Europa Barbarorum Bibliography

[Dutchhoplite]

The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy

Just bought it in Dutch :)

Also bought this one:

Glory. Death. Well-born Athenian cavalry officer, Kineas, fought shoulder to shoulder with Alexander in his epic battles against the Persian hordes. But on his return from the east to his native city, he finds not glory but shame - and exile. With nothing to his name but his military skills, Kineas agrees to lead a band of veterans to the city of Olbia, where the Tyrant is offering good money to train the city's elite cavalry. But soon Kineas and his men find they have stumbled into a deadly maze of intrigue and conspiracy as the Tyrant plots to use them as pawns in the increasingly complex power games between his own citizens, and the dread military might of Macedon. Caught between his duty to the Tyrant, his loyalty to his men and a forbidden love affair with a charismatic Scythian noblewoman, Kineas must call on all his Athenian guile, his flair on the battlefield, and even - he is convinced - the intervention of the gods, to survive.

"Just" historical fiction but it looks like a fun read :)

[oudysseos]

Just wanted to draw everyone's attention to the vast improvement in iTunes U. Many more Colleges and Universities have contributed material and you can now browse by subject matter. It's really worth a look.

Stanford;

Geography of World Cultures, Martin Lewis
Hannibal, Patrick Hunt
Alexander in Fact, Alexander in Fiction, Alexander's Predecessors John L'Heureux
Egypt's Hold on the Greek Imagination, Marsh McCall

Santa Clara University;
History 110 Roman Republic, Isabelle Pafford

Loyola Marymount University
King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans, 2nd Annual Classics Archaeology Symposium

Indianapolis Museum of Art;
Roman Art at the Louvre

Berkley
History4A: The Ancient Mediterranean World

These are only some of the EB-pertinent programmes, and of course there are many other categories to browse through.


I also added a link for the Digital Book Index http://www.digitalbookindex.org/_sea...stancienta.asp which has thousands of etexts and pdfs. Most are free, although newer books might be for sale. You gotta check this out.


Intercourse Between India and the Western World H.G. Rawlinson
Hellenistic History and Culture, Peter Green ed.

I was only able to look at both of these in the library (damn reference copies) but the Rawlinson book in particular looks fantastic. I found some preview links for them and stuck them on the main post.

Great Battles of the Ancient World, Garrett Fagan
This is a really excellent course of lectures by Professor Fagan, running the gamut from the wars of the Assyrians and Babylonians to the late Roman Empire. Available in video or as audio download, Fagan is a remarkably even-handed informant and manages to follow not only the historical threads but also some of the academic contretemps that surround them. These lectures and many others are available from The Teaching Company.
http://www.teach12.com/storex/course...and%20Medieval
Please don't pirate them.
First post updated (and cleaned up a little)

[oudysseos]

Got some goodies for Christmas including

The World of the Phoenicians, Sabatino Moscati

Philip II and the Sacred War, John Buckler

and I found a used (but pristine) box set of Theo Dodge's Caesar, Alexander and Hannibal. Score!

[Dutchhoplite]

The second book sounds very interesting!

[jabarto]

Got some goodies for Christmas including

The World of the Phoenicians, Sabatino Moscati

Philip II and the Sacred War, John Buckler

and I found a used (but pristine) box set of Theo Dodge's Caesar, Alexander and Hannibal. Score!

Awesome. I really liked Dodge's "Hannibal" and I'm waiting for "Alexander to arrive from Amazon. I'll dfinitely be sure to check out the first book you mentioned to sate my Phoeniciomania (is that a word?).

[A Terribly Harmful Name]

History of Persia, by Sir Percy Sykes. Old but good. Go for the first volume since it deals with the EB timeframe and beyond.

[jabarto]

I think this was asked earlier, but does anyone know of good books specific to Greek colonies like Massalia, Syracuse and Chersonesos? I've been reading "The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek" and found out that I really want to know more about such places.

