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The article will discuss the importance of the phalanx as a way to point out cultural links and cultural competition between Greeks and Romans. It will argue that there is a wider discourse in military literature on the phalanx as a cultural commodity, by both historians and authors of 'military manuals', each author building on the arguments of the other, and that the Taktika of Aelian and Arrian are a key link in understanding this discourse in the context of the second century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Within hand trauma, the management of unstable, intra-articular fractures of the base of the middle phalanx remains highly controversial. The objective of this research was to determine which operation gives the best outcome in the management of displaced, intra-articular fractures of the base of the middle phalanx causing instability of the proximal interphalangeal joint. Methods: A scoping study was performed to determine the evidence available and the terminology used. A Systematic Review was then performed along PRISMA guidelines. This Systematic Review looked specifically for papers available in English, published over the last ten years, with clinical data for at least five cases of acute unstable fractures of the base of the middle phalanx. There must be two years follow-up with less than 30% loss to follow-up. Results: There were no Systematic Reviews or Cochrane reviews. There were no randomized controlled trials and the best studies were simply cohort studies with level III or IV evidence. There was a paucity of high quality studies, with small, heterogeneous groups, short length of follow-up and high loss to follow up. Only seven papers met the Systematic Review criteria. Conclusions: General trends show excellent return of grip strength and good function despite some ongoing pain and stiffness. There were high complication rates for all techniques and the possible reasons for different outcomes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TASER ® is a self-defense weapon whose use has now become commonplace among law enforcement agencies. Electronic control weapons were first used in the USA in the 1990s and then adopted in Europe and France. We report a case of an 18-year-old male who presented a penetrating lesion of the middle phalanx of the left index finger. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complex finger injury due to the TASER ® . It highlights the potential major risks to finger vitality and function with use of this electrical weapon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combat scenes depicted on vases are a critical source for the reconstruction of Greek warfare in the archaic period. They are the subject of a lively debate over their accuracy and reliability as historical sources, and the degree to which they represent historical ways of fighting among archaic Greeks has been questioned. A particularly common argument used to question, or even in some cases, to reject some scenes as potential sources is to identify them as depicting 'archaizing' and/or 'heroizing' topics, that is, images drawn from a legendary past or from the myths. This scepticism has often been based on the identification of a few elements in the pictures which have traditionally been regarded as belonging to myth or to a period prior to the introduction of the phalanx. It is shown here that an examination of both these specific elements and the larger combat scenes in the light of new theories about the phalanx and the hoplite in the archaic period offer fresh grounds for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These pages wish to offer a brief reflection on an aspect of the process of professionalization that Greek warfare underwent from the end of the fifth century BC onward (all dates hereafter BC). The analysis will focus on the content and nature of the τέχvη that the Greek hoplite ought to acquire to become a χεıρoτέχvηζ -- an expert artisan in massed combat. The intention is to explore whether this τέχvη could be understood not as technical proficiency in a certain military skill that the hoplite acquires by practice but as a choice he is trained to make between εύταξíα and άταξíα. These terms, usually understood in a technical acceptation as 'order / discipline' and 'disorder / insubordination', will be presented here as frames of mind ἢθη τῆζ ψυχῆζ] and discussed in the light of Plato's use of the terms εύψυχíα and κακoψυχíα as hallmarks of the good and bad hoplite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I liaise with a number of living history groups globally, which all share the same aims and objectives of researching and actively pursuing experimental archaeology related to Ancient Greece and Rome. By networking, we create a foundation of knowledge that meets our framework for understanding the past. A few living history groups do an enormous variety of research and set the standards and benchmarks for the rest to follow. Other groups try to keep up, but are set back due to their budgets and members stagnating in this endeavour. In general the ancient re-enactment movement continues methodically to move forward and bares fruit through recognition from academic institutions and museums. Our website http://www.ancienthoplitikon.com/ (accessed on the 8 August 2014) only shows a small portion of what we have achieved so far. Each year we update it to show a proactive approach to ancient living history. At the moment, our group is investing in infrastructure and equipment for our members; it is currently focusing on growth, achieving those objectives of showcasing what is displayed in museums and providing a platform for history enthusiasts and historical academics to understand how they were used in the past. Th is endeavour is still in its infancy, and in years to come living history re-enactors will attract archaeologists, enthusiasts, academics and other highly educated persons of interest to the field. At present we are still considered the 'poor cousin' to history academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the first "Many Faces of War" conference Larry Tritle offered a thoughtprovoking essay, entitled "Inside the Hoplite Agony" (published in AHB 2009), on the real-life experience and agony of hoplite fighting, challenging many accepted views and urging us to discuss this topic not from a detached outside perspective but from that of the men and societies involved. My paper intends to show that the Iliad offers us many opportunities to meet Larry's demands, although in a few cases it might force him to modify some of his views. In the first part I explain why and to what extent it is possible to find in Homer's battle descriptions evidence of an early form of mass fighting in somewhat dense formations. The importance of this possibility is obvious: the Iliad contains by far the longest, most detailed, and most intense depiction of battle in all of Greek literature; if this depiction is at least in part (and in identifiable parts) realistic and historical, the gain for our understanding of the real-life experience of Greek battle is potentially enormous, even if this concerns a form of fighting that stands at the very beginning of the development of the hoplite phalanx. In the second part I will use epic evidence to support, illustrate, and in some instances challenge Tritle's criticism of established views of hoplite fighting. In the third part I will present evidence that allows us to gain an insider perspective on the agony of those fighting in an intense infantry battle and thus to illustrate those aspects of battle that are rarely visible in other ancient sources and usually neglected in modern scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]