Spartan Warrior 735-331 BC

Description

Immortalized through their exploits at the battle of Thermopylae under the legendary Leonidas, as well as countless other victories throughout the classical period, the Spartans were some of the best-trained, -organized and most-feared warriors of the ancient world. The small state of Sparta, known to the Ancient Greeks as Lakedaimon, developed a unique warrior society that used serfs and non-citizens to do all of the manual work, leaving the free-born men of Sparta free to concentrate all of their energies on warfare. Forbidden from engaging in any form of manual labour, these Spartan warriors were trained from an early age in a brutal regime that gave them the necessary discipline and tolerance to withstand the pressures of phalanx warfare and endure all manner of hardships on campaign. This book covers all aspects of the Spartan warrior's life, from the earliest days of his training through his life in peace and war, culminating in the battlefield experiences of these feared combatants.

Duncan B Campbell is a specialist in ancient Greek and Roman warfare. He published his first paper in 1984, as an undergraduate at Glasgow University, and produced a complete re-assessment of Roman siegecraft for his PhD. His work has appeared in several international journals. He is a regular contributor to Ancient Warfare magazine. Steve Noon was born in Kent, UK, and attended art college in Cornwall. He's had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked as a professional artist. He has provided award-winning illustrations for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where his interest in historical illustration began. Steve has illustrated over 20 books for Osprey.

"This concise book is well worth acquiring by anyone interested in ancient history as well as toy soldier and model figure hobbyists conducting research to re-create the life of a Spartan warrior in war and peace." --Toy Soldier & Model Figure (January 2013) "Spartan Warrior is a great reference book for the historian, wargamer, or figure painter. Each of these hobbyists can glean much useful information from these pages." --Richard Mataka, www.mataka.org "...describes a typical warrior's life and provides a fine history of the early Greek, Persian and Peloponnesian wars. Color photos of relics compliment a fine history suitable for any ancient hisotry library." --The Midwest Book Review (November 2012)