The
cradle of western civilization, the ancient Greek world, consisted of a
series of independent city states some of which, such as Athens and
Sparta, became major world powers. This authoritative volume by Nicholas Sekunda covers Greek warfare in the Classical
Period, which stretches from the Greek victories over the Persian
Empire to the death of Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th
century. The book includes such famous battles such as Marathon,
Thermopylae and Salamis and offers a detailed account of Greek military
dress during this period, supported by 12 full color plates by Angus
McBride.
'The Greek and Persian Wars - 500 - 323 BC'
The Persian Wars began after the fall of the Lydian Empire in the early 5th century BC.
It was an ideological conflict which pitted a proud, democratic,
freedom-loving people against a tyrannical and mighty empire. The
stories of the many battles fought between the Greeks and the Persians
are here which have been brought to life by Jack
Cassin-Scott. The tactics, organization and uniforms of the armies of
both sides are featured in numerous illustrations, museum photographs,
plus eight full page color plates superbly drawn by the author himself.
'The Greek and Persian Wars - 499 - 386 BC'
This
book covers one of the defining periods of European
history. The series of wars between the Classical Greeks and the
Persian Empire produced the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and
Salamis, as well as an ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Persian king
in 400 BC, which helped to inspire the conquests of Alexander the
Great. To tell the story of these momentous events, of the lives of
great men and women, of the societies and cultures that produced them,
and to explain how and why they came into conflict was the aim of
Herodotus, 'the Father of History', whose account of the wars is our
principal source and the first book to be called a 'history'.
'Greek Hoplite - 480 - 323 BC'
The
Greek hoplite, the archetypal spear-armed warrior, is perhaps the most
prevalent figure in our view of the 'Golden Age' of Ancient Greek
civilization. It was during this period that the state began to take
greater responsibility for military organization, and the arming and
equipping of its citizens. From the victory at Marathon over Darius of
Persia, through bitter inter-state warfare, to the rise of Philip of
Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great, the hoplite soldier was in
the front-line. This title narrates the life and
experiences of the common Greek warrior, how he was recruited, trained
and fought, and also looks in detail at how his weapons, armour,
shields and helmets developed in the course of time.
'The Persian Army - 560 - 330 BC'
The
Persian Empire grew in the vacuum left by Assyria's destruction of the
Kingdom of Elam. Prince Teispes captured Anshan, once a stonghold of
the Elamites. His father, Achaemenes is the person who is apparently
responsible for training and organising the early Persian army and it
is his name that is the beginning of the royal line of Achaemenian
Kings. It is a dynasty which includes Darius the Great – the finest
ruler of the Achaemenid era. The army he commanded included the
infamous 'Immortals', who formed the elite of the Persian army, their
numbers always kept to exactly 10,000 men.
'Shadows in the Desert'
The
ruins of Persepolis evoke the best-known events of ancient Persia's
history: Alexander the Great's defeat of Darius III, his conquest of
the Achaemenid empire, and the burning of the great palace complex at
Persepolis. However, most of the history of ancient Persia remains as
mysterious today as it was to contemporary Western scholars. Compared
to the world-famous Alexander, the many wars won by the Achaemenid,
Parthian, and Sassanian empires, and their revolutionary military
technology, have been almost forgotten in the sands of the East.
In
its day, Persia was a superpower to rival Greece and Rome, and conflict
between them spanned over a millennium. Through these wars, and trade,
these foes learnt from each other, not only adopting elements of
military technology, but influences in the arts, architecture,
religion, technology and learning. In this beautifully illustrated book, Dr. Kaveh Farrokh narrates the history of Persia from
before the first empires, through their wars with East and West to the
fall of the Sassanians. He also delves into the forgotten cultural
heritage of the Persians, spread across the world through war and
conquest, which, even after the fall of the Sassanians, continued to
impact upon the Western world.
'The Spartan Army'
Although
Sparta's early history is not clear, by the end of the 8th century most
of the other cities of Lakedaimon had been reduced to subject status.
The Lakedaimonians were the only full time army in ancient Greece and
were thus truly an elite force. The institutions of the state and the
system of education were organized with a view to creating superbly
trained soldiers. Nick Sekunda examines this unique military machine in
this book describing the organizational systems of the
Spartan army through the Hellenistic period, how they were trained, the
battles they fought, and the society that produced them.
'Thermopylae 480 BC: Last Stand of the 300'
Thermopylae resonates throughout history as a battle involving extreme
courage and sacrifice. It was in this rocky pass in northern Greece
that Leonidas, king of the Spartans and commander-in-chief of the Greek
force, delayed the Persian hordes for three days against overwhelming
odds. Finally overcome by treachery, the remaining Spartans refused to
retreat in the face of inevitable defeat, being slaughtered by the
elite Persian 'Immortals' down to the last man. Dr. Nic Fields vividly
describes the battle for the narrow gateway to southern Greece as the
combined Greek forces held off the army of Xerxes and Leonidas's
sacrifice bought time for the retreat and tactical and political
regrouping that would save Greece. Full color artwork, detailed maps
and dramatic battle scenes complement clear and authoritative text to
provide an in-depth analysis of one of the most famous acts of sheer
courage and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds in history.
'The Greeks at War: From Athens to Alexander'
Inspiring generations of poets, novelists, scriptwriters and scholars,
the rise and fall of the great Empires of the Classical world is an
enthralling story of passion and conquest. The leaders, battles and
military technologies that dominated the wars between Greece and
Persia, and Alexander's conquests are all examined in detail in this
book, and their historical significance is discussed. The appendix
focuses on the modern treatment of Ancient Greece in film, including
behind-the-scenes insights into the filming of battle scenes for Oliver
Stone's epic movie, Alexander. This volume combines material previously
published as Essential Histories 36, 27 and 26, with a new foreword by
renowned historian and author Victor Davis Hanson, and new material on
the Wars of the Successors.
'Warriors of Ancient Greece'
(exactly the same material as the 'Ancient Greeks' whose detail can be seen above. The only difference is the title and its cover.)