The Most Famous Battles of the Ancient World: Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Cannae, and the Teutoburg Forest

The Ancient Greeks have long been considered the forefathers of modern Western civilization, but the Golden Age of Athens and the spread of Greek influence across much of the known world only occurred due to one of the most crucial battles of antiquity: the Battle of Marathon. In 490 B.C., after the revolt in Ionia had been crushed, Darius sent his general Mardonius, at the head of a massive fleet and invading force, to destroy the meddlesome Greeks, starting with Athens. The Persian army, numbering anywhere between 30,000 and 300,000 men, landed on the plain at Marathon, a few dozen miles from Athens, where an Athenian army of 10,000 hoplite heavy infantry supported by 1,000 Plataeans prepared to contest their passage. The Athenians appealed to the Spartans for help, but the Spartans dithered; according to the Laws of Lycurgus, they were forbidden to march until the waxing moon was full. Accordingly, their army arrived too late. Thus, it fell upon the Athenians to shoulder the burden. With their army led by the great generals Miltiades and Themistocles, the Athenians charged the outnumbering Persians. Outmatched by the might of the heavy, bronze-armored Greek phalanx, the inferior Persian infantry was enveloped and destroyed, causing them to flee for their ships in panic. The Athenians had won a colossal victory against an overwhelming and seemingly invincible enemy. There are few battles in history in which the vanquished are better remembered and celebrated than the victors, and even fewer where a defeat is considered a victory. But that has become the enduring legacy of the Battle of Thermopylae, a battle as unique as it is famous. The story of the battle and the willing sacrifice of the Greek defenders to buy the rest of the retreating Greeks time is well known across the world and still resonates with audiences to this day. Last stands are the stuff of martial legends, and Thermopylae is the greatest of them all. When the Spartans’ famous and sacrificial stand at the Battle of Thermopylae ended, the Athenian fleet was forced to fall back, and Xerxes’ massive Persian army marched unopposed into Greece before advancing on Athens. The Greek armies were scattered and unable to face the might of Persia, so Athens was forced to do the unthinkable: evacuate the entire population of the city to Salamis, from where the Athenians watched in horror as Xerxes’ troops plundered the defenseless city, set it aflame, and razed the Acropolis. However, the Athenians remained belligerent, in part because according to the oracle at Delphi, “only the wooden wall shall save you.” Indeed, this would prove true when Themistocles managed to lure the Persian fleet into the straits of Salamis. There, on a warm day in September 480 BCE, hundreds of Greek and Persian ships faced each other in a narrow strait between the Attic peninsula of Greece and the island of Salamis. Although the Romans gained the upper hand over Carthage in the wake of the First Punic War, the legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. Cannae is still considered one of the greatest tactical victories in the history of warfare, and the fact the battle was a complete victory resulting in the wholesale annihilation of the enemy army made it the textbook example for military commanders to try to duplicate. Of course, others usually were unsuccessful. Cannae was the kind of complete victory that every commander from Caesar to Frederick the Great to Napoleon to Robert E. Lee sought, and that few generals save Caesar and Napoleon bagged whole armies is a testament to the near impossibility of achieving a victory like Cannae. The Punic Wars Triggered An Era Of Astonishing Human Misfortune. Resulting From A Mighty Power Struggle Between The Military Confederation Of Rome And The Trading Empire Of Carthage Between 264-241 B.c., 218-201 B.c., And 149-146 B.c., The Wars Were Fought Over A Period Of 118 Years. Massive Manmade Devastation On Both Sides Left Rome's Population Radically Depleted And Carthage Razed And Erased From The Map. Sir Nigel Bagnall Brings His Military Experience And A Modern Professional Eye To Bear In Analyzing The Punic Wars. He Marshals Classic Military Strategists Such As Livy, Polybius, And Diodoerus To Plot The Wars' Campaigns In Spain, Africa, Sicily, And The Pelopponnese, And Follows Hannibal's Daring But Unsuccessful Strike Into The Heart Of Italy.