Herodotus described the Thracians (who inhabited what is now roughly modern Bulgaria, Romania, the European part of Turkey and northern Greece) as the most numerous nations of all apart from the Indians and said that they would be the most powerful of all nations if they didn't enjoy fighting each other so much. There may have been a million Thracians, divided among many as many as 40 tribes. Ancient writers were hard put to it to decide which of the Thracian tribes was the most valiant, and they were employed as mercenaries by all the great Mediterranean civilizations. Thrace had the potential to field huge numbers of troops, and the Greeks and Romans lived in fear of a dark Thracian cloud 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 Thracians provided a ready source of tough auxiliaries to the Roman army. This book will give an overview of Thracian history and culture, but focusing predominantly on warfare and weapons. The latest archaeological finds are used to give the most detailed and accurate picture yet of their arms, armour and costume. It will identify and differentiate all the Thracian tribes, as it can show that these used different weapons and tactics. It will publish pictures of Thracians tombs, weapons, and armour never before seen in a book published in the west. Colourful and notoriously ferocious warriors, they are a favourite with wargamers, and this book will contain a short chapter dedicated to ?Wargaming with the Thracians'. AUTHOR: Christopher Webber has always been interested in military history and wargaming. HE studied Ancient History at the University of New England, New South Wales, and journalism at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. He has published numerous articles in magazines and military history journals. He has been studying the Thracians for twenty years and has created a huge web site on the subject. He published the article ?Odrysian Cavalry Arms, Equipment, and Tactics ?in British Archaeology Reports International Series 1139, 2003. He has an MA in Ancient History and is currently working towards his PhD. His one previous book The Thracians 700 BC- 46 AD challenged the accepted view of the appearance of Thracian warriors and the type of weapons they used. SELLING POINTS: ?Fullest study in English of the warfare and weapons of a nation famed and feared throughout the classical world ?Details their weapons, armour, equipment and tactics with careful attention to tribal variations and changes across the period ?Presents the latest archaeological evidence, much of it never published outside Eastern Europe ?Well illustrated with original line drawings and previously unpublished photographs of weapons and other artifacts ILLUSTRATIONS 12 colour
