Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo

by Paul K. Davis

From ancient times to the present, great sieges have had an enormous impact on the shaping of world history. Now, in this spectacular, fully-illustrated volume, one hundred of the world's most monumental and mind-boggling sieges are laid out in detail.

Besieged covers the most important sieges from around the world throughout history--from Joshua's assault on Jericho in the fifteenth century B.C. to the Russian attack on the Chechen capital of Grozny at the end of the twentieth. Each entry provides the name and date of the siege, its exact location in terms of today's world, the number of forces engaged, when known, the names of the commanders on each side, and the overall importance of the siege in its historical context. Thoroughly examining the actions of both the attackers and the defenders, the book explores the motivations of both, and strategically surveys the technical and tactical innovations and conditions both inside besieged positions and in the besiegers' ranks. The entries detail the historical setting, the particular circumstances of the event itself, and the long-term results of the siege. These riveting accounts are enhanced by illustrations, over seventy maps, and references for further reading. A glossary and a
comprehensive index complete the book.

Global in scope, and with stirring accounts of familiar sieges as well as many lesser known conflicts, Besieged is essential reading for military buffs and everyone interested in how the modern world came to be.

Includes the sieges

* Jericho (1405 B.C.)
* Troy (1250 B.C.)
* Acre (1189--1191)
* Constantinople (1453)
* Tenochtitlan (1521
* La Rochelle (1627--1628)
* Leningrad (1941--1944)
* Malta (1940--1942)
* Dien Bien Phu (1954)
* Khe Sanh (1968)
* Beirut (1982)
* Sarajevo (1991--1995)

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, Military History, Reference

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Aleksandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until stumbling upon this book I had not realized the historical significance of sieges, nor how common they are and how far reaching their effects can be. From the point of view of strategy, or worldbuilding for writers, the information provided was very interesting. The historiography of the encyclopedia came recommended, as the sources cited are all reputable and a balanced, a neutral view is given with more weight towards better documented sources and a comprehensive balance of academically accepted viewpoints is adopted throughout the chapters. Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone or for reference. It is worth noting few books offer such an interesting, specific information on this important topic.

[Adam Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat brief in its summaries but a great reference work for a hundred sieges throughout history. It does have the modern bias where more modern battles are included than medieval or ancient, but this gives a sweeping view of numerous conflicts in the world (although focusing more on the West than the East).

[Johnny Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isn’t very balanced on content and pretty biased when it comes to to West the first third of the book was illuminating but downhill from then on and unfortunately from a very American point of view.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick reference source. It provides the basic information for the most famous sieges in History. It can be a useful tool when looking for numbers and raw data.