A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War [Paperback]

 

 

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Victor Hanson's "A War Like No Other" is not your typical military history of the Peloponnesian War, fought, primarily, between Athens and Sparta from roughly 431 - 404 BC. Many accounts of the war have been put into print over the years, with minor variations in content, but they all usually follow a general chronological narrative. This, for instance, is the case with Donald Kagan's excellent "The Peloponnesian War." Mr. Hanson, however, adopts a different approach, and instead of a straight-forward date-to-date narrative, approaches the war by topic. For instance, the chapter "Walls" contains an analysis of the state of siegecraft during the entire breadth of the war, while the chapter "Ships" is an extremely well researched and written analysis of war on the water between the states promoting democracy and those promoting oligarchy. It is not a year-to-year history, and it is primarily this layout of the narrative which sets this book apart from others.

Mr. Hanson views the Peloponnesian War as marking the end of traditional (and honourable!) hoplite warfare amongst the Greek poleis. This thesis is reflected in the title of the work, and he holds firm to it throughout the entirety of the text. In many ways, the Peloponessian War really did mark the turning point of many classical Greek practices of war, and even societal norms. Hoplite battle, for instance, and most majorly of all, was a rare thing during the war, with really only two pitched land battles during the whole 27 year conflict: Delium and Mantinea. Before 431, hoplite battle was the glue that held the Greek system together, seen as an honourable act held subject to certain rules and performed by the agrarians of the differing states. Contrary to this proud, above table form of war, the various Greek poleis that participated in the Peloponessian War used dirty tactics never before seen in ancient Greece. Tactics such as hiring and utilizing mercenaries, coastal raiding, fomenting revolt and revolution, and the wide deployment of missile troops were common, and most certainly marked a shift in ancient Greek thinking that would have repercussions down through the following century with the rise of Epaminondas and Philip and Alexander of Macedon. Plato, like many authours living in the shadow of the conclusion of a great war, was deeply affected by the conflict, and came to lament the loss it caused of what he seen as the traditional -- and better -- way of Greek living.

No review of this book can go without mentioning the fantastic chapter on naval warfare contained herein. Hanson goes to great lengths to include every detail modern archaeology and scholarly research has unearthed about this most elusive subject of classical military history. From how long an Athenian trireme could remain on the Mediterranean before needing to be beached and its hull dried and scraped, to the costs inherent in keeping a fleet of triremes on patrol along the Greek coast, "A War Like No Other" would be worth its purchasing price for this chapter alone. Accurate information on naval warfare during the classical period is a difficult thing to come by, and Hanson does a fantastic job of gathering it all economically into a single chapter, along with some interesting thoughts and theories of his own.

To someone already versed in the Peloponessian War, and already possessing several narrative volumes on the subject, Victor Hanson's book may not be seen as essential reading. However, its use truly shines in its layout, focusing on specific topics instead of following the war chronologically, and its chapters on naval warfare and siegecraft. If you are searching for a military history on the war, "A War Like No Other" makes a great companion piece to a work like Donald Kagan's.

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