Greek Warfare Myths and Realities

From the soldier's-eye view of combat to the broad social and economic structures that shaped campaigns and wars, ancient Greek warfare in all its aspects has been studied more intensively in the last few decades than ever before. This book ranges from the concrete details of conducting raids, battles and sieges to more theoretical questions about the causes, costs and consequences of warfare in archaic and classical Greece. It argues that the Greek sources present a highly selective and idealised picture, too easily accepted by most modern scholars, and that a more critical study of the evidence leads to radically different conclusions about the Greek way of war. In this new edition the evidence from recent research is interwoven throughout the existing text along with new images to supplement the original illustrative material, which is now fully integrated. A new map and annotated timeline will support students, while a much-expanded final chapter on naval warfare will bring this important subdiscipline fully up to date.