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Virtual Macedonia Bookstore - The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece
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List Price: $21.95
Our Price: $11.99
Your Save: $ 9.96 ( 45% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.00938
EAN: 9780520219113
ISBN: 0520219112
Label: University of California Press
Manufacturer: University of California Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 303
Publication Date: 2000-02-11
Publisher: University of California Press
Studio: University of California Press
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Well written, fascinating
Comment: This study of Greek hoplite warfare explains the infantry practices of the remote past with great clarity and should interest anyone who enjoys studying warfare or history.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Battle as you've never experienced it before
Comment: By utilizing primary sources from first hand witnesses of ancient battle, Hanson paints a brilliant picture of what war in classical Greece was actually like. This book is a must-read for anyone fascinated by military history.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Grand, if Overplayed Review of Classical Greek Battle
Comment: Good 'ol Victor Davis Hanson has been set loose on the world here in his first book. This time -- thankfully -- in his old stomping grounds of Ancient Greece. Again VDH has the truth serum of classical combat in strong measure. Make no doubt about it, Hanson knows what ancient combat was about -- let there be no other interpretations of this period: This is both the strength and the weakness of his book in my humble opinion: Hanson is making inferences about broad sweeps of history in a way a person would describe the chemical reaction of boric acid in water -- all very mathematical, and not allowing for the possibility of error, or little other interpretation.
Hanson starts where it all began, and where it all should begin -- with the grand master of the Iliad and Homer. Classical battle is defined and the classic stages of warfare, down to Hellenic Warfare are demonstrated. He even goes in detail enough during the dark ages between 1200 and 800 BC and asserts certain economic theories about the time to explain the nature of the civilisation. It is at times like these, when grand edifices are constructed on Hanson's private preferences that one gets the idea that something may be amiss. We know almost nothing about the economic time of the Greek Dark Ages -- I am little more than uneasy about how easily he asserts the truth of this age.
Make no mistake, this is not a politcal tract such as "Carnage & Culture" or some of his other literature that have made him a doyen of the political right in the US, this is serious scholarship. But it is certainly a lot different from the model of scholarship I was taught to worship and emulate -- one where a broad understanding of other ideas and competing theories and, and small measure of humility, yeild a wonderful read and superior wisdom. One could cite Norman.F. Cantor or M.I. Findley as good examples of the latter.
But Hanson has his truth and it will reign. So be it.
I learned a lot from his prose and his ability to find the locus of tactical change within the ancient Greek way of warfare make this a good read with the lot of worthy scholarship. He is particularly good on his shift from classic Greek warfare -- short depth in ranks, short stabbing spears and the panoply -- to the changes that lead to an almost baroque assembly or multiple serried ranks of 20 plus and unwieledy spears. The push of the pike was never more important, but the Greeks somehow lost the ability to engage locate and move against the evolving Roman tactics.
I do not think this book is as good as Lendon's "Ghosts and Soldiers" in its experimental thesis, but it is still a very good introductory read on the subject. Although I am highly critical of Hansen and the way that he writes, he should thank me for his royalty cheques, since I do own most of his works, warts and all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A crucial book
Comment: This book is a crucial source to understand the way in which Greeks engage in War. As a person interested in strategy and military history, I realize that this book complements my knowledge of the classical greek period.
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Summary: A disappointment
Comment: Both Mr. Keegan and Mr. Hanson are accomplished authors with a gift for communicating their ideas. I have been a fan of Mr. Keegan's books for many years but not quite so fond of Mr. Hanson's theories. This theory on the superiority of western warfare and its roots, though perhaps an interesting theory to explore, is a great disappointment to me. It is indeed an important work that should be considered by the serious student but be sure to read some of the opposition and I think the problems with these theories will become quite evident. I would have expected different conclusions from others of Mr. Keegan's books but his great accomplishments in the field of military history force us to consider what he has to say and challenges us to study further.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Second Edition The Greeks of the classical age invented not only the central idea of Western politics--that the power of state should be guided by a majority of its citizens--but also the central act of Western warfare, the decisive infantry battle. Instead of ambush, skirmish, maneuver, or combat between individual heroes, the Greeks of the fifth century b.c. devised a ferocious, brief, and destructive head-on clash between armed men of all ages. In this bold, original study, Victor Davis Hanson shows how this brutal enterprise was dedicated to the same outcome as consensual government--an unequivocal, instant resolution to dispute. The Western Way of War draws from an extraordinary range of sources- -Greek poetry, drama, and vase painting, as well as historical records--to describe what actually took place on the battlefield. It is the first study to explore the actual mechanics of classical Greek battle from the vantage point of the infantryman--the brutal spear-thrusting, the difficulty of fighting in heavy bronze armor which made it hard to see, hear and move, and the fear. Hanson also discusses the physical condition and age of the men, weaponry, wounds, and morale. This compelling account of what happened on the killing fields of the ancient Greeks ultimately shows that their style of armament and battle was contrived to minimize time and life lost by making the battle experience as decisive and appalling as possible. Linking this new style of fighting to the rise of constitutional government, Hanson raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the history of war.
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