Greek Warfare beyond the Polis

Author: David A. Blome
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501747614
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Book Description
Greek Warfare beyond the Polis assesses the nature and broader significance of warfare in the mountains of classical Greece. Based on detailed reconstructions of four unconventional military encounters, David A. Blome argues that the upland Greeks of the classical mainland developed defensive strategies to guard against external aggression. These strategies enabled wide-scale, sophisticated actions in response to invasions, but they did not require the direction of a central, federal government. Blome brings these strategies to the forefront by driving ancient Greek military history and ancient Greek scholarship "beyond the polis" into dialogue with each other. As he contends, beyond-the-polis scholarship has done much to expand and refine our understanding of the ancient Greek world, but it has overemphasized the importance of political institutions in emergent federal states and has yet to treat warfare involving upland Greeks systematically or in depth. In contrast, Greek Warfare beyond the Polis scrutinizes the sociopolitical roots of warfare from beyond the polis, which are often neglected in military histories of the Greek city-state. By focusing on the significance of warfare vis-à-vis the sociopolitical development of upland polities, Blome shows that although the more powerful states of the classical Greek world were dismissive or ignorant of the military capabilities of upland Greeks, the reverse was not the case. The Phocians, Aetolians, Acarnanians, and Arcadians in circa 490–362 BCE were well aware of the arrogant attitudes of their aggressive neighbors, and as highly efficient political entities, they exploited these attitudes to great effect.

Classical Greek Tactics

Author: Roel Konijnendijk
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900435557X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 269

Book Description
What determined the choices of the Greeks on the battlefield? Were their tactics defined by unwritten moral rules, or was all considered fair in war? In Classical Greek Tactics: A Cultural History, Roel Konijnendijk re-examines the literary evidence for the battle tactics and tactical thought of the Greeks during the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Rejecting the traditional image of limited, ritualised battle, Konijnendijk sketches a world of brutally destructive engagements, restricted only by the stubborn amateurism of the men who fought. The resulting model of hoplite battle does away with most received wisdom about the nature of Greek battle tactics, and redefines the way they reflected the values of Greek culture as a whole.

Understanding Greek Warfare

Author: Matthew A. Sears
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351974122
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
Understanding Greek Warfare offers a wide-ranging survey of Greek warfare, from the Mycenaeans through to the Hellenistic kingdoms’ clashes with Rome. Each chapter provides an overview of a particular theme and historical period, and a detailed discussion of the relevant sources, both ancient and modern. This volume covers not only the development of equipment, tactics, strategy, and the major wars of Greek history – the "drums and trumpets" – it also examines the political, social, and cultural importance of warfare in each period. Each chapter outlines major scholarly debates, such as the true nature of hoplite battle and whether Alexander the Great had a strategic vision beyond conquest, and includes several short selections from the primary literary evidence. Readable yet scholarly, this book is an ideal companion to courses on Greek warfare and society, and offers detailed suggestions for further reading and research. Understanding Greek Warfare will be a crucial resource for students of war in the ancient Greek world, and of the ancient Greeks in general.

Ambush

Author: Rose Mary Sheldon
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783036486
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 448

Book Description
A historian of military intelligence presents a revelatory account of ancient Greek battle tactics, including the use of espionage and irregular warfare. There are two images of warfare that dominate Greek history. The better known is that of Achilles, the Homeric hero skilled in face-to-face combat and outraged by deception on the battlefield. The alternative model, also taken from Homeric epic, is Odysseus, ‘the man of twists and turns’ who saw no shame in winning by stealth, surprise or deceit. It is common for popular writers to assume that the hoplite phalanx was the only mode of warfare used by the Greeks. The fact is, however, that the use of spies, intelligence gathering, ambush, and surprise attacks at dawn or at night were also a part of Greek warfare. While such tactics were not the supreme method of defeating an enemy, they were routinely employed when the opportunity presented itself.

