Ancient Military

The late republic (from about 133BCE) was characterized by civil discontent, with three Servile Wars, two attempted coups, a Social War between Rome and Italian allies, and endless conflict. We begin in 110-106BCE with two speeches railing against the fixed social order and corruption of the highborn, as well as the scorn poured on those of lower birth.

A New Darkness Rises. The shock betrayal of General Zagros and his legion has shattered any foundation of peace for the Belgadan Empire. The Fifteenth Legion steps up for another trial, this one shrouded in shadow. Where one rebel falls, more flare into life. Air Captain Martius gives chase on the back of Avorian, General Gaius leads his legionnaires forward, and Talia ascends to a tenuous hold on her father's throne. Can she and her warriors save her empire? Or are they already spiraling toward further chaos and destruction? Martius must grow into the hero he longs to be, or see all that ...

La cesura più lacerante nella storia dell'Atene classica fu, per effetto della sconfitta militare dell'aprile 404 a.C., il divampare di una guerra civile che era in incubazione da decenni. Da sempre, la democrazia politica era stata vissuta da una parte dei ceti possidenti come una forzatura intollerabile. Essi avevano auspicato la sconfitta della propria città nel lunghissimo conflitto con Sparta; e quando finalmente la sconfitta giunse, essi presero il potere con l'aiuto delle armi spartane.

Alexander the Great is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time and was known to be undefeated in battle. He is mentioned in the Bible as well as the Qur’an, and is on the shortest of short lists whenever the world’s best military leaders are catalogued. When asked to name other great military leaders, Caesar reportedly said Alexander was the only great one.

As far as I can remember, movie battle formations always fascinated me; tactics were deceptively simple, and many people in conversations slam this or that king or general as "not being a genius" by using very simple tactics. However, now knowing more, there are two reasons why things are simple.

He was the first emperor of one of the greatest empires ever known to man. He commanded unmatched authority in the ancient world and was always one step ahead of his opponents. He had an intellect and a sharp wit that could cut down his foes just as easily as the steel of his sword. The life of Octavian - later known as Augustus - was rich and full. Although he lived and died over 2,000 years ago, this founder of the Roman Empire is as intriguing as ever.

Welcome to 263 B.C. Between clashes of the Qart Hadasht Empire and the upstart Republic, men died. Whether from sharp blades held by strong arms or stones and bolts launched by ancient artillery, the hand of death grabbed souls from both sides of the battle line. Alerio Sisera will need more than an iron constitution, sharp steel, and a sturdy shield. To survive, he'll need his wits, luck, and infinite courage.

In this, the first prose history in European civilization, Herodotus tells the heroic tale of the Greeks' resistance to the vast invading force assembled by Xerxes, King of Persia. Here are not only the great battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis - but also penetrating human insight and a powerful sense of epic destiny at work. Translated by George Rawlinson.

With the empire collapsing about him, Heraclius, the Exarch’s son, becomes the first Roman Emperor in 300 years to lead an army into battle. But this is no ordinary army: it is the Last Army, cobbled together from the bits and pieces that remain of once-great legions. Arrayed against him are the most formidable enemies Rome has ever faced: the Avar horde, the Sassanian Persian Empire intent on Rome’s annihilation, and the relentless plague that exploded under his predecessor Justinian and halved the Roman population.

From the shattered empire, five kingdoms are emerging. Seleukos, triumphant in the capture of Babylon, now faces the challenge of holding onto his hard-won prize. One-eyed Antigonos and his son are newly reconciled and both hungry for revenge. But Antigonos has foes of his own. Driven by vengeance, widowed Artonis sides with Ptolemy, planning to thwart the one-eyed brute. The key to their success is Herakles, the sixteen-year-old illegitimate son of Alexander. To see him crowned, they will not only need an army but also to eliminate Kassandros, a powerful rival.

No city on earth has preserved its past as has Rome. Visitors stand on bridges that were crossed by Julius Caesar and Cicero, walk around temples visited by Roman emperors, and step into churches that have hardly changed since popes celebrated mass in them 16 centuries ago. These architectural survivals are all the more remarkable considering the violent disasters that have struck the city. Afflicted by earthquakes, floods, fires and plagues, it has most of all been repeatedly ravaged by roving armies.

There is something undeniably thrilling about the idea of 300 Spartans holding off tens of thousands of invading Persians, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fascinating history of the Greek city-state of Lacadaemonia, or Sparta. Sparta was a force of military power and philosophical might, and it continues to enthrall us. Learn more about the rise and fall of Sparta, about the fierce discipline and training of the Spartan military, and why we are still amazed with the Spartans thousands of years later.

For 2500 years, the Ancient Greeks have fascinated the West, who look to Greece as the creators of Western culture. Indeed, the Greeks revolutionized warfare, art, architecture, government, philosophy, and more. Of all the Greeks' accomplishments, many can be credited to the two most famous city-states of all: Athens and Sparta.

The Peloponnesian War, as the great historian Thucydides wrote in the introduction to his eponymous book, which has become one of the greatest historical treatises of antiquity, was an event of such calamitous magnitude that Greece had never witnessed its like in all of recorded history. Not the Trojan War, not the Dorian Invasion, not even the recent Persian invasions could compare to the scale of the devastation that engulfed all of Greece for almost three decades, causing the deaths of tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands.

Infantry tactics at a sea battle offer dangerous options. Run the boarding ramp into the tips of the enemy's blades. Or fall into the gap between warships. Welcome to 260 B.C. Death waits at both, but if you make it to the enemy's deck you have a fighting chance. With the sea, you are doomed by the weight of your armor as soon as you splash down. There is another option: Be the first Legionary to board an enemy ship. You might surprise and disrupt the Empire soldiers. And win medals and accolades. Or you might die as an unjust sacrifice.

Caesar and Brutus. Marius and Sulla. Cicero, Antony, Clodius, and Augustus. The end of the Roman Republic gave us a host of larger-than-life characters hailing from Rome. Only one was named Great. In the year 90 B.C.E., chaos and unrest erupts across the Italian peninsula. Rome's allies have rebelled and taken up arms against the most powerful military on Earth. Leading Rome's legions - and his only son - to the city's defense, an unproven and unloved commander will taste victory and defeat outside the capital's gates.

Ancient Thebes, 335 BC. Alexander savagely crushes the Theban revolt against his rule. Swearing revenge for their once glorious city, Dimitrios, a captain of the Theban army, physician Klemes, and soldier Ari join General Memnon in Asia Minor to fight against Alexander as he sets off to conquer the Persian Empire.

As Rome swelled with tradespeople, artisans, slaves, and wealthy merchant families, its politicians struggled to maintain the fundamental democratic properties of the republican government. Rules were bent and broken, politicians and voters were bribed and lied to, and eventually, the power of Rome fell to the one man who could muster the respect and loyalty of the world-famous Roman army. That man was Gaius Julius Caesar.

La guerra ha estado presente desde la Prehistoria, descubrir la historia de la guerra desde una perspectiva científica, es descubrir una parte de la historia de la humanidad. La guerra, el enfrentamiento humano, está presente en las sociedades humanas, si bien habría que distinguir entre el enfrentamiento personal y el conflicto organizado entra varios individuos representativos de un pueblo.

Hannibal, called by Nepos "the greatest of generals", is most remembered today for being the man who marched a contigent of battle elephants over the Alps. But this was only one of his many victories and strategems. Listen in wonder as Hannibal manages, again and again, to repel the army no other man could repel: the ancient Romans.