[keravnos]

There are some books I know, but almost all of them are in Greek.

[oudysseos]

Basileos, I've added your suggestion. Also found The Romans in Spain, 217 BC – AD 117, C.H.V. Sutherland in my cousins used book store (we have a deal going). Despite its title there are substantial chapters about pre-Roman times and about the history of Carthage in Iberia.

Also A History of Parthia, George Rawlinson Old but excellent.

First post updated.

[thecellarlife]

Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History, Christopher S. Mackay. 2004.

Set in chronological order spanning around 800 BC - 650 AD. Provides detailed maps of major time periods of Roman expansion, as well as 20 some pages of high quality photos of archaeological examples. Covers the early kingdom to the beginnings of the republic with good comparisons between archaeological evidence and written sources, and explains the Punic Wars very well. I'm only about 80 pages in, but found it very informative thus far.

[hipshott@gmail.com]

I would add Herodotus, Xenephon.

[oudysseos]

Cellarlife, I'll add that one in.

Um, hipsott, there is an extensive classics section down towards the bottom of the post. Herodotus and Xenophon are *cough* the first and second authors cited.

First post updated. Oh, and good luck, Obama. You're gonna need it.

[Sarkiss]

finally, a book on Pontos on Mithridates VI Eupator: "Mithridates the Great, Rome's indomitable enemy"!


a long-overdue biography of one of the dominant figures of the first century BC
written by an athour of bestselling "Ancient Rome on five denarii a day" and "Enemies of Rome", Philip Matyszak.

havent read it yet, just got it yeaterday as a birthday present from my wife. but so looking forward to reading it!

[V.T. Marvin]

I would also contribute a few books I have read recently:

• Religions of the ancient world : a guide, by Sarah Iles Johnston (general editor), Harvard University Press, 2004 - a good overview of various religions and their interconnectness in antiquity, interesting insight into the spiritual and everyday world of that time.
• Food in the ancient world, by John M. Wilkins and Shaun Hill, Blackwell, 2005 - informative, interesting perspective into sociology and everyday life of the ancient times.
• War and peace in the ancient world, by Kurt A. Raaflaub (general editor), Blackwell, 2007 - excellent compilation of studies into the concepts, theory and practice of war and peace in various antic civilizations from assyrians to India (and even North American Indians), A MUST!
• Ancient Persia : from 550 BC to 650 AD, by Josef Wiesehöfer (translated by Azizeh Azodi), I.B. Tauris, 2001 - excellent modern study covering Achaemenid, Arsacid and Sasanian Period (Seleucids are largely ommited, sadly) it is A MUST!
• Rome and Persia in late antiquity : neighbours and rivals, by Beate Dignas and Engelbert Winter, Cambridge University Press, 2007 - very good overview of the development of mtual relations from Carrhae to the fall of Sasanian Empire, studying not only mutual wars, but also the development of the diplomatic protocol, trade and cultural interchange.
• Rome and the Ptolemies of Egypt : the development of their political relations 273-80 B.C., by Anssi Lampela, Societas Scientiarum Fennica, Helsinki 1998
  
  
• The secret of the Hittites : the discovery of an ancient empire, by C.W. Ceram (translated from the German by Richard and Clara Winston), A.A. Knopf, 1967 - outside EB timeframe, yet interesting read, especially on how the information from past is transfered to us and how our understanding develops through careful examination and re-interpretation of historical and archeological evidence.

[ray243]

A Companion to the Roman Army By Paul Erdkamp (from the Roman kingdom to the era of Justinian)


http://books.google.com/books?id=hR73TNL7YMAC&pg=PA1&dq=companion+to+the+roman+army#PPP1,M1

Google book link.

Just a side note, it is rather expensive, but it is worth the price.

