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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Grand Strategy in the Ancient World: Lessons from Persia, Greece, and Rome

Grand Strategy in the Ancient World: Lessons from Persia, Greece, and Rome

Lacey, James
Potter, David

Hardcover

Ancient GreeceAncient RomeGeneral Military History

PREORDER - Expected ship date January 5, 2027

ISBN10: 0197851894
ISBN13: 9780197851890
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: Jan 5 2027
Pages: 352
Language: English
Strategic concepts that can be traced to the ancient world offer essential perspectives for our conceptions of the successful exercise of state power. The Persian Empire owed its survival not to overwhelming military force, but rather to its ability to adjust to new challenges, changing weapons, tactics, and the composition of its forces. On the other hand, the Roman Empire remained dominant for centuries because it avoided direct conflicts in favor of negotiation and limited strikes on neighbors.

In Grand Strategy in the Ancient World, editors David Potter and James Lacey compile essays that explore a long view of strategic thinking in the ancient world, from the Achaemenids to Alexander the Great to Rome. These authors offer insight into complex political systems adapting to emerging threats, structural factors like geography and institutional limitations shaping strategic options, and patterns of interactions between established and existing powers.

The classical works at the core of these essays, such as Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War and Caesar's Commentaries, remain central to modern discussions of strategic thought, setting up a dialogue between classical strategic thinking and strategic thinking in the modern world. At all times, intelligent management of resources is the key to success. Taken as a whole, this volume illustrates how ancient strategy can usefully inform contemporary geopolitical conflicts.

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