We'll spend the first part of this week talking about the rise of Macedonia as a major power in Greek affairs in the middle of the fourth century, and examining some of the military developments that enabled Philip II to establish hegemony over the Greek world. For the remainder of the week, we'll talk a little about fortifications and siegecraft, which, as we've already seen, grow rather more important and sophisticated during the course of the fourth century and beyond. Next week we'll move on to study the campaigns of Alexander the Great, and from there to some of the highlights of the struggles among Alexander's successors, and finally to the conflicts between the Greek world and the Roman world.

1. Required reading:

Most of what I'll cover in lecture this week will be more or less independent of the readings, so go at your own pace; just be sure to get through it all by Friday.

Sage 162-181

Hanson 197-228

Course reader pp. 165-191: Aineias the Tactician, How to Survive Under Seige

Aineias is known to us only from this work; nearly everything about him is uncertain, but various internal references suggest that he was probably a general of the Arcadian League in the mid-fourth century, and that his surviving treatise on the defense of fortified cities was written soon after 357. It's a bit chaotic and doesn't make the best reading, but it's full of interesting details from a writer who presumably knew what he was talking about. As you read, try to get an idea of what Aeneas considered to be the greatest threats to a city under seige, and what sorts of things he recommends for defense.

2. Recommended reading:

Burn 326-336

Course reader pp. 193-212: Philo of Byzantium, Poliorketika

Philo is a somewhat later author (mid to late 3rd century B.C.). He was an engineer, and wrote a long work on technology of which several portions survive (some only via Arabic translations). The one in the reader is from the book on seigeworks; other survivng portions describe the construction of catapults, and are among the best information we have on such machines. If you do read the passage in the reader, don't get bogged down by the jargon in the modern commentary on the left side of the page.

3. Suggestions for further study:

Macedonia and Philip II:

There's certainly no shortage of scholarship on the rise of Macedonia. Good basic works include

G. Cawkwell, Philip of Macedon (London 1978)

J. R. Ellis, Philip II and Macedonian Imperialism (London 1976)

R. Sealey, Demosthenes and his Time: a Study in Defeat (NY 1993)

There are also numerous articles on particular aspects of the Macedonian military; consult me for references if interested.

Fortifications:

A few general works in English:

F. Winter, Greek Fortifications (Toronto 1971).

A. W. Lawrence, Greek Aims in Fortification (Oxford 1979).

E. W. Marsden, Greek and Roman Artillery, 2 volumes (Oxford 1969 & 1971).

The volume entitled 'Technical Treatises' contains translations of a number of ancient technical works on the construction of artillery machines, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

On the subject of the defenses of Attika in the fourth century are two informative recent works:

J. Ober, Fortress Attica: Defense of the Athenian Land Frontier 404-322 B.C. (Leiden 1985).

M. H. Munn, The Defense of Attica: The Dema Wall and the Boiotian War of 378-375 B.C. (Berkeley 1993).

Fortifications at individual sites are generally published in article form (though Winter and Lawrence discuss many of them in depth); if you are interested in a particular site or issue, I am happy to point you in the right direction. The Perseus web site has good photographs of many fortified sites, and plans of some of the more important ones.