City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective (Studies in Comparative Early Modern History) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521124158 ISBN 13: 9780521124157

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009

Synopsis

The essays presented in this volume describe a phenomenon so widespread in human time and space that its importance is easily overlooked. City walls shaped the history of warfare; the mobilization of manpower and resources needed to build them favored some kinds of polities over others; and their massive strength, appropriately ornamented, created a visual language of authority. Chapters by historians and art historians explore how separate traditions throughout the world illustrate universal themes of defensive strategy and the symbolism of power, each time embedded in a distinctive local context.

About this title

Review:

"This wide range means that every reader is likely to be led into strange and intriguing territories...brings together some excellent contributions, and there is much here about common themes and about cultural diversity." Times Literary Supplement

"...well worth a close look, not only for its intelligent exploration of individual cases of interests, but also for what they suggest about the role of fortifications in broader patterns of change in the urban, architectural, and military history of a large part of an increasingly interconnected world." 16th Century Journal

"all who are interested in military architecture and related subjects will find this book an interesting and valuable read." Jrnl of Military History

"all of the authors are to be commended for the scholarly quality of their individual pieces. This reader would also thank Tracy for providing an extremely cogent and useful annotated bibliography that further explores the role of city walls across time and geography...this collection demonstrates that such dialogues on specific themes within our profession are both possible and potentially rewarding." American Historical Review Feb 2002

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0521124158
• ISBN 13: 9780521124157
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 720
• Editor: Tracy James D.