A Tenth-Century Byzantine Military Manual: The Sylloge Tacticorum (Hardcover)

The Sylloge Tacticorum is a mid-Byzantine example of the literary genre of military manuals or Taktika which stretches back to antiquity. It was one of a number produced during the tenth century CE, a period when the Byzantine empire enjoyed a large measure of success in its wars against its traditional enemy, the Arabs. Compiled to record and preserve military strategies, know-how, and tactics, the manual discusses a wide variety of matters: battle formations, raids, sieges, ambushes, surprise attacks, the treatment of prisoners of war and defectors, distribution of booty, punishment of military offences, how to mount effective espionage, and how to send and receive envoys. There is even advice on the personal qualities required by generals, on how to neutralize enemy horses, and on how to protect the troops against poisoned food. The work culminates in an account of the stratagems employed by great Greek and Roman military commanders of the past. While, like so much of Byzantine literature, the Sylloge often simply reproduces material found in earlier texts, it also preserves a great deal of information about the military tactics being developed by the Byzantine army during the tenth century. It is the first Byzantine source to record the reappearance of a specialized heavy cavalry (the kataphraktoi) and of a specialized infantry (the menavlatoi) used to repel the attacks of the opposing heavy cavalry. There is also a great deal of information on new infantry and cavalry formations and on the new tactics that required them. This is the first complete translation of the Sylloge into English. It is accompanied by a glossary of the specialised Greek military vocabulary used in the work and by footnotes which explain obscure references and identify the author's classical and Byzantine sources. An introduction places the work in its historical and literary context and considers some of the questions that have remained unanswered over the centuries, such as its authorship and the date of its composition.

General

Imprint:	Routledge
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman Studies
Release date:	June 2017
First published:	2017
Authors:	Georgios Chatzelis • Jonathan Harris
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	182
ISBN-13:	978-1-4724-7028-7
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Other warfare & defence issues > Combat / defence skills & manuals Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Promotions
LSN:	1-4724-7028-1
Barcode:	9781472470287

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!