War lay at the heart of life in the classical world, from conflicts between tribes or states to internal or civil wars. Battles were resolved by violent face-to-face encounters: war was a very personal experience. At the same time, warfare and its conduct often had significant and wide-reaching economic, social, or political consequences. The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World offers a critical examination of war and organized violence. The volume's introduction begins with the ancient sources for the writing of war, preceded by broad surveys of warfare in ancient Greece and Rome. Also included herein are chapters analyzing new finds in battlefield archaeology and how the environment affected the ancient practice of war. A second section is comprised of broad narratives of classical societies at war, covering the expanse from classical Greece through to the later Roman Empire. Part III contains thematic discussions that examine closely the nature of battle: what soldiers experienced as they fought; the challenges of conducting war at sea; how the wounded were treated. A final section offers six exemplary case studies, including analyses of the Peloponnesian War, the Second Punic War, and Rome's war with Sasanid Persia. The handbook closes with an epilogue that explores the legacy of classical warfare. Authored by experts in classics, ancient history, and archaeology, this handbook presents a vibrant map of the field of classical warfare studies.
Acknowledgements Contributors Abbreviations and Spelling Norms Chronology Editors' Introduction PART I Introduction: The Classical World at War 1. War and Warfare in Ancient Greece L. Rawlings 2. War and Warfare in Ancient Rome Randall Howarth 3. Writers on War a. Greece: Winning Ways in Warfare P.C. Millett b. Rome: A Story of Conflict Michael Lovano 4. The Archeology of War S. James 5. Warfare and Environment in the Ancient World J. Donald Hughes PART II The Face of Battle in the Classical World 6. The Classical Greek Experience John W.I. Lee 7. The Three Thousand: Alexander's Infantry Guard Waldemar Heckel 8. The Hellenistic Experience with War: Stagnation or Development? John Serrati 9. War and Society in Greece N. Sekunda 10. The Rise of Rome Michael Sage 11. War in Imperial Rome Phyllis Culham 12. War and Society in the Roman Empire Colin Adams PART III Impacts and Techniques: War in the Classical World 13. Men at War L.A. Tritle 14. Sick and Wounded Christine Salazar 15. Discipline Stefan Chrissanthos 16. Mercenaries Matthew Trundle 17. Logistics: Sinews of War Donald Engels 18. War at Sea Philip de Souza 19. Arms and Armor a. Greek Eero Jarva b. Roman Duncan B. Campbell 20. Under Siege: Challenges, Experiences, and Emotions Angelos Chaniotis 21. Generalship Rosemary Moore 22. Military Intelligence Frank Russell 23. War and Animals Ann Hyland a. Horses for War: Breeding and Keeping a Warhorse b. The Development and Training of Cavalry in Greece and Rome 24. Greek Rituals of War Daniel Tompkins 25. Roman Rituals of War John Rich 26. Fighting the Other a. Achaemenid Persians Bruce Laforse b. The Germanic and Danubian Transfrontier Peoples Peter Wells c. Military and Society in Sasanian Iran Scott McDonough PART IV Case Studies: The Classical World at War 27. The Athenian Expedition to Sicily Lee Brice 28. The Peloponnesian War and its Sieges Michael Seaman 29. Epaminondas at Leuctra, 371 BC John Buckler 30. Demetrius Poliorcetes and Hellenistic Warfare Thomas R. Martin 31. The Second Punic War Dexter Hoyos 32. The Eastern Frontier in Late Antiquity: Roman Warfare with Sasanian Persia A.D. Lee EPILOGUE: The Legacy of Classical Warfare Thomas Palaima and L.A. Tritle Index
Brian Campbell is Professor of Roman History at Queen's University Belfast. Lawrence A. Tritle is Professor of History at Loyola Marymount University.
Reviews for The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World
"""Campbell and Tritle have assembled engaging and valuable essays from an impressive list of contributors in the fields of classics, ancient history, and archaeology.... Though encyclopedic in scope, including entries on arms and armor, strategy, generalship, care of wounded, naval warfare, and logistics, the essays also constitute a vibrant retelling of the experience of ancient warfare. Well-supplied with maps and timelines, this volume should be included in any classics or military history collection. Highly Recommended.""--J. D. Lyons, CHOICE"
