, their origns and to what extent each of the main contenders had access to the various troop types, would also have been valuable, even for Macedon. For instance, the book mentions a couple of times that Macedon's manpower was reduced as a result of Alexander's campaigns and the Successor's wars but no attempt is ever made to quantify this manpower to begin with, let alone to estimate by how much it could have been reduced. Also, either in this first chapter, or in a specific chapter on its own, an examination of the resources available to each of the Kingdoms (both financial and economic, in particular wood, metals and shipyards) would have been valuable and is totally missing.

And the list could go on, and on, and on...

So, this would have made volume 1 worth four stars for me, if it had been added to it. As it is, and on its own, it's not worth more than three and I feel I am being rather generous here...
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Truly brilliant. A fascinating book about the wars that led to the Successor Kingdoms
One person found this helpful
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Shawn D. Osborne
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source For Academics and Amateur Historians Alike
Reviewed in Canada on October 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
A very good source for those interested in the logistics and other specifics of various encounters between Alexander's Successors. Shaky alliances, hordes of gold and massive egos all at play here as the struggle for supremacy rages on for decades after the Macedonian conqueror's death in 323 BC . Both volumes are well-researched and will be used by scholars and other interested parties for years to come because they are accessible to a wider audience while still valuable as a resource for academics.
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JPS
3.0 out of 5 stars Too little or too much?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2012
Verified Purchase
I basically agree with the two other reviewers of this volume who concluded by stating that the content of this volume could - and perhaps should - have been folded into the first volume, given that the book is somewhat slim (178 pages plus 6 pages of introduction). However, you can also argue that it is rather light on content. One of the reviewers in fact hints at that when mentioning thnat the naval aspects of the wars are covered in some 20 short pages. Compare this, for instance, with John Grainger's Hellenistic and Roman Naval Wars published in 2011 in the same collection and who devotes 56 pages to Hellenistic naval wars (after deducting the first 10 pages which are about Alexander's Naval War). Compare also with "The Age of Titans" - a whole book just published by Oxford University Press of the great hellenistic navies (250 pages plus another 100 or so for annexes, a glossary, notes, bibloigraphy and not counting numerous maps).

Much the same can be said about the other areas that Bennett and Roberts' book cover. Rather than an in-depth analysis of battles and tactics, it is in fact a selection of the most well known battles of the period, with a heavy emphasis on those fought by Eumenes. No battle taking place after Ipsos is covered, although we do have sources for at least some of them, even if they may be not as good. There is, however, a rather good chapter on "border wars" but even there, the narrative is somewhat sketchy. On sieges, however, the same kind of comment made for naval warfare can be made: only a dozen pages.

However, my main grip with this book is with the first chapter on "Soldiers and Armies" which, in itself, could also have been the topic of a whole book and which is covered in less than 30 pages. There are many problems with this chapter, starting with the others tendancy to confuse hoplite phalanxes with sarrissa phalanxes and superficially comparing the two with Roman legions to come up with the very conventional statement that the letter was more flexible, just because Polybios said so some 22 centuries ago. This is probably the worst chapter in the book. Just try pushing forward in closed order hoplite style with the small phalangite shield while carrying a 7.5 kg sarissa in both hands! It is physically impossible. Moreover, a number of statements surrounding Polybios are questionable or even wrong. First, the pro-Roman Achean was describing the phalanx of his days (around 220 to 167 BC) which may have differed in a number of respects with the phalanxes of the Successors (especially as we know the length of sarrissas varied from 15 feet to 21 feet). Second, we have evidence from the reign of Philip of Macedon, but also from the battles of both Ipsos and Magnesia in 190 against hte Romans which show that the pike phalanx was capable of turning to meet an ennemy attaccking its flank - so, not that rigid. Third, Polybios' "expertise" may be somewhat questionable; As an aristocrat, he was a horseman and it is unlikely that he ever fought in a phalanx (if he fought at all). In addition, he was a hostage in Rome for 17 years, as the book indicates, and as from the age of 35 in 168, so his command and practical experience would have been, at best, somewhat limited. Fourth, of course, he was very much pro-roman (andn, being an Achean, anti-macedonian), so not exactly an unbiased witnessed and probably not a very qualified one either...

There are a number of other elements missing from this book, in particular in the first chapter. Given the numbers of soldiers that they provided, a whole discussion on mercenaries, and in particular on Greek mercenaries, would have been valuable but is missing. Also, and more generally, a discussion on troop numbers, their origns and to what extent each of the main contenders had access to the various troop types, would also have been valuable, even for Macedon. For instance, the book mentions a couple of times that Macedon's manpower was reduced as a result of Alexander's campaigns and the Successor's wars but no attempt is even made to quantify it to begin with, let alone to estimate by how much it could have been reduced. Also, either in this first chapter, or in a specific chapter on its own, an examination of the resources available to each of the Kingdoms (both financial and economic, in particular wood, metals and shipyards) would have been valuable and is totally missing.

And the list could go on, and on, and on...

So, this would have made volume 1 worth four stars for me, if it had been added to it. AS it is, and on its own, it's not worth more than three and I feel I am being rather generous here...
7 people found this helpful
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Les Booth
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of the early successor campaigns and battles
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
Good summary of the subject but two very minor criticisms
A map of the battle of issues is required
The illustrations are a little primitive by today's standards
Otherwise I would recommend this wholeheartedly
One person found this helpful
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Graham
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
A very good second volume to this series.
2 people found this helpful
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