Ancient Siege Warfare: "Persians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans 546-146 BC" (Elite) [Paperback]

Duncan Campbell (Author), Adam Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Elite | Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Sieges played a central role in many conflicts of the ancient world and generals, including Darius, Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Scipio Africanus successfully used siegecraft to gain their objectives. As siege tactics became integral to success in war, generals employed the minds of engineers and scientists to develop tactics which ranged from penetrating the defences or blockading the city through to tricks and deception. This fascinating study tracks developments in siege warfare from Ancient Persia in the 6th century BC through to the Roman sieges of the second century BC, describing the range of equipment and techniques which evolved during this period.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Dr Duncan B Campbell is a specialist in ancient Greek and Roman warfare. He published his first paper in 1984, as an undergraduate at Glasgow University, and produced a complete re-assessment of Roman siegecraft for his PhD. Over the years, his work has appeared in several international journals. He lives near the Antonine Wall in Scotland with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767700
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767703
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,350,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Useful information but biased, July 13, 2011

By 

H. Shafeian (Riverside,Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ancient Siege Warfare: "Persians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans 546-146 BC" (Elite) (Paperback)

In this book Authors present some useful information about Ancient siege tools and techniques. Unfortunately there is a bias in this book and as usual for many western so-called experts he demonized Persians as being "notorious for their merciless treatment of captured towns". Who the hell told you this Mr. Campbell? the same Cyrus the Great you accused him for being responsible for looting the Babylon declared freedom for the persecuted Jews and ordered people have their normal life and warned his soldiers to not to loot the town. He entered Marduk temple and payed his respect. What are you referring to?! Compared to most Ancient powers such as Assyrians and Romans they were like angels with respect to their treatment of conquered land was like !

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting study of the development of siege warfare, July 10, 2006

By 

BernardZ (Melbourne, vic Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Siege Warfare: "Persians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans 546-146 BC" (Elite) (Paperback)

I have read much on this subject and was quite pleased to find some new and quite interesting information.

I also liked the pictures that I thought displayed the text well.