Aelian the Tactician (Αἰλιανός ὁ Τακτικός) was a Greek military writer active during the reigns of the Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian in the early 2nd century CE [1]. He is distinguished from the later Claudius Aelianus (Aelian the Sophist) and was a contemporary of the historian Arrian [1][2]. He dedicated his work to Hadrian, indicating his status as a Greek intellectual operating under Roman imperial patronage [3][4].

His sole known work is the Tactica Theoria (Τακτικὴ Θεωρία), also known as On Tactical Arrays of the Greeks (Περὶ Στρατηγικῶν Τάξεων Ἑλληνικῶν), a systematic treatise on Greek and Macedonian military tactics [1][2][3].

Aelian’s significance stems from his compilation of Hellenistic military doctrine, particularly the Macedonian phalanx system [1][3]. His theoretical study became a foundational text for later military thought. It was used by Vegetius in the 4th century, informed the Byzantine emperor Leo VI’s Tactica, and influenced Renaissance military theory, making it a crucial link in the transmission of ancient military science [1][3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aelian-Roman-military-writer 2. Perseus Digital Library, Catalogus Philologorum Classicorum: http://catalog.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cite:perseus:author.15 3. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Aelian/ 4. ToposText: https://topostext.org/people/1410