With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

(Hardback)

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Most studies of ancient warfare focus only on the Greeks and Romans, but this sweeping study covers the whole of the ancient world from Greece and Rome to the Near East, then eastward to Parthia, India and China. Bradford transports the reader into the midst of ancient battles behind such great leaders as Thutmose III, Ashurbanipal, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the first Chinese Emperor. He details the rise and fall of empires, the role of leadership and the development of tactics and strategy. One sees the clash of peoples: nomads against agricultural societies; infantry against cavalry; as well as the greatest technological change in history - the combination of the composite bow and the chariot. This account analyzes ancient armies in terms of modern army doctrine, allowing the reader to make comparisons between the combatants. Recruitment, for example, varied tremendously with romans drawing from a limited pool of recruits for service terms of 20 to 30 years and Chinese planners preferring a large pool with short-term service. While various types of governments prepared for and waged war in significantly different ways, Bradford finds that better organization led to success on the battlefield and that for the most part, societal innovation was more important than technological innovation. The ongoing discussion of the lessons of ancient warfare around the globe should provide valuable insights for interested general readers and military professionals alike.

Author Bio

ALFRED S. BRADFORD is the John Saxon Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oklahoma. He served with the 1/27th Infantry in Vietnam. He has been a research assistant and a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.