Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity by J. E. Lendon (PDF)

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A major new history of battle in the ancient world, from the age of Homer through the decline of the Roman empireWhat set the successful armies of Sparta, Macedon, and Rome apart from those they defeated? In this major new history of battle from the age of Homer through the decline of the Roman empire, J. E. Lendon surveys a millennium of warfare to discover how militaries change—and don’t change—and how an army’s greatness depends on its use of the past. Noting this was an age that witnessed few technological advances, J. E. Lendon shows us that the most successful armies were those that made the most effective use of cultural tradition. Ancient combat moved forward by looking backward for inspiration—the Greeks, to Homer; the Romans, to the Greeks and to their own heroic past. The best ancient armies recruited soldiers from societies with strong competitive traditions; and the best ancient leaders, from Alexander to Julius Caesar, called upon those traditions to encourage ferocious competition at every rank.Ranging from the Battle of Champions between Sparta and Argos in 550 B.C. through Julian’s invasion of Persia in A.D. 363, Soldiers and Ghosts brings to life the most decisive military contests of ancient Greece and Rome. Lendon places these battles, and the methods by which they were fought, in a sweeping narrative of ancient military history. On every battlefield, living soldiers fought alongside the ghosts of tradition—ghosts that would inspire greatness for almost a millennium before ultimately coming to stifle it.

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⭐Kiley ShannonHST 161-1 MorningBook Review J.E. Lendon is a professor at University of Virginia, with a specialization in Greek and Roman history. Lendon completed both his bachelors and Ph. D. at Yale University, shortly before publishing his first book Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World in 1997. Lendon then went on to release Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity in 2005 and Song of Wrath: The Peloponnesian War Begins in 2010. Lendon has received multiple awards for his teaching abilities, as well as for his historical studies and published work. Lendon’s Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity is listed on yalebooks.com as being a major new history battle, spanning from the age of Homer through the decline of the Roman empire, in order to show how militaries, change as well as how they don’t, as well as how an army’s success greatly depended on its use of the past. Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity was given positive reviews from common house hold names that most people are familiar with, such as the New York Times, stating the topic was “brilliantly analyzed”, as well as Publishers Weekly, stating “witty, erudite, and painstaking”. The book was also reviewed by Nicholas E. Efstathiou who specializes in military history, stating the book was “an excellent starting point for readers interested in the military histories of Greece and Rome”. There are more positive reviews online, that include other historians, journals, and magazines. The book itself is published by Yale University Press, and sold in a multitude of stores and websites such as Barns and Noble, and amazon.com. The book was selected for Association of American University Presses Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries in 2006, as well as becoming runner up for the Longman- History Today Book of the Year award in 2006. Lendon’s description of Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity states that he covers how militaries change and don’t change, what worked for certain militaries and what their downfalls were, and how the “most successful armies were those that made the most effective use of cultural tradition” (Lendon, 5). Lendon states that the best ancient armies traditionally recruited soldiers from areas with strong competitive traditions and values, and encouraged that kind of ferocious competition within all ranks. Lendon’s thesis to the book is that historians have traditionally overestimated the technology and tactics influence on military, and have looked over the importance of things like politics, and culture. Lendon argues that ancient armies would tend to look to the past for guidance in their future endeavors; each military strived to live up to the ancestral ideals. Focusing on the Roman empire, Lendon tends to criticize Rome’s honored ideal of iron discipline being the key to their success, as well as shows doubt that there was much cohesion in the key to their success. Lendon argues that the key to Roman success was its innate cultural motives such as Roman conservatism, “virtus” which is described to be “manliness” in the terms of ambition when it came to combat, and “disciplina” which is described as being more than just disciplined, but showing levels of restrain, obedience, the ability to channel their aggression until the right moment in battle, and punishment (Lendon, 249, 252). Lendon argues that these values were the keys to the Roman empires success, as well as conflict. He discusses however, a conflict that commonly happened with “brave but foolish” soldiers attempting to pursue their virtus that would lead to a lack in their success (Lendon, 189). Lendon quotes Aemilius Paullus; the victor of the Roman battle of Pydna in 167 B.C., talking about a “good general does not fight a pitched battle unless it is absolutely necessary or a sure path to victory” (Lendon, 298). Lendon’s Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity contains maps, photographs of pottery, art work, statues, and other historical evidence that shows the Roman’s story telling’s of their battles won and lost. The book is set up in a general format that makes it simple for most average paced readers to follow. There is a lengthy appendix, as well as index that provides for answers to any questions the reader may have about a topic or word. Lendon’s analysis focuses on the political, social, and technological balances in the influences of culture and war, and uses a well written, easily readable format for optimal comprehension for the reader. This book would be great for any history class that is specifically focusing on Greek and Roman history with regards to military. Reference:J.E. Lendon, Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity. New Haven:Yale University Press, 2005.

