Kathleen D Toohey

International Arthurian Society (North American Branch) · Chretien de Troyes

In 336 BCE the father of Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, was murdered. The issues of who was or were responsible for the death and why, have been the subject of ongoing debate back to the time of Alexander, with at least eight theories now current. Much has already been written on this subject, and in modern debate, the question has lar...

In Le Chevalier de la Charette, the hero, Lancelot, spends the first half of the romance unnamed, and apparently unrecognised, even though, as presented later in the poem, he is clearly a prominent figure at Arthur's court. Why was he left unnamed for so long? Is it merely one of Chrétien's literary device? A distortion by the poet of an older trad...

This paper argues that in the Conte du Graal Chrétien was seeking to present a subtle, deliberately crafted criticism of the feudal, militaristic culture in which he lived. A criticism, and a warning of the risk of social collapse that can follow when the powerful lords who hold the culture together, are slain or otherwise rendered politically impo...

In this final appendix to my analysis of the Battle tactics of Alexander the Great, I examine the conflicting ancient accounts of the sack of Thebes by Alexander. In this study I shall attempt to reconcile the apparent different accounts, wherever possible. And I shall also use this as an example of how Alexander was able to use elements of his inf...

This 3rd year - 1979 - paper takes a critical look at the quoted views of eminent Roman scholar Ronald Syme on the accession of the Emperor Nerva to the throne, and his alleged incompetence as a ruler. At the time my tutor described it as "a very interesting essay - with one or two exceptions, the most stimulating I've received." He then went on t...

In this second appendix to my thesis on the Battle Tactics of Alexander the Great, I continue my review of Alexander's military engagements prior to the commencement of his long campaign against the Persian Empire. This paper examines the first campaign Alexander undertook as the new King of Macedonia. The campaign was prompted by reports of potent...

The Battle of Chaeronea was the first major battle in which a young prince who would later be known as Alexander the Great, held a significant command position. This paper reexamines the limited evidence from ancient sources to determine what they actually tell us. It also takes a critical look at a number of earlier assessments by 'modern' scholar...

This chapter concludes my examination of Alexander’s last battle, the Battle of the Hydaspes. It is as much an historiographical exercise as it is an analysis of the battle tactics used in the main battle. Because of this, the chapter is quite long, as it was also necessary to point out the misconceptions of previous studies of the battle, and to j...

This is the first of two chapters examining the course Alexander's last great battle, the Battle of the Hydaspes. In this battle Alexander the Great was fighting against the army of the Indian King, Porus. The battle was fought near the Hydaspes River, a tributary of the Indus. It was fought in two stages. In this chapter I look at where and when A...

Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire introduced the Macedonian King to a wide range of different cultures, with different ways of fighting war. But in India, he faced a very different enemy. Ancient India had been relatively isolated from the turmoils that had shaped the history of much of Asia and Europe. And as a result warfare on the subco...

At the Hydaspes River Alexander found himself confronted with a river in flood and an Indian King determined to prevent him from crossing. This paper examines the diversions and subterfuges Alexander used to lull King Porus into a false sense of security. The paper then examines the troops Alexander had assembled to lead across the river by both li...

This is the first of two chapters looking at the battle of the Hydaspes. The chapter looks at Alexander’s entry into Taxila and his journey to the Hydaspes River. In this chapter I will discuss issues such as the cause of the battle, the dating of the battle, and review how much we know of where the battle was fought. I will also discuss the compo...

This is the second chapter to examine Alexander the Great's march into India, prior to the battle of the Hydaspes. The chapter focuses on Alexander’s conquest of the lands of the Assacensians, culminating in his capture of the Rock of Aornos. Again, in this chapter, I am seeking to try and understand why Alexander chose the course he did. And I am...

This is the first of two chapters looking at Alexander the Great's march into India, prior to the battle of the Hydaspes. The chapter follows Alexander’s journey through difficult terrain into the land of the Aspasians. In this and the following chapter, I am seeking to try and understand why Alexander chose the course he did. I am also looking for...

Alexander spent almost two years securing control of Bactria and Sogdiana. No major battles were fought. Many of the events that happened during that period go well beyond the scope of this project, and shall not be addressed here. Instead, specific incidents, actions and policies will be reviewed for evidence of how Alexander was adapting to chang...

Some five years separate the battle of Gaugamela from Alexander's next major battle against Porus at the Hydaspes in India. This paper is the first of two to review the course of events over those five years, starting with Alexander's consolidation of control of the centre of the empire, the death of Darius, changes to the nature and structure of A...

