The Trojan War as Military History

Manousos E Kambouris

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English

Pen and Sword
01 April 2023

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Military history

In The Trojan war as Military History, the author's starting point is the fact that the Iliad, notwithstanding the fantastical/mythological elements (the involvement of gods and demigods), is the earliest detailed description of warfare we have. Stripping away the myths, Manousos Kambouris analyses the epic and combines it with other textual and archaeological evidence to produce a coherent narrative of the conflict and of Bronze Age warfare in the Aegean. The author presents the most detailed analysis possible of Mycenaean Greek armies - their composition and organization, the warriors' weapons, armour and tactics, and those of their enemies. He finds sophisticated combined-arms forces blending massed infantry with missile troops and chariots, employing open battle, deception and special operations in what amounted to total war. The author's detailed examination of the mechanics of Bronze Age combat is enriched by his use of insights from experimental archaeology using replica equipment. No less illuminating or significant than the minutiae of heroic duels is the setting of the strategic context of the conflict and the geopolitical relationship of the Mycenaean Greeks with their rivals across the Aegean. Seeking to integrate the supernatural/divine element of the Iliad within the power structure and struggle of the day, the author lashes the Trojan War to the chariot of rationality and drags it from the mists of mythology and into the realm of History.

AUTHOR: Manousos E Kambouris has a background in scientific writing, contributing chapters on a wide range of disciplines to various edited volumes and journals. He has been researching Ancient Greek warfare for many years and has published numerous articles in Archeologija Prirodne Na (Archaeology and Science), Ancient Warfare, Military History, War & History, NUOVA ANTOLOGIA MILITARE, Third Eye and Hellenic Nexus. He has written three previous books on Marathon, Salamis and Xenophon's Ten Thousand. For the past 8 years he has been a historical consultant to the experimental archaeology group Koryvantes, the Association of Historical Studies. In 2022 Pen & Sword published his trilogy on the Greco-Persian Wars to 479 BC (The Rise of Persia and the First Greco-Persian Wars; Persia Triumphant in Greece: The High Tide, 481-480 BC and The Greek Victories and the Persian Ebb 480-479 BC) and in spring 2023 will publish Alexander the Great Avenger.

30 colour, 16 b/w illustrations

By: Manousos E Kambouris
Imprint: Pen and Sword
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781399094467
ISBN 10: 1399094467
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 April 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Manousos E Kambouris has a background in scientific writing, contributing chapters on a wide range of disciplines to various edited volumes and journals. He has been researching Ancient Greek warfare for many years and has published numerous articles in Archeologija Prirodne Na (Archaeology and Science), Ancient Warfare, Military History, War & History, NUOVA ANTOLOGIA MILITARE, Third Eye and Hellenic Nexus. He has written three previous books on Marathon, Salamis and Xenophon's Ten Thousand. For the past 8 years he has been a historical consultant to the experimental archaeology group Koryvantes, the Association of Historical Studies. In 2022 Pen & Sword published his trilogy on the Greco-Persian Wars to 479 BC (The Rise of Persia and the First Greco-Persian Wars; Persia Triumphant in Greece: The High Tide, 481-480 BC and The Greek Victories and the Persian Ebb 480-479 BC) and in spring 2023 will publish Alexander the Great Avenger.

Reviews for The Trojan War as Military History

"""A simply fascinating, informative, thought-provoking read... an extraordinary work of original and superbly presented research...""-- ""Midwest Book Review"""