Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2021 -

An acclaimed author and historian, Goldsworthy has delivered yet another engaging book on the ancient world. While the bulk of his previous work has focused on the Romans, here he skillfully tells the story of how a Macedonian father and son changed the world. Though Alexander receives almost all the attention, Goldsworthy points out that, without Philip, none of Alexander's conquests would have come about, as Alexander inherited much from his father. Philip shaped Macedonia into a power capable of dominating the whole of Greece. The army Alexander led into Asia was also the creation of his father--a weapon of conquest aimed at expansion and annexation through victory. Even Alexander's invasion of Asia was the culmination of his father's policy of binding the Hellenes together under Macedonian rule by launching them into a war against Persia. Yet Alexander was no mere imitator. He left his mark on the war and his staggering achievements, for good or ill, would echo through the centuries. Meticulously researched and vividly written, this study's added value lies in treating these two kings as different chapters of the same story.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.

Athenian participatory democracy, from about the sixth to the fourth centuries BC, flourished because the majority of citizens shared a common ideology. Some scholars maintain that this ideology was the invention of the propertied classes; others believe it developed among the lower classes. Barbato (Univ. of Birmingham, UK) claims that the values for a cohesive democratic society were not a top-down or bottom-up development but a joint achievement of the elites and the masses. He argues that a shared Athenian ideology was partially based on funeral speeches, epideictic and forensic oratory, theater, myths, and artwork. These sources were sometimes contradictory, which accounts for some fluctuations in Athenian ideology, but their central, unshakable principle was that Athens, though an imperialist state, never fought an unjust war, from the mythological conflict with the Amazons (belligerent female invaders) to the Persian Wars. Nevertheless, some Greek sources suggest that the Athenians were aggressors in both conflicts. Although their democratic government espoused the principle of protecting the weak against the powerful, Athenians often considered only their self-interest. This is a work of impressive and innovative scholarship providing a bridge between historians of ancient Greece and political scientists.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.

Adding to the extensive "Key Themes in Ancient History" series, Lee (Univ. of Nottingham, UK) offers a concise, insightful, original treatment of Roman warfare. His thematic consideration extends beyond merely an account of equipment and tactics as he aims to incorporate conflict and combat into the fabric of Roman life, treating it as social, rather than simply military, history. Especially laudable is his integration of late antiquity (third to seventh century CE) into the narrative, placing the period on equal footing with the Republic (sixth to first century BCE) and the Principate (first to third century CE), thereby offering a full panorama of the topic, characterized by marked and impactful transformations over the course of more than a millennium. Seven chapters, bookended by an introduction and an epilogue, treat a range of topics under the headings "War and Peace," "Military Service and Courage," "Manpower and Money," "Authority and Allegiances," "Society and Identity," "Culture and Communication," and "Experiences of War." A bibliographic essay, a table of significant events, a list of emperors, a glossary, a separate list of references, an index, and several maps and illustrations round out the volume. Highly recommended for research libraries, university students (all levels), and scholars.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels.