‘A big and lavishly illustrated history … a thing not just of interest but of beauty’ – The Scotsman

This is the first global survey of ancient warfare – an original exploration of the causes and development of human conflict. It is of the utmost relevance today.

A group of distinguished historians and archaeologists discuss major battles and wars not only from ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, but also from Central Asia, India, China, Korea, Japan and the Americas.

See the complete contents page

The book ranges in time from 8000 BC in northern Iraq to the armies of the Aztecs and Incas half a millennium ago, and includes Alexander the Great's campaigns against Persia, Hannibal's conflict with Rome, Caesar's Gallic Wars, the Han Chinese defeat of the nomadic Xiongnu horsemen, and the Inca ruler Atahualpa's last stand against Pizarro.

The authors combine descriptions of military events with expert analyses and explanations of the underlying social, economic and cultural factors that shaped ancient warfare.

• The evolution of armies
• Tactics and military equipment
• Newly commissioned 3-D reconstructions
• Key battles such as Qadesh, Issus and Cannae
• Weaponry from shields to artillery
• Visual sources such as Trajan's Column and
    the Terracotta Army

Customers in the USA: please see the USA Edition

Philip de Souza is Lecturer in Classics at University College Dublin, specializing in Greek and Roman history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a leading authority on ancient warfare and maritime history. His books include Piracy in the Graeco-Roman World, Seafaring and Civilization: Maritime Perspectives on World History, The Peloponnesian War and The Greek and Persian Wars.

Also of interest
The Seventy Great Battles of All Time
The Worldwide History of Warfare
The Medieval World at War
Panorama of the Classical World