Over the years Van Wees (henceforth HvW) has published quite a number of papers, articles, and bo... more Over the years Van Wees (henceforth HvW) has published quite a number of papers, articles, and books on Greek warfare. Th at work finds its (temporary, I hope) peak in the book under review. In six parts, comprising some general observations elaborated in fifteen chapters, a conclusion, and three appendices, HvW guides us through the world of Greek warfare, in a wide context, from archaic times through the classical period. HvW pays attention to "the bigger picture" (p. 1), sc. to the political, social, and economic circumstances and nuances which play a part in this phenomenon. While doing so he tries to adjust many of the conventional views adhering to the frequently far too romantic view still surrounding the subject: like modern warfare Greek warfare was an ugly business, though incomparably more direct and personal than nowadays (like, e.g., also the books of Victor Davis Hanson testify). Part 1, "War and Peace", consists of three chapters: "Kinsmen, Friends and Allies: the Society of States" (pp. 6-18); "Justice, Honour and Profit: Causes and Goals of Wars" (pp. 19-33); and "Pleonexia: Structural Causes of War" (pp. 34-44). In these chapters HvW develops the view that the main motivator for war was the quest for both glory (prestige) and wealth (profit). War was a relatively easy way to acquire these assets, but this does not mean that Greek cities were in a constant state of war: there also was a sufficient number of mechanisms to check and balance potential crises and prevent them from going violent. Military prowess, and the display of its paraphernalia, played, however, an important role in societies, especially during the archaic period, and was consequently also reflected in literature. To a large extent the mentality remained unchanged, also after the archaic period: it contributed to both the continuing exclusion of women from public life and the casualness of a military career (as a mercenary) as a means of livelihood throughout history (and not just after the Peloponnesian War). Part 2, "Citizens and Soldiers", discusses the "Men of Bronze: the Myth of the Middle-Class Militia" (pp. 47-60); the "Other Warriors: Light Infantry, Cavalry, Body-servants and Mercenaries" (pp. 61-76); and "Politics and the Battlefield: Ideology in Greek Warfare" (pp. 77-86). Contrary to traditional views, HvW argues, an egalitarian hoplite force developed only gradually during a period of over more than two and a half centuries. Only after the Persian Wars might something remotely resembling the romantic image of the middle-class hoplite army be detected. Essentially, however, war strengthened societal divisions within the city and did not contribute to the emergence of more democratic political systems (p. 81).
De krijgshaftige civilisatie van de Romeinse aristocratie. 300-100 v.C. W
Agesilaos’ Abandoned Babies: ‘Humane’ Treatment of the Displaced?
Pallas, Jun 4, 2020
Archaic Age
The Homer Encyclopedia, Dec 15, 2012
The First Greek Soldiers in Egypt
BRILL eBooks, Nov 23, 2021
Status Warriors
Sécurité collective et ordre public dans les sociétés anciennes : sept exposés suivis de discussions
Fondation Hardt eBooks, 2008
Les premiers «Entretiens sur l'Antiquité classique» ont eu lieu en 1952, du 8 au 13 sept... more Les premiers «Entretiens sur l'Antiquité classique» ont eu lieu en 1952, du 8 au 13 septembre. Dans l'avant-propos du volume où ils sont consignés, le Baron Kurd von Hardt en donne la définition. La voici: «Chaque année, au siège de la Fondation à Vanduvres, ...
Thermopylae: Herodotus versus the Legend
BRILL eBooks, Nov 2, 2018
Peace and the society of states in antiquity
The myth of the middle-class army: military and social status in ancient Athens
UCL logo UCL LIBRARY SERVICES. UCL Eprints. ...
18 FROM KINGS TO DEMIGODS: EPIC HEROES AND SOCIAL CHANGE c.750–600
Ancient Greece
Rivalry in History
Competition in the Ancient World
Heroic Benefactors?
Benefactors and the Polis
Greeks Bearing Arms
Archaic Greece
Farmers and Hoplites: Models of Historical Development
Men of Bronze, 2013
This chapter critiques the grand narrative of Hanson's The Other Greeks and argues that it is... more This chapter critiques the grand narrative of Hanson's The Other Greeks and argues that it is wrong in important respects. The chapter presents the social and economic changes in the eighth century that took place with the rise of the independent yeoman farmer and his culture of agrarianism as the driving force behind the political and military history of Greece. From the middle of the eighth century there was a class of elite leisured landowners that did not work the land themselves but supervised the toil of a large lower class of hired laborers and slaves. This era of gentlemen farmers who comprised the top 15–20 percent of society and competed with each other for status lasted for about two centuries. When the yeomen farmers emerged after the mid-sixth century, they joined the leisure class in the hoplite militia.
The 'Law of hybris' and Solon's reform of justice
Sociable Man, which celebrates the work of Nick Fisher, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at ... more Sociable Man, which celebrates the work of Nick Fisher, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University, contains essays by leading classicists, ancient historians and archaeologists on the theme of ancient Greek social ...
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