--jacket. The Background -- Carthage -- Rome -- Sicily -- The First Punic War 264-241 Bc -- The Opening Round In Sicily 264-261 Bc -- The Maritime Dimension 261-256 Bc -- The African Campaign 256-255 Bc -- The Return To Sicily 254-241 Bc -- Strife Between Wars 241-218 Bc -- The Mercenary Revolt 240-237 Bc -- The Gallic Invasion 241-220 Bc -- The Illyrian Expeditions 229-227 Bc -- The Conquest Of Spain 237-219 Bc -- The Second Punic War 218-201 Bc -- From The Ebro To The Alps 218 Bc -- The Epic Years 218-216 Bc -- The War Expands 215-206 Bc -- Sardinia, Sicily And Illyria 215-205 Bc -- The Waning Years 216-211 Bc -- Hannibal In Retreat 211-205 Bc -- The Romans Carry The War To Africa 205-203 Bc -- Victory In Africa 205-201 Bc -- Political Ferment 201-149 Bc -- The Third Punic War 149-146 Bc -- The Destruction Of Carthage 149-146 Bc -- The Carthaginian Empire And Dependencies -- Sicily -- To Illustrate The First Punic War -- Carthage And Its Neighbourhood -- Italy -- To Illustrate The Second Punic War -- The Battle Of Lake Trasimene (217 Bc) -- The Battle Of Cannae (216 Bc) -- Illyria, Southern Italy And The Peloponnese. Nigel Bagnall. Originally Published: London : Hutchinson, 1990. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 336-337) And Index. Carthage, 900-200 B.C. The Punic army and navy, 500-200 B.C. Carthaginian wars, 480-277 B.C. The early army of Rome, 500-350 B.C. The Roman army of the third century Rank and discipline; equipments and rations Fortification; camp duty; war Ear;y Roman wars, 400-272 B.C. The first punic war; the Roman navy; Hamilcar barca, 264-218 B.C. The lion's brood, 241-220 B.C. Saguntum; Spring to Fall, 219 B.C. Hannibal starts for Italy, May, 218 B.C. Catalonia, July and August, 218 B.C. From the Rhone to the Alps, Fall, 218 B.C. The foothills of the Alps, October, 218 B.C. The summit of the Alps, October, 218 B.C. The army of Italy on the Po, November, 218 B.C. Manœvring, November and December, 218 B.C. The battle of the Trebia, December, 218 B.C. The Arnus marshes, Spring, 217 B.C. A flanking manœuvre, Spring, 217 B.C. The battle of Lake Trasimene, April, 217 B.C. Fabius Cunctator, Summer, 217 B.C. A curious stratagem, Fall, 217 B.C. Minucius, Fall, 217 B.C. Æmilius Paulus and Varro, Spring, 216 B.C. The battle of Cannæ, June, 216 B.C. After Cannæ, Summer, 216 B.C. Marcellus, Fall, 216 B.C. Campania, 215 B.C. Making a new base, 214 B.C. Tarentum won, 213 B.C. A wonderful March, 212 B.C. Capua, 211 B.C. Another Roman army destroyed, 210 B.C. Tarentum lost, 209 B.C. Marcellus' death, 208 B.C. Hasdrubal and Nero, 207 B.C. The Meraurus campaign, Summer, 207 B.C. Scipio, 206-205 B.C. On to Carthage, 204-203 B.C. Zama, Spring, 202 B.C. The man and soldier Hannibal and Alexander Legion versus Phalanx, 196-168 B.C. Casualties in some ancient battles Some Roman marches. The Punic Wars triggered an era of astonishing human misfortune. Resulting from a mighty power struggle between the military confederation of Rome and the trading empire of Carthage between 264--241 B.C., 218--201 B.C., and 149--146 b.c., the wars were fought over a period of 118 years. Massive man-made devastation on both sides left RB.C.ome’s population radically depleted and Carthage razed and erased from the map. Sir Nigel Bagnall brings his military experience and a modern professional eye to bear in analyzing the Punic Wars here. He marshals classic military strategists such as Livy, Polybius, and Diodorus to plot the wars’ campaigns in Spain, Africa, Sicily, and the Peloponnese, and follows Hannibal’s daring but unsuccessful strike into the heart of Italy. But Bagnall goes beyond military strategy to discuss the force, structures, and politics of Rome and Carthage at their heights. And he contrasts their conduct of battle at strategic, operational, and tactical levels to show how they were governed by the same military principles used by nations today. His thought-provoking final chapter relates these wars’ lessons to modern times in an impressive argument for adapting the experience of the past to the needs of the future. While the history of the Punic Wars dates back over 2000 years, Bagnall’s comprehensive account demonstrates that this ancient conflict is remarkable both for its scope and its contemporary relevance.

