Nicholas Sekunda - Böcker

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.

This title follows the campaigns of Marathon, one of the epic stories of the ancient world. When the Ionian Revolt broke out in 499 BC, Athens angered the Persians by sending assistance to the Greeks of Asia. Having crushed the revolt, the Persian king, Darius, decided to punish Athens and landed his forces at Marathon some 26 miles from the city. Nine thousand Athenians and their allies marched to meet him, advancing onto the plain and driving the Persians back to their ships amid heavy fighting. Darius reputedly lost 6400 men to the Greeks 192 in a conclusive Greek victory, and a Greek runner was dispatched to Athens with the news of the victory in what became the first Marathon run.

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 antagonism between the Perisan and the Greek colonies on the Ionian coast of Asia Minor began with Cyrus I and continued for some 200 years until the Empire was destroyed by Alexander's Macedonians. The Persian armies of this period also fielded troops in countries as far apart as India, Egypt, southern Russia and the Balkans and were undoubtedly the largest and most colourful the world has yet seen. In this volume the arms, equipment and organization of these forces is illustrated and documented.

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.

Sparta was a city in the ancient Greek state of Lakedaimon, the only state in Greece to have a full-time army. The institutions of the state and the system of education were organised with a view to creating superbly trained soldiers. Isocrates compared the Lakedaimonian political community to a military camp and Aristotyle criticised the Lakedaimonian constitution because it was organised entirely to promote military virtue. Nick Sekunda examines this ancient military machine, describing the organisational system of the Spartan army, the battles they fought and the society that produced them.

A study of the Greek Hoplite in the "Golden Age" of Ancient Greek civilization, 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. It was during this Classical period that the state began to play an important role in military organization, taking responsibility for arming and equipping its citizens. Yet Hoplites also fought as mercenaries too, at the behest of their paymasters. The volume contains ten colour plates that seek to bring the Greek warrior of this period to life, covering his weapons, armour, shield and helmets, and how he was recruited, trained and fought.