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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New Byzantine Infantry title, August 4, 2007
This review is from: Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 (Warrior) (Paperback)
Just finished it and couldn't put it down. Please promise there is more on its way! The section on training the troops is an area often overlooked. I especially agreed with the observations on the realism of the rosette casket ivory figures and believe closer study of the many of these still extant could by a process of "reverse engineering" elicit an almost complete Byzantine Fechtbuch. Great material on archery and in particular the solenarion. The materials on Campaign Life, Medical Treatment, Siege Warfare and re-enactment groups were bonuses.Given this current and up to date scholarship this should be an excellent read and remedy a lot of the material in earlier works by Osprey based on redundant scholarship.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Insightful Look at the Byzantine Soldier, August 27, 2007
This review is from: Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 (Warrior) (Paperback)
In Osprey's Warrior No. 118, Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c. 900 - 1204, classics scholar Dr. Timothy Dawson outlines the capabilities and character of the soldiers who formed the bulwark of the Byzantine Empire. This is a subject area that has been neglected for decades due to a dearth of source material and biases against the Byzantines, as the author notes. Dr. Dawson's work sheds considerable light on this oft-neglected subject and he provides an insightful look at the Byzantine soldier.
Byzantine Infantryman consists of sections on recruitment, appearance, equipment, training, conditions of service, belief and belonging, on campaign and experience of battle. Color plates by Angus McBride include: Byzantine infantry at the beginning of the 10th Century; training; equipment in the late 10th to 11th centuries; battlefield formation in the late 10th century; camp life on campaign in Armenia; siege warfare; medical treatment and super heavy infantry of the 12th Century. The author also provides a 2-page glossary and a detailed bibliography.
The author lays out the subject methodically, covering all the critical areas from recruitment, to training, to combat and then retirement. He also makes some interesting comments about the effect of Orthodox Christianity upon Byzantine soldiers - who were told that even killing a non-Christian foe was a sin. The Church and society thus regarded the Byzantine soldier as something of an outcast, which helps to explain the problems in maintaining large armies. Unlike the earlier Roman Army, the Byzantines also allowed soldiers to serve as long as they were physically able, with no set terms of service. The only shortcoming in this work is its inability to convey why the Byzantine soldiers were able to prevail against the long odds they faced in this period - the secret of their "eliteness" is alluded to, but not really explained. Overall, a good volume in the Elite series.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for the most part, April 3, 2009
This review is from: Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 (Warrior) (Paperback)
Dawson approaches the subject with a variety of relevant source materials, including art, textual evidence, archaeological remains and his own experience in re-enactment. The book is fairly well-rounded, discussing topics such as equipment, encampment and training.
The books does have a few flaws. While Dawson may be an expert on 10th-13th century weapons and armour, this book strongly suggests that he is much less knowledgable about 10th-13th century textual history. The various military manuals are referenced incessantly, but the sources of the period such as Leo the Deacon, Niketas Choniates, and Ionnes Skylitzes are largely ignored, especially when it comes to discussing the actual army in battle. Most of Dawson's information in the latter half of the book on training and actual campaigning are primarily drawn from the military manuals, and thus reflect the ideal. The references are pretty standard for Osprey books, but it constantly makes me wish that it was better cited so that I can see which manual, for example, some diagram or quote comes from. Osprey books can be loaded with citations - look at some of Waldemar Heckel's.
The book also doesn't give a very detailed or clear explanation of the thematic/tagmatic system. For someone unfamiliar with the Byzantine Empire, this could be problematic. I'm also not very fond of his unusual but accurate transliteration style, but that is just a minor quibble.
Nonetheless, this is an excellent book on the period, especially in the aspects of arms and armour. The illustrations are quite good. The organization and daily life of the soldiers is well described, although the section pertaining to the army on campaign is lacking.
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