Greek Warfare: Myth and Realities

(Paperback)

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From the soldier's eye view of combat to the broad social and economic structures which shaped campaigns and wars, ancient Greek warfare in all its aspects has been studied more intensively in the last few decades than ever before. This book ranges from the concrete details of conducting raids, battles and sieges to more theoretical questions about the causes, costs, and consequences of warfare in archaic and classical Greece. It argues that the Greek sources present a highly selective and idealised picture, too easily accepted by most modern scholars, and that a more critical study of the evidence leads to radically different conclusions about the Greek way of war.

Reviews

Greek Warfare is a fresh, highly detailed, comprehensive look at the nature of war, warriors, and warfare in the ancient Greek world from Homeric times to the ascent of Rome...Intended for the very serious student of war in the ancient world, Greek Warfare will nevertheless prove rewarding even for the interested layman. -- A. A. Nofi * The NYMAS Review *

Author Bio

Hans van Wees is Reader in Ancient History at University College London. He is the author of Status Warriors: war, violence, and society in Homer and history, editor of War and Violence in Ancient Greece and joint editor of the Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare.