Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200 BC (Men-At-Arms Series, 218) [Paperback]

C.J. Peers (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: March 22, 1990

By the 15th century BC the valley of Hwang Ho was dominated by a palace-based military caste which owed its supremacy to a monopoly of bronze-working techniques among a still mainly Stone Age population. To the Shang Dynasty, war was a means of legitimising the power of their new aristocracy. This fascinating volume by C. J. Peers covers the period of China's history from the first documented civilisation to the establishment of an enduring unified empire, examining the history, organisation, uniform and weapons of ancient Chinese armies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

An acknowledged expert on ancient Chinese armies, C J Peers has written several books for the Osprey Men-at-Arms series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 22, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850459427
• ISBN-13: 978-0850459425
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A useful book, June 4, 1999

By 

Peter Gugerell (Wien) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200 BC (Men-At-Arms Series, 218) (Paperback)

The Men-at-arms Series covers ancient and classical China in five books, all by Chris Peers who is very familiar with the subject. This is the first book of this series. The chapters: Chronology -- The Shang dynasty -- The Western Chou -- The Eastern Chou -- The 4th and 3rd centuries -- The Ch'in empire -- Tactical and strategic doctrine -- Ten decisive battles. The text is clearly written and informative, the drawings by Angus McBride are good, only the maps are a bit primitive and not very useful. The follow-up to this book is "Imperial Chinese Armies 200BC - 589AD" (MAA 284).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bizarre reconstructions, April 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200 BC (Men-At-Arms Series, 218) (Paperback)

The text by Chris Peers is OK. The bland artwork by McBride is pretty bizarre. The white tentlike hats reconstructed from pictorial representations of the Han period are wrong. They serve no practical function and only add to a woeful catalog of misinterpretations of Oriental representations by Occidental artists.

4.0 out of 5 stars From the Shang Dynasty to a unified Ch'in Empire, February 21, 2011

By 

Anibal Madeira (Lisboa Portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200 BC (Men-At-Arms Series, 218) (Paperback)

A thousand years of history, of evolution in concepts of warfare, of tactical innovations and new weapons. A tough endeavor for Dr. Peers, particularly because westerners usually have few basic knowledge of the extremely interesting Chinese culture and history.

Divided by broad chronological periods (Shang, Western and Eastern Chou, 4th and 3rd century BC, the ch'in Empire) and concentrating on the main written and archeological sources, the reader will get an abstract on the main conflicts of those periods and the basic description of weapons and armies of the period. Short descriptions of 10 major engagements, tactical doctrine, sieges and fortifications and some particularities of several kingdoms military characteristics or personalities are also provided.

Some data will stand out: The use of bronze to make weapons even so late as the 3rd century BC, the early use of the crossbow and the inability of "barbarians" to replicate the trigger mechanism, the military literature, the human sacrifices and "hunting expeditions" popular in the Shang period, the chariot being used in the Han period although in the process of being replaced by cavalry. In so many ways they were more advanced then contemporary Romans and Greeks and in so many others they were so far from them.

Very good photos of artifacts from the British Museum (but the author could use more sources), and nice color plates (not the best) from Angus McBride. Maps provided for each period with political divisions and main cities (like a previous reviewer commented, they aren't great looking - this book was originally printed in 1990 and the maps reflect it very well - but they fulfill the role of providing the reader a geographical reference and political evolution of the several kingdoms).