Cassell, 2002, $29.95, ISBN 0-304-35288-8, 224 pgs., hardcover

This is a magnificent look at early armies, circa Neanderthals to roughly 500 BC. It traces the rise of warfare from tribal chaos to civilized empires' campaigns, and does so with succinct prose and an unerring ability to emphasize main points.

After this tremendous introduction, I do want to note that the first chapter was the most uninteresting, as Dawson details bellicose behavior in the animal kingdom. Thankfully, he doesn't dwell on multi-celled hydras surrounding single-celled amoebas, but this philosophical diversion about ants, lions, and apes almost made me want to put the book aside.

Nevertheless, once Neanderthals enter the picture and Dawson concentrates on man, the book becomes a fascinating read. He works wonders with the scant evidence of pre-history to create a timeline of warfare. Age by age, society by society, and empire by empire, he builds an overview explaining shifts in weapons, operations, and objectives as human culture spreads across the Middle East and Mesopotamian lands.

If there is a weakness, it is that China is given short shrift, although India is touched upon. Too bad the philosophical meanderings of warfare weren't used for the East.

But it is a small nit to pick from our Western-centric observations, and that dull first chapter can be skipped. What's left is a spectacular overview of the development of warfare and the armies that conduct it. And the multitude of archaeological photos provides a marvelous visual complement to the text.

Well done, all around. This deserves a spot on your bookshelf next to Warfare in the Ancient World. It is that exceptional.

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