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.
#496069 in Books 2014-10-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .90 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0691163510344 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A model with strong explanatory powerBy Joel in SomervilleOne of the best history books I have ever read. Up there with Guns; Germs; and Steel.The authors state their thesis early in the book; and my initial response was profound skepticism. I thought the thesis sounded okay; but I assumed that the dearth of information we have today about life 1500 years ago would make this book nothing more than an exercise in unfounded speculation. However; the authors were quite thoughtful about substantiating their claims; and I thought in particular their usage of the Cairo Geniza manuscripts was fascinating.The Chosen Few starts by examining the era of Jewish history that followed the destruction of the Second Temple; and describes choices made by Jewish leaders at that time in response to the upheaval. These choices; which radically altered Jewish culture and education; impacted the migration patterns and occupational choices made by Jews for the next thousand years.If you're interested in pursuing this topic further; there's a chapter in a book by Thomas Sowell that I think ties in well with The Chosen Few. The book is called "Black Rednecks and White Liberals;" and despite the weird title; it contains a really interesting chapter on Jewish history.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A brilliant new perspective on Jewish history and culture and excelenceBy John V. BaumgoldWorthy reading for anyone interested in intellectual history. A lucid explanation of Jewish excellence rooted in culturally enforced literacy. The presentation is even-handed. In addition to the boon the problems and destructiveness of this cultural norm are presented unflinchingly. For example there were times when the Jewish population in the world shrank because many families could not meet the financial cost of a male child going to school rather than going to work. The conflict between financial necessity and the demands of culture resulted in substantial abandonment of Judaism and religious conversion. The cultural norm was uncompromising and an illiterate Jew was labeled an "am haaretz"; a perniciously degrading epithetDon't miss this volume; it is excellent.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Very insiteful and educationalBy Erica J WoolI have been thinking about all the times that Jews have been persecuted and ejected from countries starting in ancient times. I started looking for books explaining how they became who they are and why they were treated so badly over the centuries. This book gave some very interesting information and brought to light the happenings from the destruction of the second Temple up to 1492. I found it fascinating and very educational. I did have a problem; with two chapters where the authors used algebra to explain various timeframes. I actually had to skip those chapters. - way too deep to get through.
