The Great Battles of Antiquity: A Strategic and Tactical Guide to Great Battles that Shaped the Development of War

by Richard A. Gabriel, Donald W. Boose Jr.

Overview

The Great Captains frequently looked to crucial battles to learn lessons that they themselves employed. While the battles of antiquity have often been examined, Western generals looked to the wars of the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese to their own campaigns, and so on. Never before have military leaders and other students of military history had the benefit of a systematic look at the key battles throughout the ancient world. In this volume, Gabriel and Boose examine the 31 wars, campaigns or battles from Megiddo (1479 B.C.) to the fall of Constantinople (A.D. 1453) that had the greatest impact on the ancient world, stretching from the Mediterranean through the Middle East to Japan and Korea.

Beginning with Megiddo, the first battle in history for which there is a relatively detailed account of strategy and tactics, Gabriel and Boose provide a systematic survey of major battles, wars, and campaigns. Each analysis begins with the Strategic Setting, which places events within the larger political and strategic context; then looks to The Antagonists, providing a comparative look at each army, its equipment, tactics, weaponry, logistics, style of combat leadership, and doctrine to assess its major strengths and weaknesses. The authors then examine The Battle, offering a detailed account of the struggle complete with maps and charts to clarify the analysis of what happened on the battlefield. The final section, Lessons of War, dissects each battle for its successes and failures that are particularly relevant to the development and conduct of war in the modern age. Each survey ends with a bibliography of key sources for further reading. This volume is designed to be an invaluable reference source for military historians and professionals as well as the general reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313289309
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/1994
Pages:	744
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.56(d)
Lexile:	1320L (what's this?)

About the Author

RICHARD A. GABRIEL is Professor of Politics and History at the U.S. Army War College, where he teaches Ancient Military History. He is the author of numerous books on warfare from antiquity to the present.

DONALD W. BOOSE, JR., is a combat veteran who spent much of his 30 year military career in Korea and Japan. He teaches military strategy and operations at the U.S. Army War College, where he was previously the Director of Asian Studies. He also teaches East Asian history and culture at Wilson College in Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction
War in the Ancient World
Megiddo
Kadesh
Sargon II's Urartu Campaign
The Greek Way of War: Marathon, Leuctra, Chaeronea
The Chinese Way of War: Chengpu, Guiling, Jingxing
The Campaigns of Alexander: Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, Hydaspes
The Campaigns of Hannibal: Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae, Zama
Cynoscephalae
Caesar's Campaigns: Alesia, Dyrrachium, Pharsalus
Teutoberg Forest
Adrianople
The Korean Way of War: Salsu River
Hastings
Sajo River
The Japanese Way of War: Ichinotani, Kyushu
The Swiss Way of War: Morgarten, Laupen, Sempach
The Siege of Constantinople
The Ancient Legacy
Index

Editorial Reviews

The authors examine 31 wars, battles, or campaigns from Meggido (1479 B.C. to the fall of Constantinople (A.D. 1453) that had the greatest impact on the ancient world, stretching from the Mediterranean through the Middle East to Japan and Korea. Each analysis begins with the Stategic Setting; then looks to The Antagonists; then examines The Battle; and finally, in Lessons of War, dissects each battle for its successes and failures that are particularly relevant to the development and conduct of war in the modern age. Each survey concludes with a bibliography of key sources for further reading. Includes numerous maps, some other illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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