Great Walls and Linear Barriers

Peter Spring

ISBN 10: 1848843771 / ISBN 13: 9781848843776

Published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2015

About this Item

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # wbs6894316343

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Great Walls and Linear Barriers
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1848843771
• ISBN 13: 9781848843776
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 780 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Everyone has heard of the Great Wall of China and knows of Hadrian’s Wall and the other barriers lining stretches of Rome’s imperial frontiers. But Peter Spring’s original new study demonstrates that far from being exceptional, the building of walls and other linear defenses was commonplace among the peoples and states of pre-modern era. He finds examples virtually all across the globe and analyses their forms and strategic functions. He finds patterns for their distribution, an important recurrent theme being the divide between settled agriculture and nomads. The author argues that it is mistaken to view such undertakings as necessarily purely defensive measures that might be evidence of insecurity or a ‘maginot line mentality’, as they were in fact often about aggressive assertion of control over a region or strategic routes.

This original and thought-provoking study brings new light and insight to a fascinating and neglected aspect of human political and military history. It The clear text is supported by numerous, specially drawn maps and photographs.

About the Author

PETER SPRING is a financial consultant by training. He has a BA in Modern History from Royal Holloway College and an MA in Medieval Art History from the Courtauld Institute. He lives in southwest London. His first book, Great Walls and Linear Barriers, was published by Pen & Sword in 2015.