Search Results: Ancient War Machines from Viceroy Books

University Park, Illinois, U.S.A.: Osprey Pub Co, 2006. New book, 48 pages, NVG119. Chariots, the first mobile fighting vehicle, seem to have originated in Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC. The highly mobile two-wheeled war chariot, carrying a driver and an archer armed with a short composite bow, revolutionized military tactics after 1700 BC. This expensive weapon spread throughout the Middle East and is thought to have reached Egypt with the conquering Hyksos. It spread into Asia Minor, Greece, and was known in Northern Europe by 1500 BC. This book covers the evolution of the war chariot throughout the Bronze Age, detailing its design, development and combat history in particular its fundamental involvement at the battle of Qadesh. . Soft Cover. As New. Illus. by Delf, Brian. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Botley, Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, Limited, 2003. New book, 48 pages, NVG078. Siege machinery first appeared in the West during the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late-5th century BC, in the form of siege towers and battering rams. After a 50-year hiatus these weapons of war re-appeared in the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, a period that saw the height of their development in the Ancient World. The experience of warfare with both the Carthaginians during the later-3rd century BC, and Philip V of Macedon during the early-2nd century BC, finally prompted the introduction of the siege tower and the battering ram to the Roman arsenal. This title traces the development and use of these weapons across the whole of this period. Covers Wheeled Towers (the siege-tower, the Helepolis of Epimachus, the Helepolis of Posidonius), Tortoises (the 'ditch-filling' tortoise, the 'digging' tortoise, the ram-tortoise, the 'borer', Hegetor's… Read More

Botley, Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, Limited, 2003. New book, 48 pages, NVG078. Siege machinery first appeared in the West during the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late-5th century BC, in the form of siege towers and battering rams. After a 50-year hiatus these weapons of war re-appeared in the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, a period that saw the height of their development in the Ancient World. The experience of warfare with both the Carthaginians during the later-3rd century BC, and Philip V of Macedon during the early-2nd century BC, finally prompted the introduction of the siege tower and the battering ram to the Roman arsenal. This title traces the development and use of these weapons across the whole of this period. Covers Wheeled Towers (the siege-tower, the Helepolis of Epimachus, the Helepolis of Posidonius), Tortoises (the 'ditch-filling' tortoise, the 'digging' tortoise, the ram-tortoise, the 'borer', Hegetor's… Read More

University Park, Illinois, U.S.A.: Osprey Pub Co, 2003. New book, 48 pages, NVG089. The catapult (katapeltikon) was invented under the patronage of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in the 4th century bc. At first only the arrow-firing variant was used, and it was not until the reign of Alexander the Great that stone-projecting catapults were introduced. The Romans adopted these weapons during the Punic Wars and further developed them, before introducing the new arrow-firing ballista and stone-throwing onager. This title traces the often controversial design, development and construction of these weapons throughout the history of the classical world.. Soft Cover. As New. Illus. by Delf, Brian. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

University Park, Illinois, U.S.A.: Osprey Pub Co, 2005. New book, 64 pages, ELI126. Sieges were often pivotal in Rome’s wars, including its conflicts with the Macedonians and Carthaginians in the 2nd century BC; the civil wars of the Republic; and the late Roman wars against the Sassanid Persians, who, alone amongst Rome’s adversaries, were equally skilled in siegecraft. This book discusses the siege techniques employed by Roman armies and their opponents throughout the Republic and Empire. It shows that although the 1st century AD has long been considered the golden age of siegecraft, followed by a decline, new and effective siege techniques were in fact used in the following centuries.. Soft Cover. As New. Illus. by Hook, Adam. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Osprey Pub Co, 2008. New book, 48 pages, NVG150. Elephants have been deployed as weapons for centuries, particularly in South and South-East Asia, where war elephants constituted the bulk of most armies in the region from antiquity right up to the 19th century. This book offers an insight into the incredible history of these ‘living tanks,’ focusing on the design of the equipment and armament that made them so terrifying. The author, Konstantin S Nossov, traces the history of war elephants, from their deployment against Alexander the Great’s army at the battle of Gaugamela, through to their use in the 19th century by the armies of South-East Asia, analyzing the battle formation and tactics of war elephants in action and how these tactics developed. Contents: Introduction - The Elephant - Indian War Elephants - War Elephants of Alexander’s Successors - North African War Elephants - War Elephants in South-East Asia - War Elephants in Action - Glossary - Bibliography - Colour Plate… Read More