Warfare in the Classical World

This is an excellent book on ancient warfare. It covers warfare from as far back as the Trojan War to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. John Warry makes the book a lot more interesting than other books of this era by accompanying the text with detailed drawings of soldiers, weapons, and galleys and also by adding several fairly detailed maps of time periods and battles. The book also has a time line that runs along the bottom of every page that provides info on events occurring around the world as well as summarizing the info in the chapters. Another great thing about the book, that was also covered by other reviewers, is the section of ancient authorities. This adds to the credibility of the book by stating sources as well as just by providing information about scholars of the times. There isn't too much to complain about, but if I had to say something, I wish that there was more time spent on warfare at the time of Imperial Rome. Only 2 out of 12 chapters cover this 400-500 year period of time though Republican Rome is covered in detail. Overall though this is a great buy and a great reference for ancient warfare.

As far as explaining warfare in the classical world, you really couldn't get a better book. Its illustrations are clear and informative. I originally found this book in my high school library and it took all my will power to keep from stealing it. I've found that most books that expain famous battles do so in a manner that's often vague and leave much to the reader's interpretation. This book shows how a battle came about - step by step. Keep in mind that it doesn't especially delve in the political/social mechanisms of why the battle started, but that isn't necessary considering that so many other books cover those topics sufficiently.

This is a wonderful book. It reads well and has superb illustrations of the fighting men and their weapons. It gives one a real feel of the era and the men who fought in them. It is also not too long and doesn't bore you with dry detail. Of course it is not as detailed as the serious studies on the eras such as Webster's and Bohec's studies of the Imperial Roman Army but then again it is not meant to be. It accomplishes what it sets out to do which is put you in the basic know on warfare in ancient Greece and Rome and also has much detail on their respective foes such as the Persians, Scythians, Gauls etc. However I still don't understand why it is termed an encyclopedia since it doesn't follow the standard alphabetical format (although an encyclopedia doesn't necessarily have to...I was just wondering?). Great book anyway and well worth the purchase. Peter Connelly's book "Greece and Rome at War" is also in the same vein but somehow I still prefer this one.

An absolute must have for anyone who is remotely interested in warfare in the classical world. Not just dry descriptions, but beautiful, realistic, full color illustrations of the soldiers from each important evoloution. (Such as the Homeric and Spartan hoplites, the Macedonian Phalangite, the Companion Cavalryman, the Thracian Peltast, the varied Persian troops, and the various evoloutions of the Roman Legionary and their foes (including Hannibal's Iberians, the Celts, and the Huns), along with detailed descriptions of each one's panopoly and tactics. Also describes all major battles, seagoing and siege tactics and the historical timeline surrounding each. The one thing it lacks is analysis of the great generals, which is appropriate as a good study of any great leader can easily fill a book this size. However, is a must-have companion to any T. A. Dodge or similar work on the period. Really puts a face on the fighting soldier.

I bought this book in hardbound some years ago and it has become very worn from continual use. It and Peter Connolly's "Greece and Rome at War" (now apparently out of print) are the two best books that I have found in many, many years of searching. They are truly outstanding, and I would recommend them to anybody from novice to near expert. Indeed, I have done so many times.