Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC

Warfare and History

by William J. Hamblin

The only book available that covers this subject, Warfare in the Ancient Near East is a groundbreaking and fascinating study of ancient near Eastern military history from the Neolithic era to the middle Bronze Ages. Drawing on an extensive range of textual, artistic and archaeological data, William J. Hamblin synthesizes current knowledge and offers a detailed analysis of the military technology, ideology and practices of Near Eastern warfare. Paying particular attention to the earliest known examples of holy war ideaology in Mesopotamia and Egypt, Hamblin focuses * recruitment and training of the infantry
* the logistics and weaponry of warfare
* the shift from stone to metal weapons
* the role played by magic
* narratives of combat and artistic representations of battle
* the origins and development of the chariot as military transportation
* fortifications and siegecraft
*developments in naval warfare. Beautifully illustrated, including maps of the region, this book is essential for experts and non-specialists alike.

Genres: History, Ancient, War, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Middle East

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

William J. Hamblin was Associate Professor at Brigham Young University, Utah. He wrote and taught on both the ancient near east and on the same region in the middle ages.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense academic book about the origins of warfare. Included is some historical context in which to place the various battles described and the technology used. Fascinating, but only the autist need persevere.

[Laura Hamblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody knows ancient warfare history like my husband. He dedicated his life to it. Be prepared for a deep dive!

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very academic book which have a LOT of informations and sources about a lot of things relating to the culture of warfare and it's origin in the Bible/Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt. The book display an excellent usage of ancient primary sources and quotations to explain how warfare was deeply related to religious culture and ancient methaphisicals views of the world. Gods were omnipresents in Ancient Cultures and a conflict between ethnics kinds or even differents cities within the same culture was considered to be a conflict between the gods with the Kings being used as the "champion" and representative of the god's will. A good section of the book dwelve into a research about when and how war might have originated in human history and the author managed to make some very credibles assumptions without oversteping his knowledge. He is a expert with a vast understanding of various aspects relating to ancient Near East and you can feel it when you read the book, there is a lot and I mean A LOT of informations and primary sources usage. I would not suggest this book for an introduction to millitary history but I would absolutely suggest it for anyone who seek a perspective on the origin of states warfare and coodified war-culture related to religion in human history.

Excellent book.

[Wanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vazda se tuklo, tuče se i tućiće se, aman!