Early Greek Warfare

Author: P. A. L. Greenhalgh
Publisher: CUP Archive
ISBN:
Category : Greece
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description

Greek Warfare

Author: Lee L. Brice
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 311

Book Description
This book brings together reference material and primary source documents concerning the most important people, places, events, and technologies of Classical Greek warfare in one easy-to-use volume—an invaluable resource for students, educators, and general readers interested in this compelling subject. Greek Warfare: From the Battle of Marathon to the Conquests of Alexander the Great is a unique reference book that examines warfare in ancient Greece during the Classical era between 490 and 323 BCE. This easy-to-use, multi-format handbook provides a range of tools for investigating the military history of Classical Greece, including a timeline, reference entries, selected primary source documents, charts, and a glossary. The accessible reference entries illuminate all of the most important topics and issues within Classical Greek warfare, while the book's logical organization allows students, educators, and general readers alike to quickly find the specific information they seek. The comprehensive bibliography serves as a perfect gateway to additional resources on the subject.

New Approaches to Greek and Roman Warfare

Author: Lee L. Brice
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118273338
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Book Description
Uses new methodologies, evidence, and topics to better understand ancient warfare and its place in culture and history New Approaches to Greek and Roman Warfare brings together essays from specialists in ancient history who employ contemporary tools and approaches to reveal new evidence and increase knowledge of ancient militaries and warfare. In-depth yet highly readable, this volume covers the most recent trends for understanding warfare, militaries, soldiers, non-combatants, and their roles in ancient cultures. Chronologically-organized chapters explore new methodologies, evidence, and topics while offering fresh and original perspectives on recent documentary and archaeological discoveries. Covering the time period from Archaic Greece to the Late Roman Empire, the text asks questions of both new and re-examined old evidence and discusses the everyday military life of soldiers and veterans. Chapters address unique topics such as neurophysiological explanations for why some soldiers panic and others do not in the same battle, Greek society’s handling of combat trauma in returning veterans, the moral aspects and human elements of ancient sieges, medical care in the late Roman Empire, and the personal experience of military servicemembers and their families. Each chapter is self-contained to allow readers to explore topics in any order they prefer. This book: Features case studies that examine psychological components of military service such as morale, panic, recovery, and trauma Offers discussions of the economics of paying for warfare in the Greek and Roman worlds and why Roman soldiers mutinied Covers examining human remains of ancient conflict, including interesting photos Discusses the role of women in families and as victims and addresses issues related to women and war Places discussions in the broader context of new wave military history and includes complete bibliographies and further reading suggestions Providing new material and topical focus, New Approaches to Greek and Roman Warfare is an ideal text for Greek History or Roman History courses, particularly those focusing on ancient warfare, as well as scholars and general readers with interest in the ancient militaries.

Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs

Author: Adrienne Mayor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1590203747
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 327

Book Description
"A comprehensive look at WMD's antecedents, from flamethrowers of the Peloponnesian War to plague-bearing booby traps.... Rich and entertaining." -Newsweek Featuring a new introduction by the author. Flamethrowers, poison gases, incendiary bombs, the large-scale spreading of disease... are these terrifying agents and implements of warfare modern inventions? Not by a long shot. Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs will catapult readers into the dark and fascinating realm of ancient war and mythic treachery-and their devastating consequences.

Historical Dictionary of Ancient Greek Warfare

Author: Iain Spence
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0810866129
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 478

Book Description
This resource strategically traces Greek warfare from 720 to 30 BC and its specific and extensive details-the wars, the troops, the armor, the military tactics, and other factors either affecting or affected by the wars. Read how warfare evolved during the centuries in ancient Greece from rudimentary, non-sophisticated strategies and weaponry to more complex arsenals and tactics. Includes entries on many aspects of war for which ancient Greece is historically recognized, as well as profiles of famous military and civilian leaders, including Alcibiades and Alexander the Great, who were involved in the battles on both land and sea. An extensive bibliography suggests further reading of interest. No other general work on ancient Greek warfare covers the entire period included in this volume.

Greek Warfare

Author: Hans van Wees
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 9781474275903
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
From the soldier's-eye view of combat to the broad social and economic structures that shaped campaigns and wars, ancient Greek warfare in all its aspects has been studied more intensively in the last few decades than ever before. This book ranges from the concrete details of conducting raids, battles and sieges to more theoretical questions about the causes, costs and consequences of warfare in archaic and classical Greece. It argues that the Greek sources present a highly selective and idealised picture, too easily accepted by most modern scholars, and that a more critical study of the evidence leads to radically different conclusions about the Greek way of war. In this new edition the evidence from recent research is interwoven throughout the existing text along with new images to supplement the original illustrative material, which is now fully integrated. A new map and annotated timeline will support students, while a much-expanded final chapter on naval warfare will bring this important subdiscipline fully up to date.