Greek and Roman Oared Warships 399-30BC


Book Description

This is an important study of the new types of warships which evolved in the navies of the Mediterranean in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, and of their use by Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans in the fleets and naval battles in the second and first centuries, culminating in the Battle of Aktion. The book includes a catalogue and discussion of the iconography of the ships with over fifty illustrations from coins, sculptures and other objects. John Coates discusses reconstructions, crews, ships and tactics illuminated by the recent experiments with the reconstructed trireme Olympias . Complete with gazetteer, glossary, bibliography and indexes.




Greek and Roman Oared Warships


Book Description

A study of the warships evolved in the navies of the Mediterranean in the fourth and third centuries B.C. and of their use by Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Italians, Carthaginians and Romans in the fleet and naval battles in the second and first centuries, culminating in the Battle of Aktion; there is a section on the reconstructions by John Coates, and a discussion of crews, ships and tactics illuminated by the recent experiments with the reconstructed trireme Olympias.







Greek and Roman Oared Warships


Book Description

This book is a study of the new types of warships evolved in the navies of the Mediterranean in the fourth and third centuries BC and of their use by Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Italians, Carthaginians and Romans in the fleet and naval battles in the second and first centuries, culminating in the Battle of Aktion. The book includes a catalogue and discussion of the iconography of the ships with over fifty illustrations from coins, sculptures, and other objects. There is a section on reconstructions by John Coates, and a discussion of crews, ships and tactics illuminated by the recent experiments with the reconstructed trireme Olympias. The book is completed with a gazetteer and glossary, bibliography and indexes.




Rome Versus Carthage


Book Description

The epic struggle between Carthage and Rome, two of the superpowers of the ancient world, is most famous for land battles in Italy, on the Iberian peninsula and in North Africa. But warfare at sea, which played a vital role in the First and Second Punic Wars, rarely receives the attention it deserves. And it is the monumental clashes of the Carthaginian and Roman fleets in the Mediterranean that are the focus of Christa Steinby's absorbing study. ?She exploits new evidence, including the latest archaeological discoveries, and she looks afresh at the ancient sources and quotes extensively from them. In particular she shows how the Romans' seafaring tradition and their skill, determination and resourcefulness eventually gave them a decisive advantage. In doing so, she overturns the myths and misunderstandings that have tend to distort our understanding of Roman naval warfare.




Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook


Book Description

In this volume the authors translate and annotate key passages from ancient authors to provide a history and an analysis of the origins and development of technology. Among the topics covered are: * energy * basic mechanical devices * agriculture * food processing and diet * mining and metallurgy * construction and hydraulic engineering * household industry * transport and trade * military technology. The sourcebook presents 150 ancient authors and a diverse range of literary genres, such as, the encyclopedic Natural Histories of Pliny the Elder, the poetry of Homer and Hesiod, the philosophy of Plato, Aristotle and Lucretius and the agricultural treatise of Varro. Humphrey, Oleson and Sherwood provide a comprehensive and accessible collection of rich and varied sources to illustrate and elucidate the beginnings of technology. Glossaries of technological terminology, indices of authors and subjects, introductions outlining the general significance of the evidence, notes to explain the specific details, and a recent bibliography make this volume a valuable research and teaching tool.




The Roman Navy


Book Description

The Roman Navy was remarkable for its size, reach and longevity. As significant as the Royal Navy was to the British Empire in the nineteenth century, the Roman Navy was crucial to the extraordinary expansion of Imperial power and for its maintenance over a period of more than 800 years. The fabric and organisation of this maritime force is at the core of this new book.At the height of its power the Roman Navy was, at least in numerical terms, the largest maritime force ever to have existed. It employed tens of thousands of sailors and maintained and fought fleets of ships larger than any forces since. In these pages the author looks at all the aspects of the Navy in turn. Shipbuilding, rigs and fittings, and shipboard weaponry are covered as are all the principal ship from the earliest types to the very last. The command structure is outlined, as are all aspects of the crews lives, their recruitment, terms of service, training and uniforms. Life onboard, food and drink, discipline, religion and superstition are described, while seamanship and navigation are dealt with along with bases and shore establishments. Operations feature prominently, the allied and enemy navies compared, and specimen battles employed to explain fighting tactics.All these aspects changed and developed hugely over the great span of the Roman empire but this fascinating book brings this complex story together in one brilliant volume.




Herod's Judaea


Book Description

Samuel Rocca, born in 1968, earned his PhD in 2006. Since 2000, he worked as a college and high school teacher at The Neri Bloomfield College of Design & Teacher Training, Haifa; at the Talpiot College, Tel Aviv since 2005, and at the Faculty of Architecture at the Judaea and Samaria College, Ariel since 2006.




Animal Weapons


Book Description

WINNER OF THE PHI BETA KAPPA AWARD IN SCIENCE The story behind the stunning, extreme weapons we see in the animal world--teeth and horns and claws--and what they can tell us about the way humans develop and use arms and other weapons In Animal Weapons, Doug Emlen takes us outside the lab and deep into the forests and jungles where he's been studying animal weapons in nature for years, to explain the processes behind the most intriguing and curious examples of extreme animal weapons—fish with mouths larger than their bodies and bugs whose heads are so packed with muscle they don't have room for eyes. As singular and strange as some of the weapons we encounter on these pages are, we learn that similar factors set their evolution in motion. Emlen uses these patterns to draw parallels to the way we humans develop and employ our own weapons, and have since battle began. He looks at everything from our armor and camouflage to the evolution of the rifle and the structures human populations have built across different regions and eras to protect their homes and communities. With stunning black and white drawings and gorgeous color illustrations of these concepts at work, Animal Weapons brings us the complete story of how weapons reach their most outsized, dramatic potential, and what the results we witness in the animal world can tell us about our own relationship with weapons of all kinds.




Greece, Macedon and Persia


Book Description

Greece, Macedon and Persia contains a collection of papers related to the history and historiography of warfare, politics and power in the Ancient Mediterranean world. The contributions, written by 19 recognized experts from a variety of methodological and evidentiary perspectives, show how ancient peoples considered war and conflict at the heart of social, political and economic activity. Though focusing on a single theme – war – the papers are firmly based in the context of the wider social and literary issues of Ancient Mediterranean scholarship and as such, consider war and conflict as part of a complex matrix of culture in which historical actors articulate their relationships with society and historical authors articulate their relationships with history. The result is a rich understanding of Ancient World history and history-writing. The volume is presented in honour of Waldemar Heckel, a foremost scholar of Alexander the Great and ancient warfare.