Review (PDF) Ancient Armies Of The Middle East (Men-at-Arms)
This text by Terence Wise explores some of the fascinating peoples who comprised the ancient armies of the Middle East: the Sumerians, who were the first to introduce the use of bronze into warfare, and were centuries ahead of the Egyptians in the use of the wheel – The Akkadians, whose citizen army was composed almost entirely of light troops – The Babylonians, whose people were granted land in return for army service – the horned warriors of the Elamites – the Egyptians, with thier heavy spearmen and archers – the tribal and warlike Libyans – Nubians and Ethiopians – Hyksos – the armies of the Hittite Empire – the Sea People and others.
Series: Men-at-Arms (Book 109)
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 19, 1981)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0850453844
ISBN-13: 978-0850453843
Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.1 x 9.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #964,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #126 in Books > History > Military > Uniforms #4384 in Books > History > Middle East #6087 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations
Covering 2500 years and a fair chunk of real estate in 40 pages, this volume of the normally quite nice Osprey Military books is only recomendable for the Angus McBride art. It concentrates on the better known states, when the limited size would have done well for a study some of the lesser known states and left the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians and such for their own volumes. However, it does have a nice integrated timeline, and the aforementioned wonderful Angus McBride art.
I agree with previous reviewers that this title very much bit into more than it could chew, and that some of these peoples (Israelites, Hittites, Sea Peoples) could almost deserve their own titles. Has a useful timeline, usual nice plates, and briefly covers the following peoples:The SumeriansThe AkkadiansThe BabyloniansThe ElamitesThe Egyptians (now have their own elite title)The LibyansThe Nubians and EthiopiansThe HyksosThe HittitesThe Sea PeoplesThe Arabs (including the Amalekites and Midianites of the Old Testament)The AramaeansThe Israelites (all the Tribes of Israel)The Judaeans (otherwise, the Jews)The Assyrians (now have their own elite title)
Wholeheartedly agree with the previous review. Too ambitious to catalog so many culturally different peoples over so long a period of time. Would've been better to concentrate on one or two at the most. However, the fabulous artwork is worth the small sum of the book's price.
I like this book because it covers many of the cultures and battles, and the geographic areas, mentioned in the Old Testament time frame of the Bible. For a 40 page booklet, it touches on many important people groups, and sets them in historic perspective, although of course a book this size cannot be comprehensive. The superb illustrations help a modern reader to get a mental picture of what these ancient warriors may have looked like. The reference is solidly based on archaeology and ancient artwork, so even though a little artistic license must be taken when interpreting period conventions, the excellent artwork gives a very reasonable interpretation and illustrates the unique characteristics of each distinct military force.
This is a reference book from Osprey Publishing which deals with the ancient armies of Mesopotamia, Egypt and other ancient powers of the Middle East. The period of time covered by the book is from 3100 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), which date coincides with the beginning of the Bronze Age, through the downfall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 B.C.E.
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