John Jenkins Toy Soldiers MAC-03N2 Armies and Enemies of Ancient Greece

John Jenkins Toy Soldiers MAC-03N2 Armies and Enemies of Ancient Greece and Macedonia, the Macedonians, Macedonian Phalanx 9 Phalangites. 18 piece historical set. The Macedonian phalanx was an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and defeat armies of other kingdoms. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Hellenistic period, until they were ultimately displaced by the Roman Legions.

In 359 BCE, the Macedonian army led by the king Perdiccas III, was decidedly defeated by the Illyrians. Perdiccas' brother Philip II had been a hostage in Thebes for much of his youth, and what he had learned influenced his restructuring of the Macedonian infantry. Philip's military reforms were a new approach to the current hoplite warfare, which focused on their shield and thrusting spear. Philip's new focus was on a new weapon, the Sarissa. He called the soldiers in the phalanx Pezhetairoi, meaning "foot companions".

Each phalangite carried as his primary weapon a Sarissa, a double pointed pike over 18 foot in length. The Sarissae were carried in two pieces before a battle and then slid together when they were to be used. At close range such weapons were of little use, but an intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance. The weapons of the first few rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spear points than available targets at any given time. Men in rows behind the initial rows angled their sarissae at angles in an attempt to ward off arrows or other projectiles.

There was a secondary weapon called a xiphos, which was a short sword. They also had a smaller and flatter shield than that of the Greek Hoplon. The shield was worn hung around the neck so as to free up both hands to wield the sarissa.

The Phalanx consisted of several blocks of men, called syntagmata. There were 16 of these with 16 men in each Syntagmata. Each block was commanded by a syntagmatarchy, who together with his subordinate officers would form the first row of each block.

Neither Philip or Alexander actually used the phalanx as their arm of choice, but instead used it to hold the enemy in place while their heavy cavalry broke through the enemy ranks.

The Macedonian cavalry fought in a wedge formation and was almost always stationed on the far right.

The hypaspists an elite infantry unit were stationed on the immediate right of the phalanx wielding hoplite sized shields and spears.

The left flank was generally covered by allied cavalry usually Thessalians, which fought in a rhomboid formation and served mainly in a defensive role.

Authentic hand painted soldiers and miniatures for collectors designed and produced in Hong Kong by John Jenkins Designs. John Jenkins Designs is focused on bringing specific battles and events from history to life. Periods of history ranging from the French and Indian War to the World War II are all covered by the toy soldiers of John Jenkins Designs.

John Jenkins is perhaps best known for its stunning recreations of World War I aircraft and the daring pilots who were known as Aces. In addition to the Knights of the Sky, John Jenkins Designs creates toy soldiers and tanks from The Great War at a level of detail not seen anywhere else in the industry. British, French, and German vehicles all have the weathering and a level of dirt or mud that seemed to accumulate after only just a few days at the front. Joining the German, French, and British toy soldiers are the Americans; late to the war but providing the vital push that finally broke through the static lines of grindingly slow trench warfare.

Back in history, the French and Indian War has provided John Jenkins Designs with fertile ground for toy soldier production. The Raid on Saint Francis, the 1759 Battle of Ticonderoga, and many others are all brought to life by the dynamic action poses and unique regiments that fought at each. The colonies were responsible for raising regiments to fight their battles against the encroaching French and their Native allies, and John Jenkins Designs produces New Jersey, Pennsylvanian, South Carolina, Connecticut, and the 60th Royal American Provincials as toy soldiers to represent the variety of those regiments.

Unique ranges produced by John Jenkins Designs are The Jacobite Rebellion, The Seven Years War, The War of 1812, The Wars of the Roses, and The Town of Old Yangshuo among others. Perhaps one of the most unique of them all is the Speedbirds Collection, representing a period of time between WWI and WWII when aircraft design advanced by leaps and bounds as inventors attempted to capture the prestigious Schneider Trophy, awarded from 1913-1931. These fully painted and assembled airplane models are of a smaller scale than the normal 1:30th scale toy soldiers and accessories produced by JJD, so no pilots or other items are planned to accompany them at this time.