As explained in the earlier parts of this work, I have always seen Augustus as a product of his time. In this final part of my 20,000+ examination of Augustus’ early career I look first at how, and why, Mark Antony repeatedly sought to impede Octavian’s early moves to have his adoption by Caesar recognised, and to claim his inheritance. I consider...

In the last decades of the Roman Republic, Rome came very close to collapse. Augustus brought an end to the civil wars that were tearing the state apart. He did bring peace. But there are still many who see him as a monster and a tyrant. I see him as a product of his time. In this second part of my 20,000+ examination of Augustus' early career I ex...

In the last decades of the Roman Republic, Rome came very close to collapse. Augustus brought an end to the civil wars that were tearing the state apart. He did bring peace. But there are still many who see him as a monster and a tyrant. I see him as a product of his time. This paper is the first part of a 20,000+ examination of Octavian's early ca...

Gaugamela was the last major battle between the forces of Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire under Darius III. This chapter concludes my analysis of that battle, starting with the collapse of the Persian left flank. In this chapter particular attention I seek to reconcile the conflicting accounts in the sources as far as possible, to determ...

Gaugamela was the last major battle fought by Alexander the Great against the Persian empire. Ancient sources provide conflicting tales of key events, but no clear account of the course of the battle. To understand what ‘really’ happened you also have to take account of what has not been said and what happened afterwards. This analysis is the produ...

This brief chapter looks at the way Alexander deployed his forces for the battle of Gaugamela, with particular attention to the way Alexander marched his army obliquely across the battlefield, and the significance of that action. This is quite a brief chapter but includes a number of diagrams to illustrate the Macedonian deployment.

As promised, in this second stage of the revisions to my original thesis chapter on the battle at Gaugamela I examine the regional backgrounds to the units of the Persian Army engaged at Gaugamela. Then, at the end, I offer a reconstruction of the Persian battle lines assembled against Gaugamela, based on my own interpretation of the available evid...

In this concluding section of my prosopographic analysis of the poems of Chrétien’s Arthurian poems, I reflect upon the way King Arthur’s own family expanded and evolved under the adept hand of the poet we know as Chrétien de Troyes.

This chapter marks the beginning of a three stage revision of my original thesis chapter on Alexander the Great's battle against the Persians at Gaugamela. When the original Honour's thesis was written I did not have time to adequately address the issues around the Persian side of the battle. I am looking to correct that, now. In this chapter I hav...

In Part 3 of my Prosopographic analysis of the poems of Chrétien’s Arthurian poems, I take a closer look at the characters Chrétien made more regular use of. Here, too, we find that Chrétien was frequently unfamiliar with the tradition behind the name, leading him to completely reinvent the character. Among these we also find the names of a number...

In Part 2 of my Prosopographic analysis of the poems of Chrétien’s Arthurian poems, I take a closer look at the few characters who feature only in the three stories Chrétien tells in his Erec and Enide poem. What these show is that, at the time he wrote this first poem, Chrétien was quite unfamiliar with the tradition he was drawing upon. And this...

In Chrétien’s Erec et Enide, depending on the redaction, there are 80 to 100+ characters named, significantly more than in any of his other Arthurian poems. Using prosopographic techniques my paper will examine the names of those characters; the origins of those names; their use in Erec; and how consistent Chrétien was in the role of those characte...

In this chapter - originally Chapter 3 in my 1980 thesis, I examine Alexander's tactics in the second of his three major battles against the Persians. In this expanded account I have been able to also look in much more detail at the topography of the battle site and the composition of the Persian army, including a Prosopographic analysis of its kno...

In this short chapter I look at the issue of just where the Battle of Issus was fought. In so doing I seek to lay to rest the vexed question of just which river the battle was fought across. There has been much debate about this in the past, with two conflicting views dominating. Settling this issue should help to make both the issues of troop depl...

In this addition to my original thesis I address the circumstances that saw Alexander’s army having to rush back from the Syrian Gates of Cilicia to confront late in the day an enemy that had somehow managed to get behind him. So this chapter temporarily shifts the focus of my thesis from tactical to strategic issues, and looks at the lingering que...

Written in the second year of my Honours’ degree, this paper takes a brief look at the Athenian politician and general, Alcibiades. The paper does not offer a detailed account of Alcibiades’ career. Rather, it examines key events in his life from the perspective of what the fluctuations of his career can tell us about the vulnerabilities of Athenia...

Chapter 2 of my 1980 thesis was a study of Alexander's tactics in the first of his three major battles against the Persians, at the Granicus River. When I originally wrote this, as noted in this new draft, the prevailing academic opinion was that the battle was fought across the modern river course. While I had reservations about that, I generally...

