Friends of Antiquity Sunday Series: ‘the battle of the Hydaspes – Alexander’s Indian campaign as colonial warfare’

Join us for the August Sunday Series event titled: The battle of the Hydaspes – Alexander’s Indian campaign as colonial warfare, presented by Kathy Toohey, Friends of Antiquity member.

Date: Sunday 13 August 2023
Time: 2–4pm
Location: Room E302, Forgan Smith Building, UQ St Lucia Price: $10

In this society, rigid divisions based on caste and other social factors were already firmly established. The ongoing internal conflicts adhered to ancient traditions where battle formations were determined by social status, pushing infantry units to the rear due to their lower-class origins. In stark contrast, Alexander commanded an inclusive army comprising skilled and experienced soldiers, employing innovative weapons and tactics previously unfamiliar to India. Clearly, a fair confrontation was never on the cards.

The event will be held at The University of Queensland Forgan Smith Building, followed by an afternoon tea.

Presenter: Kathy Toohey

Kathy Toohey completed Honours in Ancient History at UQ in 1981, with a 30,000-word thesis on The Battle Tactics of Alexander the Great.

From 1981 to 1982 she tutored part-time in Ancient History for UQ External Studies and from 1982 to 2012, Kathy worked in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Between 1999 and 2017, she presented papers on Medieval Arthurian Literature at International Conferences in Sydney, Wales, France, and Missouri.

Kathy shares her work online through ResearchGate and Academia.edu. In 2018 she began a major revision of her Honours thesis, which is now 21 chapters long and almost complete. She has received positive feedback and encouragement from many academics including the late Bob Milns, Waldemar Heckel, Gaius Stern, and Vojislav Sarakinski.