From Sumer to Rome: The Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies (Contributions in Military Studies) First Edition Edition

by Richard A. Gabriel (Author), Karen S. Metz (Author)

3 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0313276453

ISBN-10: 0313276455

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This in-depth work demonstrates that ancient battles rivaled those of the modern period in size, complexity, and lethality. The organization of armies of the ancient world, their performance, their military operations, and their ability to raise the art of warfare to towering heights are the focus of this carefully documented volume. An examination is made of all the major military establishments of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Pertinent evidence is gathered from a number of disciplines and integrated into a coherent whole. Corroborative evidence is drawn from modern analysis when accepting or rejecting the claims of ancient writers. Where that was lacking, the authors conducted empirical studies of ancient weapons, which led to a better understanding of how ancient battles were really fought. The book concludes with description and analysis of the armies of the ancient world placed in a modern perspective.

From Sumer to Rome provides a detailed portrait of the world's earliest military establishments. A number of military innovations and developments that came to fruition in the Iron Age and that remained are traced. An empirical analysis of all the major weapons of the ancient armies is made. The factors that played dominant roles in outcomes are explored and thorough analysis of military medical care systems is provided. This book will be an excellent addition to the libraries of military historians, students of ancient warfare and weaponry, and the general reader.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fascinating book shedding new light on the killing power of early weapons and on the sophistication of ancient warfare. It also contains a stimulating section on the wounds caused by individual weapons, on the treatment of those wounds, and on the effect of disease in ancient armies. Although the book deals with the military history of the ancient Mediterranean, it treats many topics that are crucial for the study of military history down to modern times. All military historians will find this book useful. It is a welcome and important contribution to the history of warfare."-Arther Ferrill Professor of History University of Washington

About the Author

RICHARD A. GABRIEL is a military historian, adjunct professor of Ethics and Humanities at Daniel Webster College, and a former Army intelligence officer. He is the author of 24 books, including the Greenwood Press publications The Culture of War: Invention and Early Development (1990), The Painful Field: The Psychiatric Dimension of Modern War (1988), and To Serve With Honor: A Treatise on Military Ethics and the Way of the Soldier (1982).

KAREN S. METZ is an academic librarian and a former medical librarian. She is the author of Information Sources in Power Engineering: A Guide to Energy Resources and Technology (Greenwood Press, 1975).

Series: Contributions in Military Studies (Book 108)
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Praeger; First Edition edition (April 9, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0313276455
ISBN-13: 978-0313276453
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,132,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #509 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Mesopotamia
- #6380 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Military
- #63948 in Books > History > Military

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A customer

An excellent study

July 21, 2000

Format: Hardcover

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in ancient armies. Many such books simply present the weapons and armor, some about army organization, and an overview of tactics; Gabriel and Metz have gone far beyond that.
Weapons and armor are covered in detail, with information from experiments the authors performed with replicas of the weapons in question. Organization and tactics are also covered, with special attention to the tactics employed with each weapon.
However, the authors also present information and speculation on casualty rates, types of wounds suffered in combat, mortality, disease control, and military medicine, greatly enhancing the value of the book for those who want to understand ancient armies and combat.

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P. Cornelius

are you sure?

August 3, 2002

Format: Hardcover

Vigorously asserts the old commonplace that chariots were used as shock forces, much like 20th century tanks. However, experts in the field conclude that their main role was as fast vehicles for the delivery of arrows and secondarily as pursuers of fleeing infantry. Neither use is an example of shock. This apparent uncritical reading of the sources perhaps reflects the danger inherent in neither author being a professional historian of the period.

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gino rehberger

Very good

November 7, 2005

Format: Hardcover

Excellent look at ancient warfare. As the author correctly discusses, chariots were used as shock units, rather than just as missile platforms. At the battle of Arbela in 331 BC, Alexander's phalanx troops sidestepped, allowing the chariots to pierce the phalanx, and then closed in to destroy the charioteers. Plainly they were not content to simply ride along, firing arrows at long range.

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