Greece and Rome at War, New Edition - Peter Connolly [pdf]

In this sumptuous guide to twelve centuries of military development, Peter Connolly combines a detailed account of the arms and armies of Greece and Rome with his superb full-color artwork. Making use of fresh archeological evidence and new material on the manufacture and use of the weapons of the period, the author presents an attractive and impressive volume that is both scholarly and beautifully presented with illustrations that are, quite rightly, recognized as being the best and most accurate representation of how the soldiers from these formidable military empires appeared.

Greece and Rome at War lucidly demonstrates the face of battle in the ancient world. Covering the wars between the Greeks and the Persians and the epic contest between the Romans and their most capable opponent, Hannibal, as well as organization, tactics, armor and weapons, and much more, this excellent work brings the armies of Greece, Macedon and Rome vividly to life. This new revised edition contains a Preface by Adrian Goldsworthy.

Absolutely the first book you should buy on ancient wafare

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.

The Primer on all things Greek and Roman

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.