Weapons, Warriors and Battles of Ancient Greece and Rome

“The author’s great accomplishment is in writing a book that can reach an audience of intelligent but non-specialist readers who are hungry for easily digestible material presented in an attractive manner. These are people without access to the scholarly journals that academic research relies upon. The author has aimed at producing a volume based upon rigorous scientific inquiry, that combines visual appeal and easy to understand language and that gives the reader an informed analysis. He has succeeded admirably.” – The Journal of Military History

This is an up-to-date and detailed, yet accessible, study of the weapons and armour of the Classical Greeks, Macedonians and Romans. Covering the period from the emergence of hoplite armies in Greece from the 8th century BC, through the Hellenistic age and down to the fall of the Western Roman empire in the 5th century AD, Professor Quesada Sanz traces the development of the three dominant military systems of the ancient Mediterranean world. He describes all aspects of offensive and defensive equipment in detail, based firmly in the archaeological evidence and explains their relationship to the context of evolving organization and tactics. As well as the obvious chapters on swords, spears, helmets, body armour and the like, there are sections on such subjects as, biological warfare, war elephants, horse tack and saddles, siege weapons and military signals and standards. The expert but highly readable text is supported by numerous diagrams, photographs and the lavish colour artwork of Carlos Fernandez del Castillo. This is both an excellent reference work and a visual delight.

Fernando Quesada Sanz is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Madrid and respected worldwide for his expertise on the evidence for warfare in ancient Iberia. He is the author of many books and articles including Arms of the Greeks and Romans (2008).