Warfare in the Classical World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons, Warriors, and Warfare in the Ancient Civilizations of Greece and Rome

This is a beautifully balanced book. It covers the classical period between 1600BC and 800AD in a very organised and readable way. Each period is prefaced with the heading "Ancient Authorities" and outlines where the following information is sourced. Then the period is discussed in flowing narrative which highlights the key personalities and events of the time along with an indepth look at the mechanics of warfare. The strategy and tactics presented is blended nicely with the historical discussion. The numerous battle maps and accompanying data are a treasure for the military, history and wargaming buffs. The artwork throughout is first class as are the maps. I particularly like the full page colour depictions of combatants from different armies with detailed explanatory notes, some of the best I've seen. I found the middle part of the book focussed a little more heavily on the historical aspect. It did not contain as many battle maps as the first and latter part did, and I found myself flicking ahead to see when I would reach one of the battle descriptions and maps. In summary, this is a terrific encyclopedia and ranks as one of the nicest books I have seen on the subject. Superb.

Good illustrations, maps, and explanation of ancient warfare as waged by Greeks, Romans, and their chief foes.Were this an American book, it would often be superbly organized but short on content.This book seems to have sprung from the UK. Like many English books, it is content-packed but its organization does not always make clear which principles of war it lays out or why it lays them out.Seems a Golden Mean is lacking, yet this book is really tops for pictures, dates, and many of its explanations.

Because of reading some historical fiction about Roman legions, I wanted to verify that the fiction writer had portrayed the Roman army as it really was. After reading this book, I'm confident the fiction writer did. In addition to army information, the book also contains fascinating discussions of both Greek and Roman navies.Well organized, well written, and especially well illustrated.

Large and insightful with a good amount of pictures the book is pretty handy.

Superb book covering Greece and Rome at war, and their enemies.I bought this in 1998 and read it cover-to-cover twice, wrote 14 chapter by chapter reviews for my friends, and have referenced it about a hundred times in the past two decades.Has great color maps and diagrams, color drawings of soldiers and equipment, detailed descriptions of battles, and chronologies.Presents history in a fun to read style.This is a great book!

Its good informational read although the pictures and illustration are not visually impressive it provides enough to portray the classical world.

I just got this for my son and I ended up reading it first. I am sure during this X'Mas both of us will want to fight for the book. The pictures and the drawings are of the highest qualities. I love the descriptions of major wars. I just wish that the author has given it more explanation of the drawings for the major battles like adding more legends. Also, it is kind of hard to read/understand the numbers and types of soldiers for both sides on the battlefield. But all in all, this is a great book that I suspect I will read and re-read many times.

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.

Gostei muito de ler esse livro e admirar as belíssimas ilustrações e fotos. Apesar de não se aprofundar em informações sobre os diferentes períodos e povos ( diria que o livro está mais para uma espécie de resumo ou introdução ), achei muito útil como um ponto de partida para conhecer outros impérios da antiguidade e ter uma visão geral sobre o período.

First published in 1980, all books featuring illustrations of warriors & warfare of this period are just catching up to this

Dieses Buch ist ein Schmuckstück in jeder Hinsicht.Zum einen ist es wertvoll. In Relation zum Gesamtumfang sehr ausführlich beschreibt John Warrey Charakteristika der verschiedenen Armeen der Antike. Auch Entwicklungsgeschichten, z.B. der griechischen Helme oder römischen Schilde sind enthalten und illustriert.Und eben die Illustrationen schmücken aufgrund ihrer Schöhnheit nicht nur das Buch sondern sind bis aufs Tüpfelchen detailliert.Hinzu kommt die Ausführlichkeit. Er beschreibt eben nicht nur die Armeen und ihre Ausrüstung sondern auch die Schiffsentwicklung z.B. die berühmte Triere und die Pentere.Fazit: Dieses Buch gehört mit zu dem besten auf diesem Gebiet und sollte in keiner Fachbibliothek fehlen und jedem Laien zur Freude gereichen.This Book seems to be a treasure for every interested.In word and picture it's a very exactly and detailed explanations to nearly every army of the ancient world and their weapons through the centuries. Also its not that Hugh it should be to get all the information in, it gives all information you ll need.Also the ships of the time are shown, e.g. the triere and pentere.So, it's a must for everyone.

Livre bienvenu qui instruit de belle manière le lecteur sur les us et coutumes de la guerre dans l'Antiquité grecque et romaine. Les dessins de reconstitutions de matériels, d'armes et de tenues de combat sont de très grande qualité. L'ouvrage mériterait d'être traduit en français.

Superb book, despite its age, it was first published about 30 years ago, the information contained therein is still relevant and presented in a straight forward no nonsense manner. And the illustrations are excellent. In my opinion the book has never been bettered.Copies are becoming increasingly rare - if you get the chance of one - snap it up!