Warfare in Ancient Greece: Arms and Armour from the Heroes of Homer to Alexander the Great

The ancient Greeks were a highly educated, literary and artistic race. They were also extremely warlike, living and fighting not only in Greece but in Cyprus, South Italy, Sicily and the vast areas conquered by Alexander the Great. In this breathtaking book, Tim Everson uses the latest research to explore the military might of the Greeks - from teh naked-fighting hoplites to the use of elephants as battle cavalry. Ranging from c. 1550 to 150 BC, Warfare in Ancient Greece encompasses the broad range of weapons, armour, helmets and chariots used and developed by the Greeks over the centuries. Heinrich Schliemann found the first traces of body armour in the Shaft Graves at Mycenae in the 1870s. Major recent discoveries include the armour of Philip II and the Prodromi cuirass. Tim Everson examines the archaeological evidence of these finds, together with ancient depictions of military equipment on vases and in sculpture. Literary information provided by Homer, Herodotus and Thucydides is also unearthed and compared to modern scholarly reports. Within a broad chronological framework the rise and wane of the chariot, Agamemnon's scale corset, the introduction of chain mail, and the military tactics of the hoplite, or heavy infantryman, are just some of the fascinating elements explored in Warfare in Ancient Greece. This richly illustrated, detailed and accessible book is the first comprehensive survey of ancient Greek warfare for many years. It is also the first to bring the important discoveries of recent times to a wider, non-specialist audience. Warfare in Ancient Greece will appeal to anyone interested in ancient and classical history, as well as historians of warfare and archaeologists.