Korean Job Discussion Forums

[vox]

Hi.

If you're an enthusiast about the history of medieval weaponry, or the history of military tactics and/or technology, then this post is a friendly request to you for important reference books to read/buy.

If you're not, you'll just be bored so don't bother.

For a long time I've been interested in developing a couple of class demos (maybe with miniatures on a table, I don't know yet) to one day be able to put a different face on the way arts history (from the European perspective) is taught, by showing what I feel are some important qualifying introductions for those developments from the point of view of military technology and its influence on what cultures mixed and when, which I argue is important to artists studying about the artistic history of Europe, because of some of the false ideas one can find lingering in some western fine arts institutions about the nature of the propagation of artistic ideas throughout history.

I have a goal of one day being able to show how minor changes in weaponry or tactics brought about major changes in what cultures were influencing and being influenced.

For example,
The Muslim invasion of India in the 9th century, the exodus that followed, and the appearance of 'gypsies' (migrant Indians crossing the sea from Egypt) into European cities within 20 years of that invasion and musically influencing Gregorian chant - how did a society that Alexander the Great walked over conquer a society that beat him off?

I know that the Portuguese development of the ship-based brass cannon had a lot to do with their ability to go to India, the beginning of the change of European maps and assimilation of Asian products and ideas, but I'd like to study things like who first extended the halberd and/or pike, which allowed second-rank soldiers to double the attacks of first-rank soldiers on the enemy, and where was it first successfully used, and other historical military developments of this sort.

I just have bar-talk-level knowledge of this stuff, as it's just barely off the table of what I studied in uni, but I'm hoping I can one day qualify an arts history class with some basic introductions to other factors influencing changes in European arts history.

But I don't know enough about the terminology to know where to begin shopping for books, I guess it would be something like 'a history of military technology' or 'pivotal battles that changed the world' or something like that.

[lastat06513]

Go to
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/
....at least for starts.....



That would be a good start....
I suscribe to "Military History" magazine, I like military history too. The magazine offers insite into many of the campaigns, weapons, leaders and tactics that were used through the ages....

[patongpanda]

Not a book, but I recommend Medieval II: Total War.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/medieval2totalwar/index.html
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Even if it's not accurate you can get a feel for the timeline. Watch out for the realism mods too.

[demaratus]

Good Thread!

A great book for the aspiring military historian is the Face of Battle by John Keegan. It looks at 3 battles: The Battle of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme. It is very well written and is an engaging read even for people who don't care for history. William McNeil's "the pursuit of power" is a good book about the evolution of weaponry since 1000 ce. If you have any interest in Naval history Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History" is also a decent read, Mahan made a number of great observations while his book itself brought real changes for America and was influential in American imperial development.

I say Check out McNeil's and Keegan's books. if you haven't already. They are both good.

[postfundie]

ditto on Keegan...