Nicholas Sekunda – författare

When Philip II ascended the throne in 359 BC, Macedonia was in danger of being engulfed by wild barbarian tribes to the north and wily Greek cities to the south.Philip had to expand the power of the throne or be swallowed up: the creation of a powerful army was imperative. When his son, Alexander, inherited his kingdom at the age of 20, he also inherited an army which was truly unrivalled. The Macedonians were veterans of battle, well equipped and eager for conquest. Add to this Alexander's supreme gifts as military commander and it is little wonder they achieved so much.This fascinating text is accompanied by illustrations throughout.

The cradle of western civilisation, the ancient Greek world, consisted of a series of independent city states some of which, such as Athens and Sparta, became major world powers.This authoritative volume by Nicholas Sekunda covers Greek warfare in the Classical Period, which stretches from the Greek victories over the Persian Empire to the death of Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th century. The book includes such famous battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis and offers a detailed account of Greek military dress during this period, supported by 12 full colour plates by Angus McBride.

Pyrrhus was one of the most tireless and famous warriors of the Hellenistic Age that followed the dispersal of Alexander the Great's brief empire.After inheriting the throne as a boy, and a period of exile, he began a career of alliances and expansion, in particular against the region’s rising power: Rome. Gathering both Greek and Italian allies into a very large army (which included war-elephants), he crossed to Italy in 280 BC, but lost most of his force in a series of costly victories at Heraclea and Asculum, as well as a storm at sea. After a campaign in Sicily against the Carthaginians, he was defeated by the Romans at Beneventum and was forced to withdraw. Undeterred, he fought wars in Macedonia and Greece, the last of which cost him his life. Fully illustrated with detailed colour plates, this is the story of one of the most renowned warrior-kings of the post-Alexandrian age, whose costly encounters with Republican Rome have become a byword for victory won at unsustainable cost.

This fully illustrated study explores the formidable Athenian army, rivalled only by the Spartan army in terms of battlefield prowess and influence.In 508 BC, the reforms of Kleisthenes established the ten tribes of Athens, inaugurating a system of military organization that remained in place for nearly 200 years until Athens’ eclipse by the growing power of Macedon in the early 3rd century BC. Fully illustrated, this lively study investigates the development and effectiveness of the armies fielded by Athens during its many wars with its Greek neighbours, notably Sparta, and other opponents such as the Persian Empire. A variety of different troop types made up these armies, ranging from formidably armed and armoured hoplite heavy infantry to lightly armed archers, peltasts and cavalry.In this book, Athens’ major wars and battles of the period are summarized, and important aspects contributing to the Athenian army’s battlefield prowess, influence and legacy, ranging from mobilization and training to the evolution of arms and armour, are examined in the light of the latest scholarship and archaeological finds. The eight colour plates reconstruct the appearance of components of the Athenian army at various stages of its development. The authoritative text is complemented by carefully chosen photographs, many in colour, depicting a variety of surviving artefacts, supported by informative captions.

Wonders Lost and Found: A celebration of the archaeological work of Professor Michael Vickers comprises, in all, twenty-one contributions, all on archaeological themes, written by friends and colleagues of Professor Michael Vickers, commemorating his contribution to archaeology. The contributions, reflecting the wide interests of Professor Vickers, range chronologically from the Aegean Bronze Age, to the use made of archaeology by dictators of the 19th and 20th centuries. Seven contributions are related to the archaeology of Georgia, where the Professor has worked most recently, and has made his home.

The story of the Marathon campaign is an epic of the Ancient World.When the Ionian Greeks revolted against their Persian overlords in 499BC, the cities of Athens and Eretria came to their aid. The Persian King Darius swore vengeance and in 490BC a fleet of 600 ships packed with troops was sent to take revenge on the Athenians. At Marathon the Greeks met the Persians in battle and drove them in rout back to their ships. The moral effect of this victory was enormous – for the first time a Greek army had defeated the Persians and demonstrated the superiority of hoplite tactics.Packed with illustrations, including 3D bird's-eye views and battlescene maps, this book is a detailed examination of the battle from ancient history expert Nicholas Sekunda.

The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC threw the Macedonians into confusion; there was no capable heir, and no clear successor among the senior figures in Alexander's circle.For well over a century the largely mercenary armies of Alexander's successors imposed their influence over the whole of the Near East, while absorbing local military practices. After Rome's decisive defeat of Carthage in 202 BC, Macedonia came under increasing pressure from the Romans. Three wars between the two powers culminated in the Roman victory at Pydna in 168 BC, which laid Alexander's empire to rest and established Roman hegemony in the Near East.Drawing upon a wide array of archaeological and written sources and written by a noted authority on the Hellenistic period, this survey of the organization, battle history and appearance of the armies of Alexander's successors is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned full-colour artwork.

The Persian Empire grew in the vacuum left by Assyria's destruction of the Kingdom of Elam.Prince Teispes captured Anshan, once a stonghold of the Elamites. His father, Achaemenes is the person who is apparently responsible for training and organising the early Persian army and it is his name that is the beginning of the royal line of Achaemenian Kings. It is a dynasty which includes Darius the Great – the finest ruler of the Achaemenid era.This compact guide covers the army he commanded, including the infamous 'Immortals' who formed the elite of the Persian army, their numbers always kept to exactly 10,000 men.

The early Romans were only one of a number of peoples that inhabited Iron Age central Italy.From the 8th to the 3rd century BC, the Romans undertook territorial expansion, and conflict with neighbouring tribes and cultures resulted in open war, most notably with the Samnites. Alliances sprang were created too but the rise of Rome was unstoppable.This title covers the equipment, weaponry and dress of the early Romans, from the traditional foundation in 753 BC to the third century BC, where the dominance of Rome was beyond challenge. It also deals with developments in warfare, covering the early cavalry, the pre-hoplite army, the hoplite army and the manipular army. Etruscan, Latin, and Samnite warfare are also discussed.

This engaging text by Nicholas Sekunda draws heavily on the Greek historian Polybius to outline the equipment and organisation of the Roman Republican Army from 200–104 BC – a time when Rome was growing from a regional to a world power.With plenty of photographs and illustrations, including eight vivid full page colour plates by Angus McBride, this fascinating volume examines such topics as the Roman shield, helmets, the cuirass, greaves, the pilum, legion organisation, the principales and the tactics they employed.

Although Sparta's early history is not clear, by the end of the 8th century most of the other cities of Lakedaimon had been reduced to subject status.The Lakedaimonians were the only full time army in ancient Greece and were thus truly an elite force. The institutions of the state and the system of education were organised with a view to creating superbly trained soldiers. Nick Sekunda examines this unique military machine in this book describing the organisational systems of the Spartan army through the Hellenistic period, how they were trained, the battles they fought, and the society that produced them.

The Greek hoplite, the archetypal spear-armed warrior, is perhaps the most prevalent figure in our view of the 'Golden Age' of Ancient Greek civilisation.It was during this period that the state began to take greater responsibility for military organisation, and the arming and equipping of its citizens. From the victory at Marathon over Darius of Persia, through bitter inter-state warfare, to the rise of Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great, the hoplite soldier was in the front-line.This title narrates the life and experiences of the common Greek warrior, how he was recruited, trained and fought, and also looks in detail at how his weapons, armour, shields and helmets developed in the course of time.