The ancient language of stratagem links deception directly to acts of generalship. A commander was expected to devise ways of misleading or outmaneuvering an opponent rather than simply arranging a frontal contest. Hoplite battles could still produce opposing walls of spears, but that visible clash was not the whole of ancient warfare. Treating Alexander the Great and other innovative commanders as isolated exceptions understates the wider place of deception and maneuver in military thought.
Notable Point · 16:26-17:13
Ancient generalship expected stratagems
Greek ideas of command included stratagem, complicating the stereotype that ancient armies merely formed orderly ranks and pushed straight ahead.