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Ancient Greece
General Works
General Works
 The Persian Invasions of Greece, Arthur Keaveney. Fairly short but informative account of the famous campaigns of Darius and Xersex, written by an expert on ancient Persia and so with a rather different tone and emphasis than most books on this subject. Also covers the Ionian revolt and the build-up to the war in more detail than is often the case. [read full review] |
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 Sparta at War, Scott M. Rusch. A study of the rise, dominance and fall of Sparta, the most famous military power in the Classical Greek world. Sparta dominated land warfare for two centuries, before suffering a series of defeats that broke its power. The author examines the reasons for that success, and for Sparta's failure to bounce back from defeat. [read full review] |
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Ancient Warfare Vol IV, Issue 6: Royal Stalemate: Hellenistic kingdoms at war. An examination of the long series of wars between the successor states to Alexander the Great, often seen as a series of futile wars that only ended when Macedonia, Ptolemaic Egypt and Seleucid Empire were swept away by the Romans. [see more] |
The Field Campaigns of Alexander the Great, Stephen English. Completing a three volume study of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, this final book looks at his pitched battles and field campaigns. Combines a detailed examination of the sources with an attempt to produce coherent battle narratives. The discussion of the sources allows the reader to judge the success of the author's own narratives. [read full review]
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The Tyrants of Syracuse: War in Ancient Sicily Volume I: 480-367 BC, Jeff Champion. A study of the military history of ancient Sicily, from the battle of Himera in 480 BC to the death of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in 367 BC. This period saw the Greeks of Sicily fight the Carthaginians, the invading Athenians, the natives Sicilians, and perhaps most frequently each other [read full review]
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Ancient Warfare Magazine: Volume IV, Issue 4, Darkness descends: End of the Bronze Age Empires. Focuses on the collapse of the Bronze Age empires of the Eastern Mediterranean, a period that saw the Hittite and Mycenaean civilisations disappear and Egypt come under serious pressure. Also looks at unusual tactics in Greek battles, metal working and the Imperial Roman Fleet. [see more] |
 The Sieges of Alexander the Great, Stephen English. Part of a three-part series looking at Alexander the Great, this volume focuses on his many sieges, from the early days in Greece to the famous sieges of Tyre and Gaza and on to the mountain top forts at the far east of the Persian empire and the cities of India [read full review]
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Ancient Warfare Vol IV, Issue 2, Blockade and Assault: Ancient siege warfare. Six widely spread articles on siege warfare, looking at Thucydides' accounts of sieges, the defences of Spartan, the sieges of Alexander the Great, Punic Fortifications, Masada and the siege of Jerusalem, giving a good overview of the development of the siege during the Ancient world. [see more] |
The Wars of Alexander's Successors, 323-281 BC: Volume II: Battles and Tactics, Bob Bennett and Mike Roberts. A look at the better documented battles fought by the successors of Alexander the Great that helps to show how skilled they were as commanders in their own right. Also has good sections on the armies themselves, sieges, naval warfare and border warfare. A useful look at the battles that helped shape the ancient world after the disruption caused by Alexander [read full review]
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From Democrats to Kings, Michael Scott. A hugely entertaining account of the tumultuous century between the defeat of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great, a period that saw the city states of ancient Greece lose their independence, and come under the rule of the great Hellenistic kingdoms. [read full review]
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Lost Battles: Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World, Philip A.G. Sabin. This book is an interesting but most unusual attempt to reconstruct some of the famous battles of the Ancient World. In many cases we have limited information or the sources we have contradict each other, so Sabin has created a simple war gaming system in an attempt to see which of our sources is most credible. [see more] |
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