Asclepiodotus Tacticus was a Greek author of the 1st century BCE. He is known only as the writer of a military treatise. The Suda identifies an Asclepiodotus as a student of the Stoic philosopher Posidonius, an identification generally accepted for the tactical writer. This places him within late Hellenistic intellectual circles, likely on Rhodes. No further biographical details survive.
His sole extant work is the Tactica, a systematic treatise on Hellenistic military theory. This concise manual methodically details the organisation, formations, drills, and signals of a Macedonian-style army. Asclepiodotus preserved and clearly systematized Hellenistic military science. His work records pre-Roman imperial military theory and was used by later Byzantine writers. He is part of the tradition of Greek tactical writers between Aeneas Tacticus and Arrian.
Available Works
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