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This book examines the lasting impact of war on individuals and
their communities in pre-modern Europe. Research on combat stress
in the modern era regularly draws upon the past for inspiration and
validation, but to date no single volume has effectively
scrutinised the universal nature of combat stress and its
associated modern diagnoses. Highlighting the methodological
obstacles of using modern medical and psychological models to
understand pre-modern experiences, this book challenges existing
studies and presents innovative new directions for future research.
With cutting-edge contributions from experts in history, classics
and medical humanities, the collection has a broad chronological
focus, covering periods from Archaic Greece (c. sixth and early
fifth century BCE) to the British Civil Wars (seventeenth century
CE). Topics range from the methodological, such as the dangers of
retrospective diagnosis and the applicability of Moral Injury to
the past, to the conventionally historical, examining how combat
stress and post-traumatic stress disorder may or may not have
manifested in different time periods. With chapters focusing on
combatants, women, children and the collective trauma of their
communities, this collection will be of great interest to those
researching the history of mental health in the pre-modern period.
Throughout the Classical period, the Athenian hoplite demonstrated
an unwavering willingness to close with and kill the enemies of
Athens, whenever and wherever he was required to do so. Yet,
despite his pugnacity, he was not a professional soldier; he was an
untrained amateur who was neither forced into battle, nor was he
adequately remunerated for the risks he faced in combat. As such,
when he took his place in the phalanx, when he met his enemy, when
he fought, killed, and died, he did so largely as an act of will.
By applying modern theories of combat motivation, this book seeks
to understand that will, to explore the psychology of the Athenian
hoplite, and to reveal how that impressive warrior repeatedly
stifled his fears, mustered his courage, and willingly plunged
himself into the ferocious savagery of close-quarters battle.
Throughout the Classical period, the Athenian hoplite demonstrated
an unwavering willingness to close with and kill the enemies of
Athens, whenever and wherever he was required to do so. Yet,
despite his pugnacity, he was not a professional soldier; he was an
untrained amateur who was neither forced into battle nor adequately
remunerated for the risks he faced in combat. As such, when he took
his place in the phalanx, when he met his enemy, when he fought,
killed and died, he did so largely as an act of will. By applying
modern theories of combat motivation, this book seeks to understand
that will, to explore the psychology of the Athenian hoplite and to
reveal how that impressive warrior repeatedly stifled his fears,
mustered his courage and willingly plunged himself into the
ferocious savagery of close-quarters battle.
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