[V.T. Marvin]

It is a shame that this thread fell off down to sixth(!) page - should be stickied probably

To bring it up, let me point out to another excellent on-line source of knowledge: The Ancient History Sourcebook

[oudysseos]

VT, I'm sorry that I have been so tardy in adding in your previous suggestions. Done now. The thread is indeed stickied, under Important Information for Forum Users.

Cheers.

First post updated.

[Sarkiss]

oudysseos, you could add the above mentioned "Mithridates the Great, Rome's indomitable enemy" by Philip Matyszak.
im almost done with it, a fine read. thought i wish he'd go more into details at times and wouldnt rely on Appian so heavily when it comers to army numbers and there are alternative sources available to double cross check.
all in all a good book though.

in bibliography i also found one of the earliest and rear books on Mithridates' ally and son in law, Tigranes the Great of Armenia. written by K. Armen, Hrand (1940). "Tigranes the Great: A Biography."
tried to purchase it online but to no vain, its out of print and unavailable.
if anyone got any info on this book let me know please.

[oudysseos]

Sarkiss, sorry, I should have gotten that one too. Done now.

[chairman]

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but

History of the Persian Empire (1959) by A.T. Olmstead is in my opinion a definitive study of Achaemenid Persia, the nations that came before it, the geopolitics, economics, religion, policies, military strategies and mindset of the Persians, as well as an objective look at the causes for the decline and fall of the empire.

My dad had a copy from years ago, I think it was an earlier edition. I finally got around to reading it, and it changed my entire view of the Persians. It takes into account the importance of Babylon to Achaemenid internal policies and follows the birth of distinctive Persian government, cultural, architectural, military and religious fashions and policies. Calling it a must read is a grave and unjust understatement.

Chairman

[oudysseos]

Okedoke, CHairman, I'll add thát in.

Just wanted to point out to you all that there are some quality podcasts at the moment: The History of Rome Podcast is back after a hiatus and has reached the Crossing of the Rubicon! Really good, you must try this one out (on iTunes and there's a link at the bottom of the first post of this thread). Also, BBCs In Our Time's latest podcast is The Destruction of Carthage! So get wired, people!

[penguinking]

I just wanted to say that this thread has been enormously helpful to me in finding good history books. Thank you.

[Marcus Ulpius]

Recently I've found this one: Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare Philip Sabin, Hans van Wees,Michael Whitby.

Didn't read it yet, but certainly planning to do it when I'll have time. Sounds quite interesting.

[keravnos]

I was very lucky to find "Philopoemen" by R.M. Errington (Oxford University Press). The edition I found is over 40 years old, yet it is a treasure trove of information for the Achaian League (Achaike sympoliteia).

2 more books I have to recommend, even if I probably won't find them to read are...

Greek Federal States by J.A.O Larsen and

Foreign Clientelae (264-70 B.C.) by E. Badianby, both by Oxford University Press.

[Kikaz]

The Romans 850 B.C.-337 A.D., Donald R. Dudley (1970): A pretty well organized intuitive read.

[Iskander 3.1]

Lost Battles, Philip Sabin, 2008. He comes up with a universal mathematical model that can be used both for wargaming as well as for playing out actual historical battles, assuming sufficient information is known (i.e. Ipsus isn't covered here). For example, the sources differ greatly on the size of the Persians at Gaugemela. This model can let one re-fight with differing Persian sizes and see what the different results would be.

[The Fuzz]

Nomadic Empires: From Mongolia to the Danube by Gerard Chaliand

It's brief and expansive (as the title suggests), but it's a readable introduction to the mass confusion that is the migrations and invasions in Central Asia. It deals with the Yuehzi on a few separate occasions.

[oudysseos]

Wow guys! I haven't checked this thread for a while: sorry. I'll add all those excellent suggestions to the main post soon.

[desert]

Hey Oudysseos, would it be ok to post books that I haven't read?

[anubis88]

just a quick question... Why isn't this thread stickied anymore? I almost forgot about it, and now i always have to do a forum search to find it