Armenia up, Carthage should be next
Just had a lecture with Andy Fear who did that review in the Baktria section then saw this, weird coincidence.
And when he reaches the gates of Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell, "Just one more soldier reporting for duty, i've served my time in hell"
I've always wanted to have a library on the EB topics at my home; finally i can afford to buy some books now
I'm definetly wanting to read something about the Seleucid Empire first... I'm looking for quite a detailed book, not really a story but a good professional work; with maps etc... which one of the above would u suggest?
you can read the book and present him with your own review now
depends what topic/s you're interested in, whether it is military, politics, society and culture... a bit of everything. i have recently purchased Antiochus' biography because i like volumes that are dedicated to a single topic for they provide the most in-detail accounts on that topic/area. so if you're interested in Antiochus i would recommend it. it does a good job given that there arent a great deal of primary sources to draw from. it also provides an extensive and broader bibliography. the only thing i did not like was the fact that chronoligically arranged biographical chapters and interspersed by chapters on Seleucid institutions and the like, which disrupts the flow of the narrative, imho. it might have been better if these chapters were grouped together at the beginning/end of the book. although that may just be my nit picking and should not stop you from getting the book.I've always wanted to have a library on the EB topics at my home; finally i can afford to buy some books now
I'm definetly wanting to read something about the Seleucid Empire first... I'm looking for quite a detailed book, not really a story but a good professional work; with maps etc... which one of the above would u suggest?
Hey thanks for the reply...
I looked at the reviews, and it kinda says it's a bit basic, but i guess it would still work great. What i'm interested the most in is military and politics; the society and Culture are a secondary concern to me. So i was thinking of getting the one of Seleucus I - III; is it a good read?
if you mean this one, than it should be good. i cannot tell for sure, havent bought it just yet (it is on my wish list though). the most thorough on the military appears to be this one by B. Bar-Kochva. i havent read it though, so maybe someone else can provide some feedback.
Carthage up. Celts/Gauls/Germans are next.
the bibliography is now done (although there are a few more books in my personal library that i may add later).
i hope it will be of use to some of you.
ps. continue to post your book suggestions and feedbacks, please. i'll be adding them to the bibliography.
Last edited by Sarkiss; October 07, 2014 at 01:51 PM.
Ah, I missed this thread. Nice to see it updated.
Wow, impressive work Sarkiss . I hope I'm not diminishing my praise by using the oppurtunity to ask a few questions:
Firstly, may I suggest you add the 'online' tag to 'From Samarkhand to Sardis? Imo it'd be a shame if someone wouldn't take a look because they thought it wasn't available
Secondly, are we supposed to keep this thread strictly focused on the time frame covered in EB II? If we're not and we're broadening the focus to antiquity in general, I can suggest a book on the Huns that's available for free via google books (I've already linked it in the Hunnic Resources thread over at the A:TW historical discussion subforum. IIRC there were also some suggestions by Magister Militum Flavius Aetius on reading material concerning the same subject.)
Thirdly, does anyone have a good book on Mauryan India or Gandhara? I'd love to read up on them, but the only thing I can think of is the Indica by Megasthenes.
Last edited by Cohors_Evocata; October 07, 2014 at 03:23 PM.
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My thanks in advance.
done, thanks for pointing this out.
feel free to suggest some titles please. it isnt strictly EB timeline but cover ancient period more braodly. indeed, you will see there are quite a few books that either cover classical Greece and/or late antiquity (and a few narratives stretch all the way to the present).Secondly, are we supposed to keep this thread strictly focused on the time frame covered in EB II? If we're not and we're broadening the focus to antiquity in general, I can suggest a book on the Huns that's available for free via google books (I've already linked it in the Hunnic Resources thread over at the A:TW historical discussion subforum. IIRC there were also some suggestions by Magister Militum Flavius Aetius on reading material concerning the same subject.)
excellent point. Indian section is absent altogether! btw, Megasthene's Indica is available online. i would add a section but it'd be better if it had couple more sources in it.Thirdly, does anyone have a good book on Mauryan India or Gandhara? I'd love to read up on them, but the only thing I can think of is the Indica by Megasthenes.
I tend to edit my posts once or several times after writing and uploading them. Please keep this in mind when reading a recent post of mine. Also, should someone, for some unimaginable reason, wish to rep me, please add your username in the process, so I can at least know whom to be grateful towards.
My thanks in advance.
added the books. thank you.
Could we add a historical fiction section as well? That might expand the accessibility somewhat, and there's some really good stuff set in and around our period.
Hi everybody!
That's a nice bibliography but limited to the english and american publications. For the Hellenistic and Celtic Worlds Frenchs and Germans are at the forefront of research, especially for the Hellenistic World with the L. Robert's (you can find them partially in the Opera minora selecta) and P. Gauthier's works (Les cités et leurs bienfaiteurs et surtout Le Bulletin épigraphique) on the Hellenistic Cities and their institutions, and the numerous articles of Schuller and others in the review of the University of München, Chiron.
For Rhodes, don't forget H.U. Wiemer, Krieg, Handel und Piraterie, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des hellenestischen Rhodos, Berlin, Klio Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte, 2002 and M. Segre, « Dedica votiva dell'equipaggio di una nave rodia », Clara Rhodos, IX (1936), p. 240-244.
