Ancient Armies of the Middle East (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator) "This title covers a vast span of the history of a large and important part of the world, so it is important to set out..." (more)
Key Phrases: heavy infantryman, scale armour, ooo infantry, Asia Minor, Middle East, Egyptian Empire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This text by Terence Wise explores some of the fascinating peoples who comprised the ancient armies of the Middle East: the Sumerians, who were the first to introduce the use of bronze into warfare, and were centuries ahead of the Egyptians in the use of the wheel – The Akkadians, whose citizen army was composed almost entirely of light troops – The Babylonians, whose people were granted land in return for army service – the horned warriors of the Elamites – the Egyptians, with thier heavy spearmen and archers – the tribal and warlike Libyans – Nubians and Ethiopians – Hyksos – the armies of the Hittite Empire – the Sea People and others.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 19, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850453844
• ISBN-13: 978-0850453843
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #548,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Time and Space for One Little Book, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

Covering 2500 years and a fair chunk of real estate in 40 pages, this volume of the normally quite nice Osprey Military books is only recomendable for the Angus McBride art. It concentrates on the better known states, when the limited size would have done well for a study some of the lesser known states and left the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians and such for their own volumes. However, it does have a nice integrated timeline, and the aforementioned wonderful Angus McBride art.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angus Artwork, February 13, 2000

By	Dean M. Motoyama - See all my reviews

Wholeheartedly agree with the previous review. Too ambitious to catalog so many culturally different peoples over so long a period of time. Would've been better to concentrate on one or two at the most. However, the fabulous artwork is worth the small sum of the book's price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too Little, April 1, 2007

By	K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I agree with previous reviewers that this title very much bit into more than it could chew, and that some of these peoples (Israelites, Hittites, Sea Peoples) could almost deserve their own titles. Has a useful timeline, usual nice plates, and briefly covers the following peoples:
The Sumerians
The Akkadians
The Babylonians
The Elamites
The Egyptians (now have their own elite title)
The Libyans
The Nubians and Ethiopians
The Hyksos
The Hittites
The Sea Peoples
The Arabs (including the Amalekites and Midianites of the Old Testament)
The Aramaeans
The Israelites (all the Tribes of Israel)
The Judaeans (otherwise, the Jews)
The Assyrians (now have their own elite title)