Hannibal is acknowledged to be one of history's greatest generals, and his crossing of the Alps - complete with elephants - to make war against Rome on its home soil is legendary. But even Hannibal met his match in Scipio, and ultimately Carthage was defeated by the rising power of Rome. In Hannibal's War, J. F. Lazenby provides the first scholarly account in English since 1886 solely devoted to the Second Punic War - what some have called the first "world war" for mastery of the Mediterranean world. By closely examining the accounts of Livy and Polybius, supplemented with the fruits of modern research, Lazenby provides a detailed military history of the entire war as it was fought in Italy, Spain, Greece, and North Africa. This edition includes a new preface covering recent research on Hannibal's war against Rome.

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With a new preface by the author, the paperback edition provides the first scholarly account in English solely devoted to the Second Punic War. Lazenby (ancient history, U. of Newcastle) supplements the accounts of Livy and Polybius with modern research, providing a detailed military history of the entire war as it was fought in Italy, Spain, Greece, and North Africa. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

"Hannibal is often considered the finest general the world has ever known. Setting out from Carthaginian-dominated Spain with a small army of select troops, he fought his way over the Pyrenees and crossed the Alps with elephants and full baggage train. Descending into Italy, he destroyed the main Roman army at Lake Trasimeno, and came close to conquering Rome itself. At Cannae, Hannibal's brilliant calvary tactics enabled him to cut to pieces a reassembled Roman army, and his subsequent defeats over a fifteen-year stay in Italy were due more to lack of sufficient support from home than to any failings of generalship. T.A. Dodge's classic history, first published in 1891, is equally perceptive of Hannibal's military prowess and his visionary character. Dodge followed Hannibal's route from Carthage to Italy, paying particular attention to the famous crossing of the Alps, exploring every pass in order to determine Hannibal's route. In this book, he wrote an entire history of the art of war among these two mighty armies, and included hundreds of invaluable illustrations. HANNIBAL remains unequalled as the most comprehensive and readable study of history's greatest general."--BOOK COVER "Hannibal (247-182 B.C.) may well have been the finest general the world has ever known. Setting out from Carthaginian-dominated Spain in 218 B.C. with a small army of select troops, he fought his way over the Pyrenees and crossed the Alps with elephants and a full baggage train. Descending into Italy, he destroyed the main Roman army at Lake Trasimeno - and came close to conquering Rome itself. At the celebrated battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., Hannibal's brilliant cavalry tactics enabled him to cut a reassembled Roman army to pieces. His subsequent defeats over a fifteen-year stay in Italy spoke more to a lack of sufficient support from home than to any leadership failing on his part." "T. A. Dodge's classic history probes not only Hannibal's military prowess but also his visionary character. As part of his research, Dodge followed Hannibal's journey from Carthage to Italy, exploring every Alpine pass to determine Hannibal's exact route. With hundreds of invaluable illustrations, Hannibal remains unequalled as the most comprehensive and readable study of one of history's great military minds."--BOOK JACKET "On a summer's day in 216 BC, the forces commanded by the Carthaginian general Hannibal met the Roman army at Cannae. In spite of being far fewer in number, Hannibal's men nevertheless inflicted a savage defeat on the Romans. How this astonishing victory was achieved has been a constant source of fascination for historians ever since. Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War considers what led the two armies to fight that day, and why they adopted the tactics they did. It explores in detail the composition of the armies, both the Roman militia and their Italian allies on one side, and Hannibal's multinational horde of mercenaries and subject and allied levies on the other. It examines how the opposing generals planned their tactics and led their men, and finally it focuses on the experience of battle. Skirmishing, cavalry and infantry combat, and the final encirclement and annihilation of the Roman forces are all considered. Special attention is paid to what it was actually like to be there, and why men fought in such horrific conditions."--Jacket Hannibal was one of the greatest military commanders in history. During the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, he led a ragtag army out of Iberia, over the Pyrenees and Alps, and into northern Italy. There he won three dramatic victories – at Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae – and utterly humiliated the young Roman Republic. For the next fifteen years he continued to occupy parts of Italy, and inflicted many more stinging defeats on Roman armies, despite a chronic lack of supplies and support from Carthage. Theodore Ayrault Dodge's classic history of Hannibal was first published in 1891. The author, an experienced military officer and historian, follows the great march of Hannibal's army, reconstructs all of his battles, and explains his lasting impact on the art of war. “Hannibal” remains unequaled as the most comprehensive and readable study of one of history's great generals. "Hannibal is acknowledged to be one of history's greatest generals, and his crossing of the Alps - complete with elephants - to make war against Rome on its home soil is legendary. But even Hannibal met his match in Scipio, and ultimately Carthage was defeated by the rising power of Rome. In Hannibal's War, J.F. Lazenby provides the first scholarly account in English since 1886 solely devoted to the Second Punic War - what some have called the first "world war" for mastery of the Mediterranean world. By closely examining the accounts of Livy and Polybius, supplemented with the fruits of modern research, Lazenby provides a detailed military history of the entire war as it was fought in Italy, Spain, Greece, and North Africa. This edition includes a new preface covering recent research on Hannibal's war against Rome."--Jacket Hannibal is acknowledged as one of historys greatest generals, and his crossing of the Alpscomplete with elephantsto make war against Rome on its home soil is legendary. But even Hannibal met his match in Scipio, and ultimately Carthage was defeated by the rising power of Rome. In Hannibals War , J. F. Lazenby provides the first scholarly account in English since 1886 solely devoted to the Second Punic War, which some have called the first "world war" for mastery of the Mediterranean world. By closely examining the accounts of Livy and Polybius, supplemented with the fruits of modern research, Lazenby provides a detailed military history of the entire war as it was fought in Italy, Spain, Greece, and North Africa. This edition includes a new preface covering recent research on Hannibals war against Rome. On a hot and dusty summer's day in 216 BC, the forces of the Carthaginian general Hannibal faced the Roman army in a dramatic encounter at Cannae. Massively outnumbered, the Carthaginians nevertheless won an astonishing victory -- one that left more than 50,000 men dead. Gregory Daly's enthralling study considers the reasons that led the two armies to the field of battle, and why each followed the course that they did when they got there. It explores in detail the composition of the armies, and the tactics and leadership methods of the opposing generals. Finally, by focusing on the experiences of those who fought, Daly gives an unparalleled portrait of the true horror and chaos of ancient warfare. This striking and vivid account is the fullest yet of the bloodiest battle in ancient history.

