Hanson's main focus is to exchange tactical warfare discussions for those of the experiential recreations of the individual hoplite. To do this, he draws the reader into the bronze panoply of helmet, greaves, breastplate and shield and plunges us straight into the rush of snapping spears and the crushing, suffocating press of the rear columns. Each chapter in the second part offers a survey of individual aspects of battle, from who the individual soldiers were and what bound them to step-by-step assessment of the battle itself.
These meetings, Hanson tells us, were never about the glory of war, or the passage into manhood, but deliberate, mutual agreements to resolve conflicts as quickly as possible in order to minimize the loss of farmers.
Hanson explores such topics as the value of a commanding officer fighting and dying alongside his men, the driving bond by which men fought, and the principle of standing your ground, a concept in which Ancient Greek warfare was rooted in.
More than historical description and analysis, Hanson provides reflection on what the principle of ancient Greek warfare meant for the Greeks and what it could mean today if we thought seriously of conducting ourselves shamelessly an honorably in conflict as the Greeks strove to do.
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“…Even breastplate might be driven into breastplate, as men in the front row lost control and were literally pushed into the enemy ranks, jammed together “chest against chest”. (Tyrtaios 8.33). And repeated sharp sounds indicated when ash spears snapped under the pressure of contact in what Sophocles called “the storm of spears” (Ant.670). The live sounds were more animal-like than human: the concerted groans of men exerting themselves, pushing forward in group effort with their bodies and shields against the immovable armor of the enemy –grunts such as one hears around men sweating at work in field or shop, for battle, after all as Homeric man knew, was “work” of the worst kind...Here arose a tortured symphony of shrieks as a man went down with a wound to the groin, the steady sobbing of a soldier in extremis, a final grasp of fright as the spear thrust found its way home. Ugly indeed, Tyrtaios wrote, is the corpse in the dust (11.19)…There was also an increased smell of sweat from the thousands toiling in the sun, the odor of blood and entrails from fresh, open wounds, and the occasional sent of excrement along the fearful or recently killed –though possibly the sense of smell was dulled along with vision and hearing…”In our times of political correctness a warning should be added to the book, informing the reader that it contains descriptions of violence not suitable for young readers.The Western Way of War describes the way of infantry battle in Classical Greece. The author masterfully, takes the reader into the battlefield where the Ancient Greeks slaughtered each other with extreme brutality. In a vivid and exciting style, Hanson uses every available source to reconstruct the collision between hoplites.Many books have been written on the subject. But this is the first time that a scholar dares to describe the face of the hoplite battle, as it was experienced by those who participated in it. Hanson owes a lot to Sir John Keegan and his classical work “The face of Battle”, the first scholarly essay that focused on the practical mechanics of battle and the experiences of the individual soldiers of the time.The book covers a period of three hundred years, from the 7th till the 5th century B.C. Three are the main theses in the book :1.The Greek conflicts were tightly connected with the land, which was of great importance since the population of Greece was, in its overwhelming majority, living of it. Hanson, who also comes from a rural family and a farmer himself, remarks that the mere threat of the fields by the enemy troops was enough to raise their owners to take the arms to defend them.2.It refutes the ‘traditional’ academic view on the collision of the hoplites. The hoplites did not use exquisite tactics. Even when they did use a few stratagems in some cases, their importance was not critical in the outcome of the battle. They simply moved in close order against the enemy aiming at a pitched battle. The two opposing phalanxes charged against each other trying to push the enemy back in a reverse tug-of-war style. Those who participated in such conflicts experienced the horror of war at its extreme form. However this inhuman slaughter had its positive side: In most cases the war was decided there, in the battlefield. The winner of the battle was recognized as the winner of the war.3.The tradition of the hoplites was maintained unchanged during the 7th and 6th century BC. However, after the first decades of the 5th century it started to change. During the Persian Wars (490-480BC) Greeks came to contact with the Persians, which used different battle tactics. Since then the Greeks made a broad use of cavalry and of light troops. By the end of the 5th century the war became perennial, exterminating and more sophisticated. Despite this, the hoplite tradition was maintained in the Macedonian phalanx and in the Roman legions. Even later, up to the middle of the 19th century, the European armies depended on their close order infantry. Companionship and discipline, the main principles of the hoplite phalanx were maintained unchanged. Even when war tactics were critically affected by technology, the West despised the “hit and run” tactics of its eastern adversaries, and maintained the principles of the companionship of the fellow soldiers and the “esprit de corps”, aiming always at crashing the opponent with a single blow. All this comes straight from the Greek way of war, the war of the farmer-warrior who fought for his land where his own values were rooted.
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Top reviews from other countries
Scorchio
Thought-provoking book about ancient Greek warfare that is ultimately uncovincing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2018Verified Purchase
David W.
Unbelievably good. Visceral look at infantry battle, like nothing I've read previously.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2018Verified Purchase
lady jane grey
Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2016Verified Purchase
Dave Kiely
The way we were
Reviewed in Canada on November 9, 2014Verified Purchase
Anaxarque
Un grand clasique.
Reviewed in France on January 2, 2005Verified Purchase
