روش جنگ غربی: نبرد پیاده‌نظام در یونان کلاسیک

The origins of Western warfare lie in classical Greece, on the battlefields of Marathon and Delion, and in the strange, terrible head-on collision of Thebans and Spartans at Koroneia. Instead of the ambush, skirmish, or single combat between heroes, the Greeks of the classical age devised a ferocious, brutal, brief, and very destructive form of combat that used armed men of all ages. With this technique, they invented the central act of Western warfare--the decisive infantry battle. In this bold and original study, Victor Davis Hanson presents a new interpretation of Greek warfare and what took place on the battlefield. He argues that the same concept that shaped democracy--an unequivocal, instant resolution to dispute--also spawned the horrific nature of hoplite phalanx battles, and that Western culture may have learned the wrong lessons from them. __The Western Way of War__ draws from an extraordinary range of sources--Greek poetry, drama, and vase painting, as well as historical records--to fashion the first dramatic narrative of the actual mechanics of classical Greek warfare. Approaching his subject from the vantage point of the infantryman, Hanson explores everything from the brutal spear-thrusting and shield-pushing in the phalanx, and the difficulty of fighting in bronze armor, to the mass panic and hysteria. He describes the physical condition and age of the men and their commanders, their weapons, their capabilities, their spirit and morale, and their wounds; and covers the social and political aspects of the soldier's experience, revealing how profoundly the simple, brief, and brutal misery of infantry battle defined a man's entire relationship with his family, his community, and his country. Hanson's compelling account of what happened on the killing fields of the ancient Greeks raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the __raison d'être__ for war. The Greeks of the classical age invented not only the central idea of Western politics--that the power of state should be guided by a majority of its citizens--but also the central act of Western warfare, the decisive infantry battle. Instead of ambush, skirmish, maneuver, or combat between individual heroes, the Greeks of the fifth century b.c. devised a ferocious, brief, and destructive head-on clash between armed men of all ages. In this bold, original study, Victor Davis Hanson shows how this brutal enterprise was dedicated to the same outcome as consensual government--an unequivocal, instant resolution to dispute.The Western Way of War draws from an extraordinary range of sources--Greek poetry, drama, and vase painting, as well as historical records--to describe what actually took place on the battlefield. It is the first study to explore the actual mechanics of classical Greek battle from the vantage point of the infantryman--the brutal spear-thrusting, the difficulty of fighting in heavy bronze armor which made it hard to see, hear and move, and the fear. Hanson also discusses the physical condition and age of the men, weaponry, wounds, and morale.This compelling account of what happened on the killing fields of the ancient Greeks ultimately shows that their style of armament and battle was contrived to minimize time and life lost by making the battle experience as decisive and appalling as possible. Linking this new style of fighting to the rise of constitutional government, Hanson raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the history of war. "The Western Way of War draws from an extraordinary range of sources to describe what actually took place on the battlefield. It is the first study to explore the actual mechanics of classical Greek battle from the vantage point of the infantryman - the brutal spear-thrusting, the difficulty of fighting in heavy bronze armor that made it hard to see and hear as well as to move, and the fear.". "This account of what happened on the killing fields of the ancient Greeks shows that their style of armament and battle was contrived to minimize time and loss of life by making the battle experience decisive and appalling. Linking this new style of fighting to the rise of constitutional government, Hanson raises new issues and questions old assumptions about the history of war."--BOOK JACKET. I: The Greeks And Modern Warfare -- Ordinary Things, Ordinary People -- A Western Way Of War -- Not Strategy, Not Tactics -- The Hoplite And His Phalanx: War In An Agricultural Society -- Sources Of Inquiry -- Ii: The Ordeal Of The Hoplite -- The Burden Of Hoplite Arms And Armor -- The Old Men -- The Dread Of Massed Attack -- Iii: The Triumph Of Will -- A Soldier's General -- Unit Spirit And Morale: The Origins Of The Regimental System -- Drink -- Iv: Battle! -- The Charge -- A Collision Of Men -- Tears And Gaps -- The Push And Collapse -- Confusion, Misdirection, And Mob Violence -- V: Aftermath -- The Killing Field -- The Wounded -- Epilogue. Victor Davis Hanson ; With An Introduction By John Keegan. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [231]-234. Presenting a new interpretation of Greek warfare, this study examines what actually took place on the battlefield. It draws on the evidence of poetry, drama, vases and historical records to reveal classical Greek battles from the viewpoint of the average infantryman.