Atlas of Ancient and
Medieval Warfare

Review by George Schneider

ATLAS OF ANCEENT AND MIEDIIEVAL WARFARE by Arthur Banks. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., 1973; reprinted 1982, 154 pp.

This book presents maps, diagrams and charts summarizing the geographic considerations of all major wars and campaigns of the ancient and medieval periods. The author covers Europe, Asia amd the New World in a series of concisely drawn black-and-white maps, including legends. Each map or diagram includes the most salient information to assist military historians and wargamers understand the significance of what is presented. Key dates and corresponding events are given to illustrate progressions of events.

Although the medieval period encompasses only the last third of this book, it includes several items that may be utilized as reference points. The expansion of Islam and the Vikings receives fair coverage, while more extensive maps and battle diagrams illustrate events surrounding the Norman conquests, Crusades, Hundred Years War and War of the Roses. The campaigns of the Mongols from Genghis Khan through Timur also receive coverage as well as more relatively obscure Ghaznavid, Indian and Chinese events. Several simple baffle maps complement the wider geographic surveys, including Hastings, Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt and the Fall of Constantinople.

The author concludes this book with several different indexes so that readers may cross-check important battles, individuals and major geographic divisions. Other books may contain more sophisticated coverage of some of the events covered here, but this book is a useful basic compendium for the wargamer.

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