Greece and Rome at War [Hardcover]

Peter Connolly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

A revised edition of this guide to twelve centuries of military development. Connolly combines a detailed account of the arms and armies of Greece and Rome with full color artwork.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Connolly is renowned for his scholarship of the ancient world as well as being a highly respected artist.  He is the author of The Greek Armies, The Roman Army, The Roman Cavalry and The Ancient City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185367303X
• ISBN-13: 978-1853673030
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the first book you should buy on ancient wafare, June 26, 2001

By 

Aaron Larsen (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greece and Rome at War (Hardcover)

Why do I say this? First of all, it's very readable and approachable. Even kids will love it. (OK, admittedly, few will read it cover-to-cover, but that's hardly the point. DON'T be surprised if they do, though. In spite of its density and scholarship, I've known a few lads who've mined seemingly every page.) The pictures in it are absolutley wonderful, as well. Connolly is an excellent illustrator, and his pictures are still unsurpassed. (Incidently, Connolly put out some excellent children's books as well, some of which are still in print.) For the older reader, though, Connolly is still a must-have. He knows the archaeology as well as anyone. What makes him unique is that he's enough of a craftsman to go out and try to make these things so that he could get a feel for how they were used. Thus, his attempt at re-creating a Roman shield found in Egypt caused him to create a revolutionary theory for how the legions fought in the republican period. Likewise, his reproduction of a Greek hoplite shield led him to modify his understanding of how the Greek and Macedonian phalanx differed. Further, while most books before him concentrated heavily on the "ideals" (i.e., the fully developed Roman legion or Macedonian phalanx), Connolly took some time to spin some theories on the transition phases through which these things developed. Thus, for example, he spins a novel theory on how the Macedonian phalanx developed out of the Theban tactics of Epanimondas and that the odd-shaped "boetian" shield was a part of this development. All of this is not to say that he is an unquestionable authority on such matters where we are bumping up against the available data and controversy results. Nevertheless, Connolly is a wonderful teacher in those areas where consensus reigns and an important voice to take into account even where he may be controversial.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Primer on all things Greek and Roman, July 12, 2004

By 

Patrick Rivette (Evans, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greece and Rome at War (Hardcover)

This is truly an outstanding book that does an excellent job of sketching the advancement of the Greeks and Romans in the Military Art. There are outstanding illustrations that give as accurate a picture as possible of the arms, armor, and tactics of these two dynamic civilizations. Most of us are visual learners and the diagrams of the warriors, equipment, and formations of this period helps one to visualize the Greek phalanx or the Roman cohort in the attack and what were their strengths and weaknesses. There are also outstanding illustrations of siege equiment, ships, and fortications. I must confess that this book helped to inspire me to write the novel, The Chief Centurion, as I was able to picture in my mind much clearer what that soldier looked like and what it must have been like to have had to march and fight in the armor of the period. I strongly reccommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about the Greek or Roman soldier and wants to be able to visualize how he looked and fought.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I very like this book !, May 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Greece and Rome at War (Hardcover)

This book is magnificent benefit, which maintane describe of military antique world (Greece and Rome), armour and arms. My opinion, that this book will be interested all people, who like military history and men at arms. Thank You, Peter Connolly! I will be very glad to acquaint with you.