The Greek and Macedonian Art of War [Paperback]

Frank E. Adcock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1962

This informal history traces battle tactics and military strategy from the time of the city-states' phalanxes of spearmen to the far-reaching combined operations of specialized land and sea forces in the Hellenistic Age.
The author first describes the attitude of the Greek city-state toward war, and shows the military conventions and strategies associated with it. He then recounts how the art of war gradually evolved into new forms through the contributions of such men as the great commander Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon, his son Alexander the Great, and others. He also discusses the independence of land and sea power, describes the first use of calvary, and tells of the ingenious Greek devices of siegecraft, including the "fifth column."

Product Details

• Paperback: 109 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (February 1, 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520000056
• ISBN-13: 978-0520000056
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Read On Ancient Warfare, August 9, 2005

By 

Michael A Neulander "Political Philosophy" (VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek and Macedonian Art of War (Paperback)

F. E. Adcock's main theme in these lecture is to elucidate in an easy to read book how Greeks and Macedonians applied their minds to the art of war. It covers battle tactics and military strategy from the age of city-states' phalanxes of spearmen to the more complicated combined operations of highly efficient land and sea forces in the Hellenistic Age. He explains how the art of war gradually evolved into new formations used by such imminent commanders as Epaminondas, Philip of Macedon and Alexander The Great. He describes the first use of cavalry, and recounts the ingenious use of siege craft used by the Greeks to great effect.

This is a good introductory work on the ancient art of warfare. Being that I am a retired U. S. Army Major, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ancient warfare, and history.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Concise Compendium of Classical Combat, March 29, 2000

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek and Macedonian Art of War (Paperback)

Adcock gives an all-too-brief overview of Hellenic and Hellenistic military art. He begins with the city-state at war and then devotes chapters to infantry and naval matters. Next he turns to the more Hellenistic topics of cavalry, elephants, and siegecraft. He then gives us a chapter on strategy, and concludes with a chapter on generalship. The book was an interesting read, and I got to the last page far too soon.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Greek warfare, January 5, 2001

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P. volini "volpg" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek and Macedonian Art of War (Paperback)

This book is a little gem. It is the transcription of a series of lessons, each of which covers an aspect of Greek Warfare from the Heroic Age to the Ellenistic Kingdoms. Although short, the book is exhaustive and definitely worth buying for both the military enthusiast and the general reader. The only criticism I might make is that there are no illustrations; this makes it difficult to visualize the chapter on naval warfare. For this reson, the book should be read together with the "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Warfare" by Warry.