Cavalry Operations in the Ancient Greek World

In this Comprehensive Narrative, Robert E. Gaebel challenges conventional views of cavalry operations in the ancient Greek world. Applying both military and historical perspectives, Gaebel shows that until the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., cavalry played a larger role than is commonly recognized. Going beyond tactics, Gaebel identifies the conditions that determined the usefulness of cavalry in specific circumstances. He explains that although Alexander the Great used cavalry brilliantly, following the reign of Alexander cavalry rarely played a decisive role because the armies of the Successors generally had comparable military forces, leadership, and technology. Only a rare genius such as Hannibal could use cavalry to rout the enemy. Gaebel traces the operational use of cavalry in the ancient Greek world from circa 500 to 150 B.C., the end of Greek and Macedonian independence. Emphasizing the Greek and Hellenistic periods (359-322 B.C.), he provides information about the military use of horses in the eastern Mediterranean, Greek stable management and horse care, and broad battlefield goals.