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Land Battles in 5th Century BC Greece

A History and Analysis of 173 Engagements

Fred Eugene Ray author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc

Published:25th Aug '11

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Land Battles in 5th Century BC Greece cover

In the 5th century B.C., Greece was a patchwork country of small, independent city-states whose tendency to fight each other was offset only by strong ties to common cultural elements such as language and a unique style of warfare. While surviving myths emphasize heroics and honor, the reality of ancient Greek warfare was that of regular men dealing with everyday problems. Relying heavily on primary sources such as Herodotus, Thucydides and Plutarch, this volume provides the first-ever tactical level survey of all 173 Greek land engagements which occurred during the 5th century B.C., a seminal period in the history of western warfare.

Using carefully researched logical probabilities to extend surviving records, the author places each battle within its historical context and analyzes it with a view to documenting significant overall patterns of action. The result is not only a detailed study of each battle complete with maps and battlefield diagrams, but also an overview of general trends in 5th century Greek warfare.

“essential...truly a labor of love”—ARBA; “amazingly careful research...valuable”—Strategy Page; “very valuable”—The NYMAS Review; “Ray has produced a carefully and well-researched book, the result of which is an important catalogue of Greek land engagements in the 5th century BC. Furthermore, his survey represents a very useful reference to anyone interested in classical combat...this book is written with a poise and polish that cannot help but draw in the reader”—Bryn Mawr Classical Review; “the author is to be congratulated on producing a very well-researched book, and telling a clear history of one hundred years of Greek warfare...splendid...I have no hesitation in recommending it to all”—Ancient Warfare; “significant detail”—Reference Reviews.

ISBN: 9780786467730

Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 17mm

Weight: 562g

323 pages