Makers of Ancient Strategy
From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome
1st Edition
Published on 6. May 2019
256 pages
978-1-4008-3425-9 (ISBN)
Description
Timeless lessons from the military strategies of the ancient Greeks and Romans
In this prequel to the now-classic Makers of Modern Strategy, Victor Davis Hanson, a leading scholar of ancient military history, gathers prominent thinkers to explore key facets of warfare, strategy, and foreign policy in the Greco-Roman world. From the Persian Wars to the final defense of the Roman Empire, Makers of Ancient Strategy demonstrates that the military thinking and policies of the ancient Greeks and Romans remain surprisingly relevant for understanding conflict in the modern world.
The book reveals that much of the organized violence witnessed today-such as counterterrorism, urban fighting, insurgencies, preemptive war, and ethnic cleansing-has ample precedent in the classical era. The book examines the preemption and unilateralism used to instill democracy during Epaminondas's great invasion of the Peloponnesus in 369 BC, as well as the counterinsurgency and terrorism that characterized Rome's battles with insurgents such as Spartacus, Mithridates, and the Cilician pirates. The collection looks at the urban warfare that became increasingly common as more battles were fought within city walls, and follows the careful tactical strategies of statesmen as diverse as Pericles, Demosthenes, Alexander, Pyrrhus, Caesar, and Augustus. Makers of Ancient Strategy shows how Greco-Roman history sheds light on wars of every age. In addition to the editor, the contributors are David L. Berkey, Adrian Goldsworthy, Peter J. Heather, Tom Holland, Donald Kagan, John W. I. Lee, Susan Mattern, Barry Strauss, and Ian Worthington.
In this prequel to the now-classic Makers of Modern Strategy, Victor Davis Hanson, a leading scholar of ancient military history, gathers prominent thinkers to explore key facets of warfare, strategy, and foreign policy in the Greco-Roman world. From the Persian Wars to the final defense of the Roman Empire, Makers of Ancient Strategy demonstrates that the military thinking and policies of the ancient Greeks and Romans remain surprisingly relevant for understanding conflict in the modern world.
The book reveals that much of the organized violence witnessed today-such as counterterrorism, urban fighting, insurgencies, preemptive war, and ethnic cleansing-has ample precedent in the classical era. The book examines the preemption and unilateralism used to instill democracy during Epaminondas's great invasion of the Peloponnesus in 369 BC, as well as the counterinsurgency and terrorism that characterized Rome's battles with insurgents such as Spartacus, Mithridates, and the Cilician pirates. The collection looks at the urban warfare that became increasingly common as more battles were fought within city walls, and follows the careful tactical strategies of statesmen as diverse as Pericles, Demosthenes, Alexander, Pyrrhus, Caesar, and Augustus. Makers of Ancient Strategy shows how Greco-Roman history sheds light on wars of every age. In addition to the editor, the contributors are David L. Berkey, Adrian Goldsworthy, Peter J. Heather, Tom Holland, Donald Kagan, John W. I. Lee, Susan Mattern, Barry Strauss, and Ian Worthington.
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Princeton University Press
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Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. His many books include A War Like No Other and Between War and Peace. He is a syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, and is the current codirector of the group on military history and contemporary conflict at the Hoover Institution.
Content
List of Contributors vii
Introduction: Makers of Ancient Strategy 1
From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome
by Victor Davis Hanson
Chapter 1: From Persia with Love 11
Propaganda and Imperial Overreach in the Greco-Persian Wars
by Tom Holland
Chapter 2: Pericles, Thucydides, and the Defense of Empire 31
by Donald Kagan
Chapter 3: Why Fortifications Endure 58
A Case Study of the Walls of Athens during the Classical Period
by David L. Berkey
Chapter 4: Epaminondas the Theban and the Doctrine of Preemptive War 93
by Victor Davis Hanson
Chapter 5: Alexander the Great, Nation Building, and the Creation and Maintenance of Empire 118
by Ian Worthington
Chapter 6: Urban Warfare in the Classical Greek World 138
by John W. I. Lee
Chapter 7: Counterinsurgency and the Enemies of Rome 163
by Susan Mattern
Chapter 8: Slave Wars of Greece and Rome 185
by Barry Strauss
Chapter 9: Julius Caesar and the General as State 206
by Adrian Goldsworthy
10. Holding the Line 227
Frontier Defense and the Later Roman Empire
by Peter J. Heather
Acknowledgments 247
Index 249
Introduction: Makers of Ancient Strategy 1
From the Persian Wars to the Fall of Rome
by Victor Davis Hanson
Chapter 1: From Persia with Love 11
Propaganda and Imperial Overreach in the Greco-Persian Wars
by Tom Holland
Chapter 2: Pericles, Thucydides, and the Defense of Empire 31
by Donald Kagan
Chapter 3: Why Fortifications Endure 58
A Case Study of the Walls of Athens during the Classical Period
by David L. Berkey
Chapter 4: Epaminondas the Theban and the Doctrine of Preemptive War 93
by Victor Davis Hanson
Chapter 5: Alexander the Great, Nation Building, and the Creation and Maintenance of Empire 118
by Ian Worthington
Chapter 6: Urban Warfare in the Classical Greek World 138
by John W. I. Lee
Chapter 7: Counterinsurgency and the Enemies of Rome 163
by Susan Mattern
Chapter 8: Slave Wars of Greece and Rome 185
by Barry Strauss
Chapter 9: Julius Caesar and the General as State 206
by Adrian Goldsworthy
10. Holding the Line 227
Frontier Defense and the Later Roman Empire
by Peter J. Heather
Acknowledgments 247
Index 249
