THE GODS OF BATTLE
THE THRACIANS AT WAR
1500 BC - AD 150
CHRIS WEBBER
The Gods of Battle is the definitive work on the Thracians – the
colourful and ferocious warriors famed and feared throughout the classical
world. Herodotus described the Thracians as the most numerous nation of all,
apart from the Indians, and said that they would be the most powerful of all
nations if they did not enjoy fighting each other so much. Inhabiting what is
now roughly Bulgaria, Romania, the European part of Turkey and Northern Greece,
there may then have been a million Thracians divided into as many as forty
tribes. Ancient writers could not agree which of these tribes was the most
valiant and Thracians were employed as mercenaries by all the great Mediterranean
civilizations. Thrace had the potential to field huge numbers of troops and the
Greeks, and later the Romans, lived in fear of a dark cloud of warriors
descending from the north, devastating civilization in the Balkans. The
Thracian way of warfare had a huge influence on Classical Greek and Hellenistic
warfare. After Thrace was conquered by the Romans, the region provided a ready
source of tough auxiliaries for the Roman army. The Gods of Battle gives an
overview of Thracian history and culture, but focuses predominantly on warfare
and weapons. Lavishly illustrated, the latest archaeological finds are used to
give the most detailed and accurate picture yet of their arms, armour and
costume. He differentiates all the Thracian tribes, demonstrating that these
used different weapons and tactics.
“The Gods of
Battle rule the Thracian coast.”
CONTENTS
PREFACE – INTRODUCTION - THE SOURCES
HISTORICAL OUTLINE: The
Sixth Century - The 5th Century - The 4th Century - The 3rd and 2nd Centuries
BC: The Beginning of the Roman era - The 2nd and 1st centuries: the end of
Thracian independence - The End of the
Thracians
THRACIAN COSTUME: Classical and Archaic Thracians - Thracian
costume of the Hellenistic and Roman eras
ARMOUR: Helmets - Body Armour - North Thracian Armour - Greaves - Shields - New Shields
WEAPONS: Swords & Knives - The Bronze Age and earlier-
Knives - Swords - The Iron Age - Long Swords -The Akinakes - The
Machaira, or kopis, and other Thracian curved swords - The Sica - sword or rhomphaia?
- The Rhomphaia - Spears & Javelins - Axes – Catapaults - Bows and Arrows - Slings and Staff Slings –
Clubs - Unconventional weapons – Carts and spiked axles - The defence of the
Shipka Pass
THE THRACIAN ARMY: Thracian
Armies – size and composition - The Bronze Age - Chariots - Cavalry - Early Thracian cavalry - Heavy Cavalry - Light Cavalry - Light Cavalry Shields -
Thracian Horses - Later cavalry
developments: Spurs – Lances - Saddles and Saddle Cloths - Cavalry Shields, swords, and the shift back to
javelins – Hamippoi - Infantry Slingers – Archers - Javelinmen – Peltasts - Long Spears - Later Infantry Developments - The
Peltast in the Fourth Century - The Iphicratean reforms - Thureophoroi – Thorakitai - The Thracian army in Britain - Cohors I
Thracvm - Cohors II Thracvm - Cohors VII Thracvm - Alae Primae Thracvm
MILITARY ORGANISATION: Thracian Formations - The navy -
“Thrace, the Final Frontier” – The Military Geography of Thrace
FORTIFICATIONS BATTLES AND TACTICS: Sitalces’ invasion of
Macedonia, 429 BC (Thucydides 2.100) - The 10,000 in Thrace -Seuthes'
rebellion, 400 BC (Anabasis 7.3.4 -7.7.57). - The Triballia attack Abdera, 376
BC (Diodorus Siculus XV. 36. 1-5) - Order of battle - Alexander’s invasion, 335
BC (Arrian 1.1.6) - Order of Battle The Battle of the Lyginus River, 335 BC
(Arrian 1.2-1.3) - Order of Battle The Battle of Raphia 217 BC - The Battle of
Cynoscephalae (197 BC) – “Peltasts in the Mist” - The Battle of Magnesia (190 BC) and its aftermath. - The prelude to the battle,: The Thracians in
the battle - After the battle of Magnesia: The Thracians ambush the Roman army
- Order of Battle - The Thracians attack
the Galatians on “Mt Olympus” (Livy 37.21-23) - - The Battle of Kallinikos, 171
BC (Livy 42.57-60.1) - The Battle of Pydna (168 BC) and the Pydna Monument -
Thracian Tactics
THRACIAN TRIBES: Bessi - The Bisaltai - Bithynia and the Bithynians - Chronology - Introduction - History -
The Bithynian Army – Dii – Getai - The Moesi/Mysians – Odomanti – Odrysai –
Paeonians - The Agrianians - The Thyni - The Triballi
GLOSSARY - Abbreviations
used in the Notes- BIBLIOGRAPHY:
-Ancient Sources -Modern Sources -Other References -CD-ROM –Video - INDEX
BONUS DLC: GET THREE ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS FREE
If you have bought this book, contact the author to be sent three additional chapters FREE : Famous
Thracians; Wargaming with Thracians;
and The Bithynian Army in the Hellenistic
Period
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