Ancient Siege Warfare

by Paul Bentley Kern

Siege warfare was the most brutal form of war in the ancient world. Typically involving whole urban societies, ancient siege warfare often ended in the sack of a city and the massacre or enslavement of entire populations. Assyrian emperors, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and the future Roman emperor Titus all commanded great sieges that ended in fearsome slaughters. This book examines the origins of such unleashed violence and shows how the methods of siege warfare devalued the skills of traditional warriors as well as the shared values of honor and prowess that limited the violence of traditional field battles. Siege warfare was the only form of war in the ancient world in which the presence of women was common. This book pays major attention to their role in sieges, as both participants and victims, and to the way their presence affected the nature of siege warfare. The book also examines the social and moral chaos of siege warfare as the major theme in its representation in ancient literature. The Bible, Assyrian palace records, and Greek and Roman literature contain horrifying accounts of siege warfare. Ancient Hebrew prophets and Greek poets such as Homer and Euripides described it as a world without limits or structure or morality, in which men violated deep-seated taboos about sex, pregnancy, and death.

Genres: History, Military History, War

419 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Brandon "Buddy" Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kern gives profound insight into the tactics, customs, and expectations that accompanied sieges in the ancient world.

Focusing mostly on the histories of Middle Eastern and Classical civilizations, we also are given the historical context that, in part, surrounds figures, cities, and cultures relevant to the Old Testament and New Testament (e.g., King David's wars, the genius capture of Tyre by Alexander the Great, etc.).

Different technologies of the various periods are reviewed, including arrow catapults, stone catapults, siege towers, escalades, palisades, etc.

This volume is a must for any student of history, especially students of Biblical history.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I finished reading this book I was not too sure how I felt, I was a bit ambivalent about how good or bad it was. At times I found it hard going to continue but then it picked up with a very interesting account of some particular siege or battle. However other times I felt it was becoming repetitive, the same story with variations on the number of dead or the way the victors tortured or killed their enemies. There is no doubt that the author has thoroughly researched the subject but the narrative came across a bit dry in the end. The chapters on the Roman army's conduct of siege operations stand out. There were a number of line drawings and maps but I found the maps to be of poor quality, I'm sure better ones could have been found. If you are looking for a detailed account of how siege operations were carried out in ancient times and the result of those sieges then this is the book for you. I can only say that I did not find the narrative as free flowing as I usually like in a book, it was almost like reading a school text book at times. I would recommend this book only for those who have a keen interest in the subject matter.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author writes similar to an action novel when depicting sieges. There are some lengthy dry moments; but overall, it is very easy to learn about this otherwise dull topic.