A Storm Of Spears

A “practical and thought provoking” study of the ancient military tactic known as the phalanx—the classic battle formation used in historic Greek warfare (The Historian). In ancient Greece, warfare was a fact of life, with every city brandishing its own fighting force. And the backbone of these classical Greek armies was the phalanx of heavily armored spearmen, or hoplites. These were the soldiers that defied the might of Persia at Marathon, Thermopylae and Plataea and—more often than not—fought each other in countless battles between the Greek city-states. For centuries they were the dominant soldiers of the classical world, in great demand as mercenaries throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. Yet, despite the battle descriptions left behind and copious evidence in Greek art and archaeology, there are still many aspects of hoplite warfare that are little understood or the subject of fierce academic debate. Christopher Matthew’s groundbreaking work combines rigorous analysis with the new disciplines of reconstructive archaeology, reenactment, and ballistic science. He examines the equipment, tactics, and capabilities of the individual hoplites, as well as how they used juggernaut masses of men and their long spears to such devastating effect. This is an innovative reassessment of one of the most important early advancements in military tactics, and “indispensable reading for anyone interested in ancient warfare (The New York Military Affairs Symposium).

Speaking out for the first time, Spears offers a rarely glimpsed view of herself and her family--including celebrity daughters Britney and Jamie Lynn, son Bryan, and ex-husband Jamie. Candid and touching, the stories show the heart of a mother who struggles to keep faith through life's twists and turns.

Teagan and Finn are back in this epic, page-turning conclusion to The Goblin Wars trilogy, a smart YA fantasy that incorporates Celtic mythology, adventure, and paranormal romance.

Published to coincide with the release of Britney's new album, this inspiring, heavily illustrated book gives the singer's personal account of how she became the superstar performer she is today. Two 8-page color inserts. Photos.

CLASH of Spears is a set of tabletop wargaming rules for fighting raids, skirmishes and other small actions during ancient times.

A major contribution to the debate over ancient Greek warfare by some of the world's leading scholars Men of Bronze takes up one of the most important and fiercely debated subjects in ancient history and classics: how did archaic Greek hoplites fight, and what role, if any, did hoplite warfare play in shaping the Greek polis? In the nineteenth century, George Grote argued that the phalanx battle formation of the hoplite farmer citizen-soldier was the driving force behind a revolution in Greek social, political, and cultural institutions. Throughout the twentieth century scholars developed and refined this grand hoplite narrative with the help of archaeology. But over the past thirty years scholars have criticized nearly every major tenet of this orthodoxy. Indeed, the revisionists have persuaded many specialists that the evidence demands a new interpretation of the hoplite narrative and a rewriting of early Greek history. Men of Bronze gathers leading scholars to advance the current debate and bring it to a broader audience of ancient historians, classicists, archaeologists, and general readers. After explaining the historical context and significance of the hoplite question, the book assesses and pushes forward the debate over the traditional hoplite narrative and demonstrates why it is at a crucial turning point. Instead of reaching a consensus, the contributors have sharpened their differences, providing new evidence, explanations, and theories about the origin, nature, strategy, and tactics of the hoplite phalanx and its effect on Greek culture and the rise of the polis. The contributors include Paul Cartledge, Lin Foxhall, John Hale, Victor Davis Hanson, Donald Kagan, Peter Krentz, Kurt Raaflaub, Adam Schwartz, Anthony Snodgrass, Hans van Wees, and Gregory Viggiano.