Hans Delbrück’s four-volume History of the Art of War is recognized throughout the world as the definitive work on the subject. Appearing in an English-language paperback edition for the first time, volume 1 analyzes in vivid detail the military tactics and strategies used by the great warriors of antiquity. Delbrück disputes some points in classical history and separates fact from legend in his objective reconstruction of celebrated battles stretching from the Persian Wars to the Peloponnesian War, Alexander's campaign to conquer Asia, the Second Punic War and Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, and the triumph of the Roman legions and Julius Caesar. Walter J. Renfroe Jr. based his much-praised English translation on the third (1920) edition of volume 1.

A vivid and fascinating study of the conflict between Rome and Cathage which changed the course of world history.The Punic Wars (264-146BC) sprang from a mighty power struggle between two ancient civilisations - the trading empire of Carthage and the military confedoration of Rome. It was a period of astonishing human misfortune, lasting over a period of 118 years and resulting in the radical depletion of Rome's population and resources and the complete annihilation of Carthage. All this took place more than 2,000 years ago, yet, as Nigel Bagnall's comprehensive history demonstrates, the ancient conflict is remarkable for its contemporary revelance.

“Adrian Goldsworthy is one of the best young historians writing today.” —John Keegan

The Fall of Carthage was the greatest conflict of the ancient world, and thanks to one of the finest historians of our time, this sweeping saga comes to life anew for modern audiences. The cast of endlessly fascinating characters includes the generals Hannibal and Scipio, as well as treacherous chieftains, beautiful princesses, scheming politicians, and tough professional warriors.

Hans Delbruck's four-volume History of the Art of War is recognized throughout the world as the definitive work on the subject. appearing in an English-language paperback edition for the first time, volume 1 analyzes in vivid detail the military tactics and strategies used by the great warriors of antiquity. Delbruck disputes some points in classical history and separates fact from legend in his objective reconstruction of celebrated battles stretching from the Persian Wars to the Peloponnesian War. Hannibal is often called the finest general the world has ever known. Setting out from Carthaginian-dominated Spain with a small army of select troops, he fought his way over the Pyrenees and crossed the Alps with elephants and a full baggage train. Theodore Dodge retraced this route from Carthage to Italy, paying particular attention to the famous crossing of the Alps, and wrote what remains unequalled as the most comprehensive and readable study of history's greatest general.

gregory Daly's Enthralling Study Considers The Reasons That Led The Two Armies To The Field Of Battle, And Why Each Followed The Course That They Did When They Got There. It Explores In Detail The Composition Of The Armies, And The Tactics And Leadership Methods Of The Opposing Generals. Finally, By Focusing On The Experiences Of Those Who Fought, Daly Gives An Unparalleled Portrait Of The True Horror And Chaos Of Ancient Warfare.

A comprehensive and readable study of Hannibal (247-1828 B.C.), one of history's great military minds. Follows his journey with his army from Carthage, over the Pyrenees and the Alps into Italy where he nearly conquered Rome itself. 1. Warfare in antiquity v. 2. The barbarian invasions v. 3. Medieval warfare v. 4. The dawn of modern warfare. It was Phoenician settlers from Tyre who founded Carthage in about 814 BC, not far north of modern Tunis.