A lavishly illustrated overview of the history of Greek warfare.
Ancient Greeks at War is a lavishly illustrated tour de force covering every aspect of warfare in the Ancient Greek world from the beginnings of Greek civilisation through to its assimilation into the ever expanding world of Rome. As such it begins with the onset Minoan culture on Crete around 2,000 BC, then covers the arrival of the Mycenaean civilisation and the ensuing Late Bronze Age Collapse, before moving on to Dark Age and Archaic Greece. This sets the scene for the flowering of Classical Greek civilization, as told through detailed narratives of the Greek and Persian Wars, Peloponnesian Wars and the rise of Thebes as a major power.
The book then moves on to the onset of Macedonian domination under Philip II, before focusing in detail on the exploits of his son Alexander the Great, the all-conquering hero of the ancient world. His legacy was the Hellenistic world with its multiple, never ending series of conflicts that took place over a huge territory, ranging from Italy in the west all the way to India in the east.
Those covered include the various Wars of the Successors, the rise of the Bactrian-Greek and Indo-Greek kingdoms, the various wars between the Antigonid Macedonian, Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms, and later the onset of the clash of cultures between the rising power of Rome in the west and the Hellenistic kingdoms. In the long run the latter proved unable to match Rome's insatiable desire for conquest in the eastern Mediterranean, and this together with the rise of Parthia in the east ensured that one by one the Hellenistic kingdoms and states fell.
The book ends with the destruction of Corinth in 146 BC after the defeat by Rome of the Achaean League. The conclusion considers the legacy of the Ancients Greeks in the Roman world, and subsequently.
About the Author
Dr Simon Elliott is an award-winning and best-selling historian, archaeologist and broadcaster, and a leading expert of warfare in the ancient world. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent and a Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, and has published many books on subjects covering conflict in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. He frequently appears on broadcast media as a presenter and expert discussing a wide range of historical themes.
Industry Reviews
"...I applaud Dr. Elliott for his thorough research... This ambitious military chronicle is essentially an overview; a comprehensive survey, smoothly written by an expert popularizer of ancient history. A tour de force, the book is lavishly illustrated..."-- "The NYMAS Review"
"[T]his volume provides a detailed, insightful survey of Greek warfare. Although largely an introduction, folded into its narrative are many well-informed and highly perceptive observations. Recommended. General readers through faculty."--B. A. Ault, University at Buffalo, SUNY "CHOICE, June 2022 Vol. 59 No. 10"
"This is an excellent overview volume covering not only the military, but the political, social, economic, and even cultural factors that led to the rise of the ancient city-states of Greece and their method of warfare that dominated the Eastern Mediterranean for centuries."-- "NY Journal of Books"
