AELIANUS

flourished 2nd century AD also called Aelianus Tacticus Greek military writer residing in Rome whose manual of tactics influenced Byzantine, Muslim, and post-15th-century European methods of warfare. Probably written in AD 106, Aelianus' Taktike theoria ("Tactical Theory"), based on the art of warfare as practiced by the Hellenistic successors of Alexander the Great, was an instruction manual on arming, organizing, deploying, and maneuvering an army in the field. Consulting previous authorities on the subject, Aelianus dealt with a force composed mainly of armoured infantry of the Greek hoplite type, with auxiliary light infantry and cavalry screens. His influence is evident in the military writings of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI (886-912); an Arab translation of the Taktike theoria was made about 1350. Aelianus' detailed treatise became a valuable source of knowledge for European military writers of the 16th century, when infantry once again began to supersede cavalry as the decisive arm of the battlefield.