⭐Lendon’s treatise is not a broad sweeping description of classical battle. It is comprised of a series of chapters analysing battles in the ancient Greek and Roman tradition and isolating changes that happenned in formation and tactics. While the changes are analysed, Lendon’s central thesis is the constant reference to “epic battle” which could be defined loosely as that occuring in the Iliad: seeking out personal combat, demonstating individual glory and competency at arms, and seeking personal danger to gain glory. All of these elements are a certain ethic of battle that, accorinding to Lendon has waxed and wained throughout the classcal times.Lendon starts with an analysis of the elements of epic battle as defined by the Iliad and then traces this battle ethic within the mindset of the ancient Greeks in the Great Age and Hellenistic periods. Interpretations may have been different and elements may have been stressed that were in fact not practised during battle, but the pull of history and the example to which all Greeks defined themselves was that of the epic warrior.In many cases this lead to actions that may have either directly contradicted the ethic — ie mass battle without breaking ranks, and the killing of individual soldiers who did break ranks (the Roman practise of decimation).Lendon tells us that there was no single homogeneous way of Greek or Roman warfare. The epic style stressed individual combat, but although this may have been something that was more practised in Marathon, it was certainly not used in Alexander’s time, though writers of the age may make referential comment on the importance of epic battle and how Alexander largely defined himself in terms of homage to the Ancients.Latterly Roman warfare developed from maniple to cohort warfare with an initial layering of Roman offensive power giving way to large-scale clashed of massed, shielded infantry. There was also tension between discipline, which encouraged every man to maintain his place within the ranks, in order for victory to be won, and the quest for bravery and glory by seeking out individual battle — which could be an often was disasterous (as happenned at Adrianapol). The secret of the Roman’s according to Lendon, was the ability of the commanders to blend and control the two elements. To demonstrate the above we are offerred the examples of early manipular warfare against the Greeks, latter restrained warfare during the Punic war, the tension between the two in the Jewish War, and then the latter battle against the Parthians in Persia. Indeed Lendon makes the point that the Persian war in the early 4th Cen. was carried out by Julius because the Persians were who you battled against, as did the Greeks, if one wanted to wage war and be more closely regarded as part of the epic tradition.Lendon is I think, more credible than Victor Davis Hanson in his handling of classical history. While his central thesis may be controversial Lendon sticks to what he knows and is not so strong on the truth certainty principle that seems to define (largely) America academics. In short he’s more reasonable that Hanson.The book is scholarly yet flows reasonably well. It is useful as an antedote against an understanding that Greek or Roman warfare was static in any way. New methods of battle, not surprisingly, did arise, and although each may have been different there always was a person, Seneca, Caeser, Alexander or Josephus ready to cite elements of the epic battle tradition as a conservative refrain. While not breezy, “Soldiers and Ghosts” is a good academic read.Note* If you are reading this book to get an overview of the history of the era it may not be the best introduction. Lendon picks slices of time and analyses battle tactics and ethics. He leaves out (though unlike Hansen, he does not do it deliberately) whole swathes of history, Valen’s battle with the Germans, Adrianapole, Cannae, the Actium, Thebes and others are all absent.

⭐One of the most insightful and enjoyable books I have had read on the topic of ancient warfare. Lendon tackles the subject from a practical perspective, in regards to how warfare was conducted in the field, and from an ideological standpoint; how the different societies of the anicent world ‘thought’ about warfare in its many facets. As Lendon demonstrates, the ideological and practical are intertwined; as seen from the competitive ethos that drove the formation of the Greek hoplite phalanx and maintained their ritualistic phalanx warfare, to the Roman concept of Virtus (martial courage), which helped develop the maniple system out of the Greek hoptlite phalanx. It is a comprehensive study of warfare from the Homeric age to the Late Roman Empire that is accessible to those studying warfare and those reading for pleasure. Highly recommended.

⭐Fantastic! If you want to know WHY rather than HOW, then this book is for you. It is also interesting to put changes (not necessarily progress) into context over such a long period from the Trojan war to the end of the Roman Empire.

⭐This book provides a fresh perspective on cultural factors of ancient warfare. Competition seemed to be a major drive for the Greeks, with a great focus on individual achievement. Greek army tactics evolved as a form to attest to that, leading to a highly ritualized way of warfare very influenced by the Homeric narrative in the Illiad. This was epitomized by the hoplite warfare that dominated Greece between 500 – 400 b.C.. Its also interesting to see how technological and tactical development were influenced by culture, with the author combining archeological evidence with art, either from plays, poems and narrative, in order to form a cohesive theory on how the Greeks approached warfare and reacted to that.It is also remarkable to see how Sparta and Alexander changed somewhat the typical structure of the Greek army to fit their imperial ambitions. The Spartans were much more focused on discipline as show of strength, with a greater emphasis on the leaders’ wit (a twist, since glory for generals usually conflicted with that for the common soldier, but Spartan society was much less democratic than the typical Greek polis). The Macedonians gave new meaning to combined arms in the form of specialized units which robbed the prominence of the hoplite-citizen and found a way to insert competition between units in an army that was much less uniform and relied on a confederation of forces.The segment on Roman culture is also interesting but I’ve found the analogies and insights less credible. Lendon argues that the Roman culture also emphasized individual achievement, and this manifested in the tenuous balance between virtus (displays of personal courage and aggressiveness of the Roman troops) and disciplina (following orders and considering one’s role in society). While it is a neat simplification and works as an overall philosophy of the culture, it’s difficult to use this as a justification for the organizational changes in the Roman armies between maniples and cohorts and latter the return to the phalanx. Romans are usually depicted as a pragmatic people, adopting and discarding solutions and customs with comparative ease. Lendon however chooses to depict their military evolution as a “conservative” reaction to outside forces, something that he doesn’t argue nearly as well as he does for the Greeks. Nonetheless, the book is interesting since it approaches history from a different standpoint than that of the materialistic views usually applied to explain historical events

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