The armies of Cyrus, Xerxes and Darius III are usually understood through the lens of classical literature and stereotypes about the orient. Sean Manning proposes a new understanding based on all kinds of evidence and the study of the ancient Near East. He examines the last century and a half of research in its historical and ideological context. Three core chapters treat Akkadian tablets, Aramaic documents, royal inscriptions, and artifacts as sources in their own right, not compliments to Herodotus. The different perspectives of Iranian philologists, Mesopotamian archaeologists and historians of ancient Greece are considered and addressed. A series of case studies show that the Greek and Latin texts can be read in unfamiliar ways which can survive stronger criticism than traditional interpretations. The king's troops were not literary foils to show the virtues of Greek hoplites or Scythian horsemen, they were agents of an early world empire which drew on long traditions and the latest innovations to gather money, soldiers, and workers and deploy them at the will of the king.
Author(s): Sean Manning
Series: Oriens et Occidens 32
Edition: 1
Publisher: Franz Steiner Verlag
Year: 2020
Language: English
Commentary: As far as I know, this is the first available copy of this book on the internet. Was an absolute bitch to get.
Pages: 437
City: Stuttgart
Armed Force in the Teispid-Achaemenid Empire
Acknowledgements
Bibliographical Abbreviations and Editions of Sources
Philological Abbreviations and Transliteration Conventions
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - A History of Research
Early Classical Scholarship
Broad Works 1962-1983
Alternatives to the Classical Tradition
The Achaemenid History Workshops and the Encyclopedia Iranica
Western and Eastern Ways of War
Hellenistic Warfare as Cultural Synthesis
The First Monographs
Scholarship Since 1992
Achaemenid Army Studies, Roman Army Studies and Early Greek Warfare
Aims of the Work
Scope of the Work
Chapter 2 - The Ancestors of Achaemenid Armies
Methodology
The Scale of Warfare
Origin of Soldiers
Types of Troops
Life on Campaign
Combat Mechanics
Technology
Conclusion
Chapter 3 - Kings at War: The Perspective of the Royal Inscriptions
Teispid Ideology
Achaemenid Ideology
Conclusion
Chapter 4 - Commoners at War: The Perspective of Letters and Documents
Methodological Problems Posed by Documents
UCP 9/3 269 ff.: The Gadal-Jâma Contract
The Ḫaṭru Organizations
Soldiers Outside the Ḫaṭru Organizations
Service and Substitution
Ethnicity and Service
Bowmen, Horsemen and Charioteers
Equipping the Troops
The Muster at Uruk
Life Ina Madākti
Theories of Decline
Conclusions
Chapter 5 - Material Remains: The Perspective of Archaeology
Obstacles
Notable Sites
Classes of Evidence
Larger Themes
Chapter 6 - Greek Literature and the ARmy in Action
Methodological Challenges
Methodological Problems in Using the Classical Sources
How Did the Persians Fight? Eduard Meyer's Answer
An Alternative Model of Combat Mechanics
Three Case Studies
Conclusion
Chapter 7 - Conclusion and Future Research
Bibliography
Indices
Oriens et Occidens