For Macedonia : M. B. Hatzopoulos, L'organisation de l'armée macédonienne sous les Antigonides. Problèmes anciens et documents nouveaux (Μελετηματα 30) : indispensable, helios-eie.ekt.gr/EIE/bitstream/10442/7400/2/A01.030.0.pdf.
For the Seleucids : for Asia Minor, the biggest Laboratory Centre for Research is Ausonius in Bordeaux. It's necessary to read L. Capdetrey, Le pouvoir séleucide. Territoires, administration et finances d'un royaume hellénistique (312-129 avant J.-C.), Rennes, 2007.
For the Naval Wars of the Hellenistic and Roman World : W.M. Murray, The Age of Titans, the Rise and Fall of the Great Hellenistic Navies, New York, Oxford University Press, 2012 and for the fisrt debate on the use of the term kataphraktos : I. et T. Pekary, E. Schwertheim, « Kataphraktos und Zweireiher, zu einer Stele mit Schiffsdarstellung aus Mysien », Boreas, Münsterche Beiträge zur Archäologie, 2, 1979, p. 76-86.
For Athens : G.J. Oliver, War, Food, and Politics in Early Hellenistic Athens, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007 and C. Habicht, « Athens after the Chremonidean War : some second thoughts », dans O. Palagia, S. V. Tracy (éd.), The Macedonians in Athens, 322-229 B.C., Oxford, Oxbow, 2003, p. 52-55.
For the Greek cities of Asia Minor in the third century BC : J.-C. Couvenhes, H.-L. Fernoux (éd.), Les cités grecques et la guerre en Asie Mineure à l’époque hellénistique, Tours, Presses Universitaires François-Rabelais, 2004.
Glad to see already H. Van Wees, A. Chantiotis. There are very good researchers.
For the war in the Celtic World : A. Deyber, Les Gaulois en guerre. Stratégies, tactiques et techniques. Essai d’histoire militaire (IIe/Ier siècle avant J.-C.), Paris, Errance, 2009 : it's the reference.
For Rome : P. Cosme, L’armée romaine (VIIIe s. av. J.-C.-Ve s. ap. J.-C.), Paris, A. Colin, 2012 and A.-M. Sanz, La République romaine et ses alliances militaires, Pratiques et représentations de la societas de l’époque du foedus Cassianum à la fin de la seconde guerre punique, Paris, Thèse soutenue à l’Université Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2013.
Numerous translations of inscriptions (in French), including the one of Amphipolis (for the Antigonid army) : http://chaerephon.e-monsite.com/medi...es/tituli.html.
There are numerous others works but I have not the time to write them all. I hope these little complements will help you.
Damagoras, thanks for these i will add the titles published in English to the relevant sections and post the link to your post for those who may be interested in sources in French and German.
good idea. will need some suggestions though (dont read fiction myself).
I just got the Rise Of The Seleucid Empire. What stands out is that there are no maps in the book, which is a big - on my part. I'll post a short review when i read it if interested
EDIT: there are actually 3 maps in, i just missed them. They aren't the best maps ever, but they will do
Last edited by Anubis88; October 13, 2014 at 04:15 AM.
Historical Fiction
Christian Cameron's Tyrant series - this comprises 6 books running from 326BC down to the Battle of Ipsos in 301BC. While focused on the creation of the Bosporan Kingdom, it moves all around the Hellenistic Mediterranean, taking in the conflicts of the Second, Third and Fourth Wars of the Diadochi. There's also a companion novel to the series, Alexander: God of War, which is unsurprisingly about the man himself, told from the perspective of Ptolemy. Slightly earlier than our period, but not by much, and detailing events which lead into the start of EB. Also has a great deal of cavalry and naval combat, as well as phalanx-based stuff. It's unashamedly boys' own fiction, but with with a modern set of sensibilities (ie avoiding the usual sorts of casual racism and sexism you get with older works).
Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series - now comprising 7 very thick tomes, running from the rise of Gaius Marius to the accession of Augustus. The first book in particular is a very good primer on how the Roman political system of the time worked, how elections were run, the importance of the law and so on. They're not action-heavy at all, being focused on the clash of personalities and a broader sweep of events. Battles tend to be at the summary level, not detailed at all, and their impact on the story is more important than who did what.
Alfred Duggan has three works relevant to the period: Elephants and Castles, Winter Quarters and Three's Company. Elephants and Castles is a fictionalised biography of Demetrios Poliorketes ("the Besieger of Cities"), one of the most colourful characters from this period, father of Antigonos Gonatos. It's a whimsical and humorous look at the life of a great name, who appears more a victim of fate and chance than the great man directing events. Winter Quarters is about two Gallic cavalrymen who are part of Marcus Crassus' ill-fated expedition to fight the Parthians. Three's Company is about the second triumvirate, told from the perspective of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, another quite funny one showing a non-entity completely out of his depth in a compact with two sharks, Octavian and Marc Anthony.
http://www.amazon.de/Ancient-Tyranny.../dp/0748621253
I´m half-way through this book and so far it´s been excellent, especially the chapters about the tyrants in Sicily.
Another good one is Matyszak´s 'Expedition to Disaster'.
If anyone knows a good book about Hieron II. , please let me know asap
added, thanks gents.
try this one by Champion. not sure how good or bad it is, but his work on Phyrrus was good (iirc)