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The Great Battles of Antiquity: A Strategic and Tactical Guide to Great Battles that Shaped the Development of War
The Great Captains frequently looked to crucial battles to learn lessons that they themselves employed. While the battles of antiquity have often been examined, Western generals looked to the wars of the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese to their own campaigns, and so on. Never before have military leaders and other students of military history had the benefit of a systematic look at the key battles throughout the ancient world. In this volume, Gabriel and Boose examine the 31 wars, campaigns or battles from Megiddo (1479 B.C.) to the fall of Constantinople (A.D. 1453) that had the greatest impact on the ancient world, stretching from the Mediterranean through the Middle East to Japan and Korea.
Beginning with Megiddo, the first battle in history for which there is a relatively detailed account of strategy and tactics, Gabriel and Boose provide a systematic survey of major battles, wars, and campaigns. Each analysis begins with the Strategic Setting, which places events within the larger political and strategic context; then looks to The Antagonists, providing a comparative look at each army, its equipment, tactics, weaponry, logistics, style of combat leadership, and doctrine to assess its major strengths and weaknesses. The authors then examine The Battle, offering a detailed account of the struggle complete with maps and charts to clarify the analysis of what happened on the battlefield. The final section, Lessons of War, dissects each battle for its successes and failures that are particularly relevant to the development and conduct of war in the modern age. Each survey ends with a bibliography of key sources for further reading. This volume is designed to be an invaluable reference source for military historians and professionals as well as the general reader.
Beginning with Megiddo, the first battle in history for which there is a relatively detailed account of strategy and tactics, Gabriel and Boose provide a systematic survey of major battles, wars, and campaigns. Each analysis begins with the Strategic Setting, which places events within the larger political and strategic context; then looks to The Antagonists, providing a comparative look at each army, its equipment, tactics, weaponry, logistics, style of combat leadership, and doctrine to assess its major strengths and weaknesses. The authors then examine The Battle, offering a detailed account of the struggle complete with maps and charts to clarify the analysis of what happened on the battlefield. The final section, Lessons of War, dissects each battle for its successes and failures that are particularly relevant to the development and conduct of war in the modern age. Each survey ends with a bibliography of key sources for further reading. This volume is designed to be an invaluable reference source for military historians and professionals as well as the general reader.
- GenresHistory
744 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 1994
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April 13, 2012
Read via browser in the Questia library. This book is sadly overpriced, but well worth the effort to get it if you can. Written by two eminent scholars in the field of military history, it's a primer on warfare from Megiddo to the fall of Constantinople. There are survey chapters on the "way of war" of different cultures, in between chapters on key battles. Emphasis is on how technology, tactics and political strategy developed over time, and what impact this had on outcomes of battles.
Each chapter begins with an overview of the strategic situation, introduces the key players, describes the battle's progression, then gives bullet points on strategic and tactical "take aways," and finally a bibliography for further reading.
It's a basic overview, but at 718 pages, there is a lot of meat here, and written in an engaging way that is not just a dry description of troop numbers and tactics. I spent over a year working my way through this book since I was reading it during spare moments on a browser, but I thoroughly enjoyed the effort. As the bibliography at the end of each chapter suggests, the book is meant to give a basis for further study from other, more detailed analyses.
Topics covered: The ancient art of war, Megiddo, Kadesh, Sargon II's Urartu campaign, the Greek way of war (Marathon, Leuctra, Chaeronea), the Chinese way of war (Chengpu, Guiling, Jingxing), the campaigns of Alexander (Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Hydaspes), the campaigns of Hannibal (Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae, Zama), Cynoscephalae, Caesar's campaigns (Alesia, Dyrrachium, Pharsalus), Teutoburger Forest, Adrianople, the Korean way of war (Salsu River), Battle of Hastings, the Mongols (Sajo River), the Japanese way of war (Ichinotani, Kyushu), the Swiss way of war (Morgarten, Laupen, Sempach), the siege of Constantinople, and legacy of the ancients.
Each chapter begins with an overview of the strategic situation, introduces the key players, describes the battle's progression, then gives bullet points on strategic and tactical "take aways," and finally a bibliography for further reading.
It's a basic overview, but at 718 pages, there is a lot of meat here, and written in an engaging way that is not just a dry description of troop numbers and tactics. I spent over a year working my way through this book since I was reading it during spare moments on a browser, but I thoroughly enjoyed the effort. As the bibliography at the end of each chapter suggests, the book is meant to give a basis for further study from other, more detailed analyses.
Topics covered: The ancient art of war, Megiddo, Kadesh, Sargon II's Urartu campaign, the Greek way of war (Marathon, Leuctra, Chaeronea), the Chinese way of war (Chengpu, Guiling, Jingxing), the campaigns of Alexander (Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Hydaspes), the campaigns of Hannibal (Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae, Zama), Cynoscephalae, Caesar's campaigns (Alesia, Dyrrachium, Pharsalus), Teutoburger Forest, Adrianople, the Korean way of war (Salsu River), Battle of Hastings, the Mongols (Sajo River), the Japanese way of war (Ichinotani, Kyushu), the Swiss way of war (Morgarten, Laupen, Sempach), the siege of Constantinople, and legacy of the ancients.
Displaying 1 of 1 review