Fighting for the king and the gods : a survey of warfare in the ancient Near East / Charlie Trimm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Fighting for the King and the Gods provides an introduction to the topic of war and the variety of texts concerning many aspects of warfare in the ancient Near East. These texts illustrate various viewpoints of war and show how warfare was an integral part of life. Trimm examines not only the victors and the famous battles, but also the hardship that war brought to many. While several of these texts treated here are well known (i.e., Ramses II's battle against the Hittites at Qadesh), others are known only to specialists. This work will allow a broader audience to access and appreciate these important texts as they relate to the history and ideology of warfare.

Old and new military history -- Historicity -- Structure of the book -- Cultural and geographical groupings -- Casus Belli -- Defense -- Protection against chaos -- Acquisition -- Avoiding war -- Preparation for war -- Communication with enemy -- Intelligence -- Mustering troops -- March to war -- The king's role before battle -- Preparing defenses -- Battles -- Open field -- Communication in battle -- Chariots -- Horses (and other animals) -- Sieges -- Naval combat -- Single combat -- Deception in warfare -- Kings and princes in battle -- Results of battles -- Flight -- Plundering and prisoners -- Humiliation of enemies -- Urbicide -- Extermination of enemies -- Political and religious results of conquest -- Other responses to victory -- Responses to defeat -- Conflicted memories -- Officers and soldiers -- Command structure -- Size of armies -- Military scribes -- Training and life at home -- Life on campaign -- Problematic soldiers -- Weapons and armor -- Hand-to-hand weapons -- Distance weapons -- Defensive equipment -- Divine warriors -- Divine combat -- Calls for divine help -- Messages from the divine warriors -- Divine abandonment -- Divine weapons and incorporation into the myths -- Presence in battle.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (JSTOR, viewed on December 01, 2017).

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