Has it been two months again? Yep, and Ancient Warfare IX.2 will soon be here. Topic this time is The Ascendancy of Thebes. The fourth century BC is a time of great upheaval in Greece. At its beginning, Athens was still reeling from its defeat at the hands of Sparta, while the latter was the true power again. It's the time of Xenophon's expedition to Persia and a new power that rose in Central Greece. Thebes was able to defeat Sparta and, for a short while, ruled the roost thanks to a series of military innovations. This issue looks at that short period.
The cover is really great for this issue and looks like an ad for a new TV-series on ancient Greece: dramatic and beautiful, it's some great work by Johnny Shumate. It depicts the death of Epaminondas at the Second Battle of Mantinea (362 BC). Newcomer Samuel Zilincik wrote about it in the On the Cover-piece on page 58.
Regular contributor Owen Rees wrote the historical introduction about the ascendancy of Thebes. The beautiful map by Maxime Plasse that accompanies the article gives a good idea of important places and battles mentioned in the issue. Jona Lendering, co-editor of Ancient History Magazine, wrote the source article on Plutarch. David Balfour contributed an article dealing specifically with the great military genius of Epaminondas.
This issue's Reenactor consists of photos and texts supplied by Wilhelm Friedrich Miessen, and depicts a typical front-rank hoplite of the Theban army. Marc G. DeSantis's article deals with the prelude to the Battle of Leuctra, namely the Siege of Corcyra, with a picture by Milek Jakubiec. The actual Battle of Leuctra, in which the Thebans under Epaminondas defeated the supposedly invincible Spartan army, is the subject of Roel Konijnendijk's article. Johnny Shumate, our talented cover artist, also created the centerfold in which the Thebans are shown charging at the Spartan lines.
Rounding out the themed articles is Ryszard Tokarczuk's article on the Sacred Band, the elite military unit most characteristic of the Theban army. It features a great image by Angel Garcia Pinto. It is followed by non-theme-related articles. Joe Hall will help you read ancient Roman tombstones, while Duncan Campbell's article deals with the question if Rome had any links with the Far East, and China in particular. Continuing the series on Hollywood Romans, where David Reinke left off is Graham Sumner's piece on the 1945 movie Caesar and Cleopatra, complete with a full-page illustration of two costumes used in the film.
Ancient Warfare IX.2 will return from the printer in two weeks. Pre-order this issue or subscribe!
