Syllabus
This course requires good base knowledge of European history and may help you in preparations for the comprehensive exam in European history you have to pass during your pre-gradual studies here at this faculty. * Lectures and topics 1 - Introduction to main theoretical concepts. Warfare in European area during pre-classic period.
Source texts: a) Drews - The End of the Bronze Age - complete Part III - A military explanation of the catastrophe (for those of you, interested primarily in matters of military mechanics and dynamics) b) Drews - Early Riders - the whole book, excluding Chapter 6. You should pay special attention to Chapter 7. 2 - Polis and phalanx I. Classic Greek warfare, Persian wars, Greek colonization.
Source texts: a) The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare - Volume I. - Chapters 6, 7A, 8 and 9. b) Victor Davis Hanson: Carnage and Culture - introductory study "Why the West Has Won" + complete Part I. (Freedom, Decisive Battle, Citizen Soldiers). - for those of you, interested in more theoretical aspects of history. 3 - Polis and phalanx II. Peloponnesian war and Macedonian military culture under Philip II.
Source texts: a) Ian Worthington, By the Spear - Introduction and Chapters 1-6 (1-103). b) George Cawkwell, The Greek Wars - Introduction and Chapters 1-5 (1-125) 4 - Polis and phalanx III. Alexander of Macedon and Asiatic campaign
Source texts: a) Green: Alexander of Macedon, chapters 5, 6 a 7. (This text represents the genre of historical biography. Your main task is to analytically discover main symbolic means used to construct the central "cult of personality" of Alexander of Macedon) b) Lewis, Boardman, Hornblower: The Cambridge Ancient History VI. - 16 a 17 - Alexander the Great Part. I a II. 5 - Polis and phalanx IV. Hellenist warfare and civilizational cultural transfers
Source texts: a) Bar Kochva: The Seleucid Army, kapitoly 1-6. (for those of you, more interested in military mechanics and dynamics) b) The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare, Díl I, Část II, 11A - Military forces - Land forces, 13A - Battle - Land battles, 14 - Warfare and the state, 15 - War and society c) Collection of studies regarding the problem of war elephants in hellenist and Roman warfareYour chief task is to provide answer for the question: War elephants - effective combat animals or just symbolic enhancement of royal authority?
- Casson: Ptolemy II and the Hunting of African Elephants- Glover: The Tactical Handling of the Elephant- Gowers: The African Elephant in Warfare- Shelton: Elephants as Enemies in Ancient Rome- Charles and Rhodan: Magister Elephantorum(feel free to consult also useful work by Dr. Nossov: War Elephants) 6 - Legions and empire I. Struggle for the hegemony in the Mediterranean during Roman republic. Roman military system.
Source texts: a) Daly: Cannae – The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War – chapters 1, 2, 3, 6. (cultural historical study a la John Keegan concerning the experience of battle) b) MacDonald: Hannibal – A Hellenistic Life – chapters 1, 2, 3 a 7. (for those of you, who are interested in the genre of historical biography) 7 - Legions and empire II. Imperial Rome.
Source texts: a) Isaac: The Limites of Empire – chapters 1, 2 a 3. b) Phang: Roman military service – chapters 1, 2 a 3. 8 - Dissolution of the empire, nomadic traditions, problem of heavy cavalry, ascent of feudal warfare
Source texts: a) MAENCHEN_HELFEN__The_World_of_the_Huns, chapters III, IV and V. b) Collection of studies regarding the problem of heavy cavalry in late antiquity
- BIVAR__Cavalry_equipment_and_tactics- EADIE__Development_of_Roman_mailed_cavalry- ALCHIN__Piece_of_scale_armour- BOSWORTH__Arrian_and_the_Alani- WADGE_King_Arthur_British_or_Sarmatian_tradition 9 - Age of tradition I. "The Siege of Europe 850-1050", first phase of feudal socio-military system
Source texts: a) Baker and Brooks: Beyond_the_Burghal_Hidage_Anglo_Saxon_civil_defence_in_the_Viking_Age - chapters 1 a 2. Feel free to skip purely archaeologic parts of the text. b) Blöndal and Benedikz: The_Varangians_of_Byzantium - chapters 1, 4, 5 a 6. 10 - Cross and crescent I. Early Byzantine socio-military system
Source texts: a) Haldon: Warfare_State_And_Society_In_The_Byzantine_world_565-1204 - kapitoly 1, 2, 3 a 4. b) Haldon: Warfare_State_And_Society_In_The_Byzantine_world_565-1204 - kapitoly 5, 6 a 7.
Annotation
This course will provide you with initial overview of European military history using interdisciplinary theoretical apparatus of historiography (New Military history), historical sociology (civilizational studies and concept of long- term developmental process of revolution in military affairs) and cultural history (especially symbolic historical anthropology). The course offers integral comparative perspective concerning European expansion and wars against other civilizations.
First part of the course deals with ancient beginnings of European warfare with special emphasis at Greek,
Macedonian, Hellenistic and Roman traditions. We will also discuss collapse of this tradition after the dissolution of
Western Roman Empire. We will proceed with European warfare of Middle Ages, especially with inter-civilizational conflicts with Islamic cultural world. First part of the course will be finished by discussing the proto-revolutionary period of 14th and 15th centuries, preparing ground for the breakthrough of the First revolution in military affairs.
Mankind still considers warfare as one of its prevalent activities, but despite this situation surprisingly little attention is given to proper treating of the subject. War and warfare are therefore similar to the concept of dark matter in contemporary theoretical physics. We also know that war and warfare have existed and exerted significant influence at our history, but absence of their deep and conceptual elaboration deforms our cognitive sphere. It is really important to study this topic, especially because of simple fact, that during the course of early modern history,
European civilization managed to conquer and control the rest of the world by military means.
This course will alternatively use both forms of lecture and seminar. We will avoid traditional conservative concept of history of warfare, discussing primarily the “art of war” and concentrating upon grand narratives of “decisive battles” and leading generals. We will discuss war and warfare in terms of their civilizational and cultural importance and character.