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Book Cover for: The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece, Victor Davis Hanson

The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece

Victor Davis Hanson

The Greeks of the classical age invented not only the central idea of Western politics--that the power of state should be guided by a majority of its citizens--but also the central act of Western warfare, the decisive infantry battle. Instead of ambush, skirmish, or combat between individual heroes, the Greeks of the fifth century B.C. devised a ferocious, brief, and destructive head-on clash between armed men of all ages. In this bold, original study, Victor Davis Hanson shows how this brutal enterprise was dedicated to the same outcome as consensual government--an unequivocal, instant resolution to dispute. Linking this new style of fighting to the rise of constitutional government, Hanson raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the history of war. A new preface addresses recent scholarship on Greek warfare.

Book Details

  • Publisher: University of California Press
  • Publish Date: Apr 1st, 2009
  • Pages: 320
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.90in - 6.00in - 0.90in - 0.95lb
  • EAN: 9780520260092
  • Categories: Military - GeneralAncient - Greece

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson is Professor of Classics at California State University, Fresno, and author and coauthor of many books, including The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War.