Fernando Quesada Sanz – författare

In ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) was home to warriors of great renown. Spanish and Celtiberian warriors, both infantry and cavalry, provided the backbone of the Carthaginian armies that terrorized Italy under Hannibal and proved even more ferocious in defence of their homeland against later Roman occupation. The Lusitanian resistance under Viriathus was among the toughest the Romans encountered anywhere. Professor Quesada Sanz details the arms, armour and equipment of the various warriors of the region in fantastic detail, drawing on his intimate knowledge of the latest archaeological and historical research. His clear and informative text is supported throughout by a wealth of photographs, diagrams and exquisite colour artwork by Carlos Fernandez del Castillo. This beautiful book is a rare combination of detailed, comprehensive information and sumptuous visual appeal that will be cherished by anyone with an interest in the warriors and weapons of the ancient world. The Spanish edition won the Hislibris Award for the 'Best Historical Book' for 2010 and is here faithfully translated into English.

This is an up-to-date and detailed, yet accessible, study of the weapons and armour of the Classical Greeks, Macedonians and Romans. Covering the period from the emergence of hoplite armies in Greece from the 8th century BC, through the Hellenistic age and down to the fall of the Western Roman empire in the 5th century AD, Professor Quesada Sanz traces the development of the three dominant military systems of the ancient Mediterranean world. He describes all aspects of offensive and defensive equipment in detail, based firmly in the archaeological evidence and explains their relationship to the context of evolving organization and tactics. As well as the obvious chapters on swords, spears, helmets, body armour and the like, there are sections on such subjects as, biological warfare, war elephants, horse tack and saddles, siege weapons and military signals and standards. The expert but highly readable text is supported by numerous diagrams, photographs and the lavish colour artwork of Carlos Fernandez del Castillo. This is both an excellent reference work and a visual delight.