Ancient Warfare

The sub-title of this book could be "the invention of the western way of war". It is an excellent text which describes the many aspects of ancient warfare from the simple soldier through to tactics and the skill of generals. It does this with simple language and with many contemporary references. The author also uses this opportunity to decry the methods and theories of a number of modern historians with whom he has issues. Again this is a combination of the actual history of ancient warfare and the "history of the history of ancient warfare. From Greek hoplites to the roman legions and on to their influence on the citizen soldiers of the French revolution this book provides an insight into the lasting tradition of war. The methods of historical comparison are brought under suspicion as are the pitfalls of  deducing ancient techniques from modern equivalents. An excellent book.