Warfare before the fall of the Roman Empire

These articles analyze ancient campaigns, strategies, and battles, as well as books on the topics.

Spartan Burial Practices and Honoring Fallen Soldiers

by Scott Manning April 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for Spartan Burial Practices and Honoring Fallen Soldiers

In the United States, like other countries, we honor deceased veterans with unique headstones and even burial rights in national cemeteries. Yet, how do you honor veterans in a civilization that is composed entirely of those who serve in the military, like the Spartans of ancient Greece? This civilization was unique from its fellow Greek [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

How the Greeks Commemorated the Sesquicentennial of Xerxes’ Invasion

by Scott Manning March 24, 2011
Thumbnail image for How the Greeks Commemorated the Sesquicentennial of Xerxes’ Invasion

With the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War quickly approaching, it is appropriate to examine how past civilizations commemorated the 150-year anniversaries of their major conflicts. One such group was the Greeks who commemorated the sesquicentennial of Xerxes’ invasion (480 BC) to the exact year (330 BC) by sanctioning Alexander the Great (r. 336-323) to [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

Book Review: Warfare in the Ancient World

by Scott Manning April 11, 2010
Thumbnail image for Book Review: Warfare in the Ancient World

Carey, Brian Todd. Warfare in the Ancient World. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2009. 184 pages. In Warfare in the Ancient World, Brian Todd Carey has produced a collection of 26 ancient battles, which serve as a fine introduction to the topic. In between the battles, Carey mixes in descriptions of the rise and fall [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

Growing Up Spartan

by Joe Emory February 23, 2007
Thumbnail image for Growing Up Spartan

Historically, Sparta has been known as a utopia of Militaristic Society. The Spartans becoming such a military juggernaut didn’t just start when a youth enrolled in the military. A child was groomed his entire life to grow into a warrior hero; the kind of hero that would become legend in the world’s histories. They concentrated [...]

2 comments Read the full article →