In this section, I look at Alexander's Heavy Cavalry, the Companions, Prodromoi and Paeonians, and the revolutionary tactical change these units brought to cavalry combat at that time-their capacity to charge home. The section also includes a brief discussion on the organisation of Alexander's cavalry, and the ways he commanded his army in battle.

In this section, the Persian cavalry units that fought with Alexander after Gaugamela are considered in the context of the cavalry units Alexander faced at that battle.

In this section of my thesis I turn my attention to Alexander's cavalry units, starting with those units I regard as light cavalry. The discussion examines both the nationalities of those units, together with their arms, armament and combat capabilities. Units considered include allied Greek cavalry, Thracians, Odrysians and Thessalians.

A new section has been added in which I conclude my review of Alexander's infantry with a discussion of the allied soldiers and mercenary troops in his army. This is then followed by a brief introduction of the section on Alexander's cavalry. This section contains some significant revisions, including a discussion of the peltasts , which I will mo...

My review of Alexander's tactical units and troop types now turns to issues regarding the Macedonian Heavy Infantry. This part of the text has been expanded from the original thesis to take account of some of the late Dr Minor Markle III, of the Dept. of Classics & Ancient History, University of New England, Australia. This section of the work is...

This is the first part of Chapter 1 of my Honours thesis (1980). It begins with a brief discussion of basic military principles and of relevant tactical unit types. A much more detailed discussion of the function of Light Infantry, including a discussion of the types used by Alexander III follows. With respect to the army of Alexander the Great, sp...

Publication, with limited revisions to begin with, of my thesis on the Battle Tactics of Alexander the Great. The original work concentrated on the combat capabilities of Alexander's units and the major battles. I'll be publishing the original work here in instalments, with revisions and extensions to follow as I find the time to address them.

An examination of the career of Crassus, with particular attention to conflicting evidence in the available sources regarding his early life. The paper is a revision of a paper originally written in the late 1970's. It takes note of the few issues brought to my attention by my tutor at the time, and makes some adjustments based on my own recent rev...

Early in Malory’s Morte d'Arthur, King Arthur makes his knights swear an oath to abide by the standards he expects of them. This paper is a brief examination of Malory’s concept of chivalry and how different knights, including the king, himself, either succeeded or failed to meet the standards of that oath. And the consequences of failing to adhere...

This paper argues that Marius political career was shaped more by the circumstances of the times in which he lived, rather than by his military achievements and possible Army reforms. The paper was originally written as an assignment in 1979. I have made a couple of amendments and added some new comments in the footnotes to take account of my tutor...

http://www.friendsofantiquity.org.au/documents/novas/2015/2015-10.pdf First written in 1980 as part of the course work for my Honours year, this paper is a brief review of the work of the 'lost' historians of the early Roman Principate. In particular the paper examines what we know of the works of Aufidius Bassus, the elder Pliny, the elder Seneca,...

An examination of the early career of the Emperor Domitian, younger son of Vespasian. This is a recent revision of a research paper first written in my Honours' year. Brian Jones, whose works are cited herein, was my supervisor for this work. Roman Imperial History. Roman History. Historiography. Prosopography. Epigraphy. Numismatics.

Please note: This is now the final draft of this paper, and replaces both the original article and the later part 2 article. If you have never read A E van Vogt's novel "The Voyage of the Space Beagle", it's likely you will have never heard of Nexialism. Fortunately, van Vogt gave his readers a definition of this then putative new science at the st...

A critical evaluation of this book, together with a look at an ongoing problem in modern scholarship, "the need to be continually in print, ready or not".

The initial draft of my review of Andrea Williams book was longer than the published version. The final copy was shortened solely to fit the editorial requirements of the journal in which it appeared. To achieve this, my comments on the work as a whole had to be shortened, and discussion on particular sections of the work had to be dropped. The mat...

Today, most people know the story of Arthur drawing the sword from the stone, and many also know the tale of his taking the sword from a hand rising out of the middle of a lake. Yet if you ask them to name Arthur’s sword, only one name, Excalibur, will spring to mind. So, did Arthur have two swords, only one of which was named, or was there only on...

In the incomplete Le Conte du Graal the number of lines devoted to Perceval’s story is about 5000, compared to the 4000 spent relating Gawain’s adventures. In the Grail poem, we are early on presented with a prophecy that, if Perceval lives long enough, there will never be a better knight than he. It is a prophecy never to be fulfilled in the unfin...