The Origins of War: From the Stone Age to Alexander the Great

by Arther Ferrill

When did war begin? Standard military accounts tend to start with the Graeco-Persian wars, laying undue emphasis on the preeminence of Greek heavy infantry. But, as this strikingly original and entertaining book shows, the origins of war can be traced back not to the Iron Age, or even to the Bronze Age, but to the emergence of settled life itself nearly 10,000 years ago. The military revolution that occurred then—the invention of major new weapons, the massive fortifications, the creation of strategy and tactics—ultimately gave rise to the great war machines of ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Persia that dominated the Near East until the time of Alexander the Great.It is Arther Ferrill's thesis that in the period before Alexander there were two independent lines of military development—a Near Eastern one culminating in the expert integration of cavalry, skirmishers, and light infantry and a Greek one based on heavy infantry. When Philip and Alexander blended the two traditions in their crack Macedonian army, the result was a style of warfare that continued, despite technological changes, down to Napoleon.This newly revised edition presents detailed and copiously illustrated accounts of all the major battles on land and sea up to the fourth century b.c., analyzes weapons from the sling to the catapult, and discusses ancient strategy and tactics, making this a book for armchair historians everywhere.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Military History, War, Greece

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Arther Ferrill, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Washington at Seattle, is also a respected expert on Ancient Rome and military history. He has written four books and is a regular contributor to The Quarterly Journal of Military History and other periodicals as an author and in review of other authors. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1964.

Reviews

[Jamie Duda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t think I could give this a higher rating even if I wanted to just because of how annoying this class is

[Steve Bivans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferrill attempts to fill the historiographical void in the study of ancient warfare, by extending it back into the Stone Age. He argues that modern military historians, who have focused on the origins of war in the classical Greek world, have failed to recognize the significant contributions of the Middle East and Egypt to the art of war.

Ferrill’s focus is on the way armies were organized, trained, equipped and how they were used on the campaign and in battle, not on the political, social or economic causes of war. This, for me, was a refreshing approach, one that swung the focus of military history back to armies and the manner in which they conducted their business.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Origins of War by Arthur Ferrill is a broad and accessible survey of warfare from prehistoric times to Alexander the Great. Ferrill challenges the common assumption that military history begins with Greece, instead tracing key developments to the ancient Near East where innovations formed the foundation of military action and successful ancient warfare.

The book progresses chronologically, covering prehistoric conflict, Bronze Age warfare, and the empires of Assyria and Persia, before turning to classical Greece and Macedonia.
Ferrill emphasizes the sophistication of early societies, noting Assyrian siege warfare and Persian administrative strategy, while also highlighting the effectiveness of Greek heavy infantry. He presents a balanced analysis, examining both the strengths and limitations of each military system and showing how warfare evolved toward more flexible, integrated armies.

Ferrill ultimately connects these developments to Macedonian innovation under Philip II, whose reforms paved the way for Alexander’s success and fusion of the successes of near eastern and Greek armies.

The origins of war is an engaging and well supported summary of ancient military history, including clear content, strong case studies, and helpful balance between military history and army composition and function. The book was engaging throughout 5/5

[Jesse Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A textbook from a history class I was unable to take, this book kept me interested from the first page. The history of ancient warfare has always intrigued me and I would recommend this book as a good starting point for anyone who wanted to learn more on the subject. It does not read as overly academic and does not go into too much depth on any one subject that it addresses. It takes the reader through prehistoric and up to Alexander, analyzing the various cultures in and around the ancient near east and using key campaigns and battles as case studies. I would recommend it to anyone interested in these things

[Lion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really into it. It was basically about what made Alexander's army so good, even drawing on modern comparisons.