OLD TESTAMENT WARRIORS: THE CLASH OF CULTURES IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

◗ Simon Elliott ◗ Casemate Publishers (15 May 2021) ◗ £20 ◗ 160 pages (hardback) ◗ ISBN:9781612009544 ◗ casematepublishers.com

The author covers the period from Jericho and Sumer to Babylonia. It also covers Egypt (although in less depth as the publishers already have another book which does that) as well as the Minoans and Mycenaeans.

There are some black and white photographs and the various troop types tend to be illustrated with photos of wargames figures. But it isn’t a ‘wargaming book’so much as a history that wargamers will probably find interesting. It should be stressed that it is a military history. So gods, pottery styles and economics appear only when they’re relevant to the military side of things.

I found it a useful general military history of the era, good at showing trends, putting various peoples in their places relative to each other, and generally giving a feel for the bigger picture. I think it was easy read without being patronising and I enjoyed it. I felt that the book managed to pick a sensible path through an area where there is considerable debate, and gives the reader a reasonable foundation to work from.