12/4/22

Major sections of book:
Greeks & Modern Warfare
Ordeal of the Hoplite
Triumph of Will
Battle!
Aftermath

19 chapters total
An interesting chapter titled "Soldier's General" explains how Greek warfare included commanding general of army fighting side by side in the first line soldiers of the phalanx. This juxtaposed with modern generals since WWI, well behind the line of fire, coordinating all the various parts of the army.

Another interesting chapter is on visiting the battlefield after the fighting is over. I may just be morbid, but cool as hell.

Biggest take away is that ancient Greeks all showed up on battle day, duked it out for a couple hours, then went back to their home. No long sustained combat, no high degree of training required for average hoplite.

If you want more info, overall on the book, please let me know. This book is a keeper, as stated by a minimalist.

Hanson attempts to reconstruct the ‘face of battle’ from the perspective of the citizen soldiers of Greece during the period from the Seventh to the Fifth Centuries, BC. Hanson argues that the focus of Greek warfare was not the destruction of crops, but a response to a perceived threat to crops, and the insult of foreign troops marching into ones territory. While war was an ever present reality, the conventions of hoplite battle were designed to limit the scope of war and therefore casualties.

Hanson's book is an essential read for those interested in ancient warfare, though I was unconvinced by his argument that the Greek way was a new, Western way of war. There's too much evidence to suggest that other, non-Western cultures were practicing similar tactics, elsewhere. ( )

This is an outstanding book on ancient Greek warfare and one of the most important books ever written on war.