Ancient/ Mediaeval/ Fantasy research - written sources

[Brian G Turner]

Some good recommendations there.

 

[Chefo]

Well, a couple of years back I wrote a 30 page paper about the Roman/Byzantine armies and their role in the political life of the Empire from 3rd-11th century. The fun part is that Procopius and Psellus, as well as Maurice make for an interesting read.

As for the rest... well I have probably taken enough classes to get a Medieval /Ancient history degree... Besides, it is amusing to notice how little political/war concepts change through time... For all its worth, had modern-day politicians read 'The Art of War' and 'The Prince' we would have been spared many embarrassing blunders...

Chefo

 

[Moondancer]

Has anyone read Steven Pressfield? He has this really good novel about the battle of Thermopylae called 'Gates of Fire'?

I've read it! It's good & pretty historically accurate as well (well, as much as I can tell, I only did Ancient History to A-level )

 

[Brian G Turner]

Chefo, sounds like an interesting paper - do you have a copy of it around anywhere?

 

[Moondancer]

I'm an Anglo-Saxonist if you ever want any help in that area - My Masters was mostly literature & archaeology though....

 

[Brian G Turner]

Heh heh - I can see we could have some rivalries after the King Arthur movie comes out.

 

[Chefo]

Brian, I have a copy of the paper somewhere. I don't remember how I named the file though . I can search for it but I have something like a couple hundred documents in two dozen directories so it will take a while .

Chefo

 

[Dead Riverdragon]

For anyone writing military fantasy, or anything with fighting in it for that matter, I just finished reading V.D. Hanson's book 'The Western Way of War', and think it's an invaluable resource. While Greek hoplite warfare is very specific to that historical context, Hanson extrapolates from the available sources to offer a thorough account of battle as it must have semed from the front line. I think a lot of fantasy would benefit from the kind of understanding Hanson has developed of the physical and mental factors involved in hoplite battle and more broadly 'sticks and stones' warfare (as war studies elitists are prone to call it). Good pre-'Troy' reading too.

John Haldon's 'The Byzantine Wars' continues the study of the Greek/Roman east with a more in-depth strategical analysis, albeit with more case studies and less scholarly discourse than suits my taste. Both fascinating books highly reccomended for anyone who wants to add a little brutal honesty to their fantasy battles and politics.

And I'd read 'Gates of Fire', except that the incredibly liberal translation makes me a bit suspicious about its authenticity

 

[Chefo]

Yep, Haldon is good. Although, truth be told, Haldon is a very pro-Byzantine author and makes several critical assumptions that are not necessarily true. For example, he assumes that the Byzantine armies was superior to any adversary, conveniently forgetting that the Byzantine army was modeled after the Avars (from tactics to armor to soldier clothing).

In general, the Asiatic peoples the Byzantines faced (Avars, Bulgars and later Turks) were better soldiers than the Byzantines (better discipline and less prejudice; Chivalry was laughed at, while a very practical approach to war was highly praised) which is also signified by the fact that many of those at some point or another were hired as mercs. Except for the late 10th century when the Macedonian dynasty spanked every neighbor from Syria to Italy, the Eastern Empire was usually on the receiving end. The Bulgars embarrassed them on several occasions (681, 811, 813, 894, 914, 917, 986), so did the Arabs and it all went to hell in 1071CE.

Also, Haldon is one of the authors who stoutly believes that Byzantine armies were small but superior in quality which is just a theory that ignores the written contemporary documents. These clearly state that the Eastern Empire had the largest armed forces in Europe and the Middle East. In general Byzantine society was highly militarized, although that is not often remembered.

If the reader does not take everything at face value (just like Nicole is fiercely pro-Asiatic so is Haldon pro-Byzantine) then there is lots of useful information in Haldon's books.

Chefo

 

[Cheehwawa]

Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield. Does an unimaginable job of capturing the everyday life of Ancient Greece, particularly Sparta, in the years prior to and including Thermopylae.

I ordered Tides of War, Virtues of War and the Last Amazon, all by him as well, and I hope they are just as good! Going to start reading them as soon as I get 'em tomorrow.

 

[KESpires]

Norman Cantor's THE LAST KNIGHT and CIVILIZATION OF THE MIDDLE AGES are both great. THE LAST KNIGHT is concerning John of Gaunt and what Cantor describes as the end of the Middle Ages. CIVILIZATION is just crazy in its scope and to be honest, a slow read because of it. It is very wide and thorough, however.

Also, I think George R. R. Martin's site lists some books that helped him.

 

[Arthur_Connelly]

Long title, good book:
What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society by Melissa Leventon.

The illustrations are great and it includes things beyond the typical European fare. The book is well-constructed too, in the physical sense, put together in such a way that page loss and spine cracking won't be a problem.

http://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/landing/ref=ntt_atc_dp_pel_1

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Here's a list of books I posted in my own forum a while back when I was asked about some of my research sources:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/766460-post9.html

 

[Robin Goodfellow]

Here's Some non-fiction resource books I have:

Lords of the Sea by John R. Hale: History Athenian navel supremacy. I found it very helpful.

Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia At War, by Dr Kaveh Farrokh: I found it helpful for my fantasy counterpart culture. If you are doing something based on Ancient Persia I highly suggest this book.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Anyone have any recommendations for books on late Byzantine/early Ottoman? Particularly something regarding the period of 'transition'. Needless to say, such a book would have more than a passing mention of Constantinople (inevitable). If I want to read a wider history of both, I suppose that would require separate books? Or is there something that would give a good handle on both empires?

Also, any interesting (and fairly accurate) reads on the history, rise and eventual demise of the Hashshashin?

Any recommendations would be mildly appreciated.

 

[Arthur_Connelly]

I can only speak from a military history standpoint, but The Ottoman Empire 1326–1699 by Stephen Turnbull. And The Fall of Constantinople: The Ottoman Conquest of Byzantium by Stephen Turnbull, David Nicolle, and John Haldon are worth a look.

Both books are from Osprey Publishing, which has more or less anything you could possibly want when it comes to military history from the ancient to the modern. Like I said though, look first.

 

[Mary Hoffman]

Judith Herrin Byzantium: the surprising life of a Medieval Empire (Penguin 2007)