| Synopsis: |
Beginning with the brutal Sumerian and Assyrian armies of ancient Iraq and ending with the men and women of the military of the early 21st century, this set shows what life was and is like for soldiers. The weapons and technology change, culture changes, but human physical and psychological needs and fears do not. How did soldiers become specialists, and how were permanent standing armies developed? What was it like to march with Julius Caesar in Gaul or fight the Goths in the Balkans? What was it like to conduct a siege in medieval times? How did the business of feeding and clothing armies advance over time? How did the horrendous health conditions on war fields in the 19th and early 20th centuries contribute to improvements in modern medicine? What was it like to shiver in a frozen Belgian wood in 1944, as German Tiger tanks rumbled toward your foxhole? How do soldiers master high tech weaponry, yet protect themselves from the most primitive improvised explosive device? This lively and comprehensive set reveals, ultimately, what kinds of societies produced these soldiers and their lives and how the soldiers in turn shaped their societies.Each volume in the set provides glimpses into the day-to-day lives of soldiers of the period, as well as the significant political and historic issues of the times. The volume highlights: "Volume 1: The Ancient World" covers siegecraft and artillery; armor, helmets, and shields; chariots; cavalry; strategic range and endurance; camp life; the battle; casualties. "Volume 2: The Middle Ages" covers men-at-arms, garrison life, armies in the field, life in the Crusades, chivalry, commemorations and thanksgivings. "Volume 3: The Early Modern World" covers the age of specialists in weapons and skills, the rebirth of the trained infantryman, the age of mercenaries, the age of the professionals. "Volume 4: The 19th Century" covers recruitment, discipline, and desertion; training and leadership; weapons, uniforms, and daily needs; soldiers on 19th century and "modern" battlefields, including World War I. "Volume 5: The 20th Century" covers World War II, political changes and the spread of democracy, extensive technological change, military daily life through the "global war on terror."In addition, volumes are illustrated and include a number of helpful resources for students, teachers, researchers, and anyone interested in the history of soldiers' lives around the world: maps; timelines; recommended reading and Web sites, and comprehensive indexes. |