From Sumer to Rome: The Military Capabilities of Ancient Armies - Hardcover

by Richard Gabriel (Author), Karen Metz (Author)

This in-depth work demonstrates that ancient battles rivaled those of the modern period in size, complexity, and lethality. The organization of armies of the ancient world, their performance, their military operations, and their ability to raise the art of warfare to towering heights are the focus of this carefully documented volume. An examination is made of all the major military establishments of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Pertinent evidence is gathered from a number of disciplines and integrated into a coherent whole. Corroborative evidence is drawn from modern analysis when accepting or rejecting the claims of ancient writers. Where that was lacking, the authors conducted empirical studies of ancient weapons, which led to a better understanding of how ancient battles were really fought. The book concludes with description and analysis of the armies of the ancient world placed in a modern perspective.

Author Biography

RICHARD A. GABRIEL is a military historian, adjunct professor of Ethics and Humanities at Daniel Webster College, and a former Army intelligence officer. He is the author of 24 books, including the Greenwood Press publications The Culture of War: Invention and Early Development (1990), The Painful Field: The Psychiatric Dimension of Modern War (1988), and To Serve With Honor: A Treatise on Military Ethics and the Way of the Soldier (1982).

KAREN S. METZ is an academic librarian and a former medical librarian. She is the author of Information Sources in Power Engineering: A Guide to Energy Resources and Technology (Greenwood Press, 1975).