Greek Hoplite 480-323 BC

The Greek hoplite, the archetypal spear-armed warrior, is perhaps the most prevalent figure in our view of the 'Golden Age' of Ancient Greek civilization. It was during this period that the state began to take greater responsibility for military organization, 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, armor, shields and helmets developed in the course of time.

Ancient Assyrians

For the greater part of the period from the end of the 10th century to the 7th century BC, the Ancient Near East was dominated by the dynamic military power of Assyria. At the zenith of its rule Assyria could lay claim to an empire that stretched from Egypt in the west to the borders of Iran in the east and encompassed for the first time in history, within the realm of a single imperial domain, the whole of the 'Fertile Crescent'. Mark Healy, covers the history of the Assyrians from their ancient beginnings to the eventual fall of the city of Nineveh.

Medieval Siege Weapons

The medieval period was one of the most inventive in military history when it came to non-gunpowder machine development. During this period, the pre-existing military-technological traditions from the ancient worlds were brought together. Three civilizations; Graeco-Roman World, Persia, India, and China, were primarily responsible for this evolution - the Late-Roman or Byzantine Empire, the Islamic World, and latterly the Mongol 'World Empire'. This book examines the resulting stone-throwing machines that used assorted power sources from torsion 'energy storage' systems, to manpowered and counterbalance sling devices, rockets et al.

New Kingdom Egypt

Builders of the Pyramids and most ancient of all the powers of the biblical world, the Egyptians remain one of history's most fascinating and enigmatic peoples. During the New Kingdom era, Egypt reached the peak of its power, wealth, and territory. Through the intensive military campaigns of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1490-1436BC), Palestine, Syria, and the northern Euphrates area in Mesopotamia were all brought within the New Kingdom. Mark Healy outlines the history, organization and dress of the New Kingdom Egyptians in this volume packed with accompanying illustrations and photographs, including 12 full page colour plates by the ever popular Angus McBride.