This post is authored by Dr Charles Vandepeer | Senior Lecturer | AGSPS
For me, the most rewarding part of writing this book was highlighting the human dimension of warfare. While technologies, weapons, and tactics change over time, the challenges of leading people, making decisions under pressure, dealing with uncertainty, and learning from success and failure remain remarkably consistent. The opportunity to explore those enduring human experiences through the lives of ancient commanders has been both fascinating and rewarding.
Human-centred focus
Generalship in the Ancient World emerged out of a practical, professional, and research interest in the human aspect of warfare. This human element has provided a consistent theme across my career, first as a military intelligence officer, later a defence operations analyst, and now as an academic. This human-centred approach also provided an overarching context for the research and analysis of classical military history captured by the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
What regularly gets attention are new and emerging technologies and weapons of warfare, which are constantly changing and adapting with each new conflict, often requiring rapid learning and understanding on how to employ and counter such technological developments. In contrast, the human element of command in warfare represents a consistent aspect, for which we have millennia of recorded history upon which to draw and help in understanding the difficulties and challenges facing military commanders today. As a result, every epoch of history remains relevant when approached from the perspective of humans in conflict.
Critically engaging with classical military history
For the research, I adopted a deliberate approach of drawing widely across almost 900 years of classical history (from the Battle of Marathon to the Battle of Adrianople) to allow for consideration of a breadth of generals, campaigns and battles from the Greek, Macedonian and Roman empires, as well as their opponents, including the Persians, Carthaginians, Gauls and Germans. Readers of the book will recognise many of the famous generals such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal, but will also be presented with insights into the decision-making and challenges faced by less well-known but formidable military commanders such as Philopoemen, Xanthippus and Iphicrates.
Any detailed examination of the ancient Greek and Roman literature will readily identify differences between the ancient authors’ writings in terms of quality, insights and reliability. Consequently, in researching these early accounts of conflicts, battles, soldiers and generals, I adopted a critical approach, drawing on professional experience, deliberately examining each of these accounts by asking ‘Is it logical?’, ‘Is it credible?’, ‘Is it consistent?’, ‘Does it accord with more recent military history?’ and, ultimately, ‘Does this address an enduring challenge in warfare?’. It was this final question which particularly helped to guide the development of the research and provide a framework to determine what would be included within the pages of the book.
Enduring questions of warfare
Military commanders throughout history have been faced with questions such as ‘How do you understand yourself?’, ‘How do you understand the adversary?’ and ‘How do you chose a battlefield?’. These timeless questions challenged ancient generals and commanders and continue to play on the minds of military leaders to this day. Other questions, pertinent to the ancients as well as modern military leaders also include ‘How do you use surprise and deception against the adversary?’ and ‘How do you exploit a victory or recover from a defeat?’.
A finalised set of fourteen questions was arrived at based on well-recognised questions as well as an iterative process coming from an initial reading of these ancient accounts and reflecting on the history of warfare across the ages. It was these questions which then provided the structure for the research and analysis and enabled each chapter to be presented as a pragmatic ‘How to’ guide providing a series of robust answers with enduring relevance to modern conflict and military command. This practical approach helped in guiding the analysis beyond personality and attributes of commanders into a broader consideration of thinking and actions through which commanders achieved battlefield victories. Further, in answering each of these fourteen questions, the chapters very consciously draw on multiple examples of battles, engagements, campaigns and commanders to avoid over-reliance on any one ancient author, commander, or military force, further demonstrating the relevance and persistence of these challenges regardless of the commander, their forces, or opponents.
Reflecting the ongoing interest in ancient commanders and classical military history, the decision was taken to develop a readable and engaging book, presenting the research and analysis in a manner which is accessible to a broader audience. The result is a book which will appeal to a wide readership, including those with an interest in ancient history, military command, and the ongoing challenges of war.
Generalship in the Ancient World: Timeless insights on Command from the Greeks and Romans is available via Pen and Sword UK. The book will also be distributed in Australia via booksellers including QBD, Dymocks and Booktopia.
You can also listen to Charles writing journey on the Ergo Cogito podcast, series 4 episode 2, available here.
Dr Charles Vandepeer’s research explores the intersection of intelligence analysis, military history, leadership, and decision-making. Drawing on experience across defence, intelligence, and academia, he examines how people make judgements and decisions in complex and uncertain environments. His current work focuses on the enduring lessons that historical military leaders can offer contemporary practitioners and scholars.