Osprey Elite 130 : The Mycenaeans c.1650-1100 BC

The timeless appeal of Homer's epic poem of the ancient Trojan War, The Iliad, has meant an enduring interest in the Mycenaen age. Modern scholarship and new archaeological evidence now allows us to reconstruct with reasonable confidence the appearance of this great warrior civilization, which dominated much of the eastern Mediterranean between the 16th and 12th centuries BC. We can also make deductions, from the few surviving pictorial sources, about the tactics of these armies. This book is illustrated with examples of the archaeological and pictorial evidence, and with striking colour reconstructions of light and heavy infantry and chariot warriors of the Mycenaean age. Text by Nicolas Grguric with illustrations by Angus McBride.

Contents

• Introduction
  Emergence of Mycenae
  Mycenaean Dominance
  The Evidence : Homer, and the Archaeological Record
• The Evolution of the Mycenaean Army
• Identifiable Troop Categories
  Heavy Infantry : Shields
  Spears
  Helmets
  Tactical Implications
  Swords
  Changes from c.1300 BC
  Skirmishers and Light Infantry : Archers
  Light Infantry Swordsmen
  Tactical Implications
  Javelinmen
  Changes From c.1300 BC
  Chariotry : The Aegean Chariot
  Box Chariots
  Dual Chariots
  Quadrant Chariots
  Rail Chariots
  Armament and Possible Tactics
  The Chariot 'Charge'
  The Dendra Armour
  Later Chariotry
  Cavalry
• Military Organization
  Battlefield Organization
  Command Structure
  Unit Sizes
  Issues of Equipment
• The Bibliography
• The Plates