The Wars of the Ancient Greeks and Their Invention of Western Military Culture

The Ancient Greeks — who believed that war is the most important thing humans do — bequeathed to the West an incomparable military legacy that still influences the structure of armies and doctrine. Understand the reasons why their unique approach to fighting was so successful and so relentless, its role at the heart of classical culture, the rise of the city state, agrarian duels, the emergence of Athenian and Spartan power, the development of war as a specialized science, and the collapse of Greek warfare after Alexander the Great.

This brilliant account covers a millennium of Greek warfare. With specially commissioned battle maps and vivid illustrations, Victor Davis Hanson takes the reader into the heart of Greek warfare, classical beliefs, and heroic battles. This colorful portrait of ancient Greek culture explains why their approach to fighting was so ruthless and so successful.

• Development of the Greek city-state and the rivalries of Athens and Sparta.
• Rise of Alexander the Great and the Hellenization of the Western world.
• Famous thinkers—Sophocles, Socrates, Demosthenes—who each faced his opponent in battle, armed with spear and shield.
• Unsurpassed military theories that still influence the structure of armies and the military today.