History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050

Average customer rating:

Technology alone just doesn't cut it....
Concise overview of military revolutions
The Heart of Asymmetric Advantage is NOT Technology

The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Revolutionary | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 052180079X

Book Description

The Dynamics of Military Revolution bridges a major gap in the emerging literature on revolutions in military affairs. It suggests that two very different phenomena have been at work over the past centuries: "military revolutions," which are driven by vast social and political changes, and "revolutions in military affairs," which military institutions have directed, although usually with great difficulty and ambiguous results. MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray provide a conceptual framework and historical context for understanding the patterns of change, innovation, and adaptation that have marked war in the Western world since the fourteenth century--beginning with Edward III's revolution in medieval warfare, through the development of modern military institutions in seventeenth-century France, to the military impact of mass politics in the French Revolution, the cataclysmic military-industrial struggle of 1914-1918, and the German Blitzkrieg victories of 1940. Case studies and a conceptual overview offer an indispensible introduction to revolutionary military change,--which is as inevitable as it is difficult to predict. Macgregor Knox is the Stevenson Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of Common Destiny (Cambridge, 2000) and Hitler's Italian Allies (Cambridge, 2000). Knox and Murray are co-editors of Making of Strategy (Cambridge, 1996). Willamson Murray is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analysis. He is the co-editor of Military Innovation in the Interwar Period (Cambridge, 1996) and author of A War to Be Won (Harvard University Press, 2000).

Customer Reviews:

Technology alone just doesn't cut it...........2003-04-22

This book contains an awful lot of wisdom for such a slim volume (it clocks in at just under 200 pages).

The authors examine the natures of military revolutions and RMA (a very hot topic that has arguably produced more hot air than substance) and provide a number of case studies examining the issues and testing the authors' views through history.

The case studies are;

- The English in the 14th century
- 17th century France
- The French Revolution
- The American Civil War
- The Prussian RMA, 1840-1871
- The Battlefleet Revolution
- The First World War
- Blitzkrieg 1940

The various case studies are backed up by an extremely satisfying introduction and a thorough, well argued conclusion which fires one or two shots across the bows of those residents of the Pentagon who may be suffering from technology-centric tunnel vision. The authors (very distinguished bunch, it should be said) warn against the idea that Clausewitzian truths regarding such issues as friction can be discounted thanks to the wonders of technology and indeed make clear that they are as important as ever.

The various case studies work extremely well as concise stand-alone works on their various historical periods, even if RMA is not your hot topic. Especially good are the chapters on the English in the 14th century and on the Battlefleet Revolution (and the inner workings of the Imperial German Navy and the Royal Navy during this period).

This is a well written, interesting book which should annoy all the right people.

Concise overview of military revolutions.......2002-03-11

This book is the volume one should buy if he or she is searching for the best, consise overvue of the history and processes involved in the military innovations of the Western world.

The Heart of Asymmetric Advantage is NOT Technology.......2001-10-28

This is the only serious book I have been able to find that addresses revolutions in military affairs with useful case studies, a specific focus on whether asymmetric advantages do or do not result, and a very satisfactory executive conclusion. This book is strongly recommended for both military professionals, and the executive and congressional authorities who persist in sharing the fiction that technology is of itself an asymmetric advantage.

It merits emphasis that the author's first conclusion, spanning a diversity of case studies, is that technology may be a catalyst but it rarely drives a revolution in military affairs--concepts are revolutionary, it is ideas that break out of the box.

Their second conclusion is both counter-intuitive (but based on case studies) and in perfect alignment with Peter Drucker's conclusions on successful entrepreneurship: the best revolutions are incremental (evolutionary) and based on solutions to actual opponents and actual conditions, rather than hypothetical and delusional scenarios of what we think the future will bring us. In this the authors mesh well with Andrew Gordon's masterpiece on the rules of the game and Jutland: we may be best drawing down on our investments in peacetime, emphasizing the education of our future warfighters, and then be prepared for massive rapid agile investments in scaling up experimental initiatives as they prove successful in actual battle.

The book is noteworthy for its assault on fictional scenarios and its emphasis on realism in planning--especially valuable is the authors' staunch insistence that only honesty, open discussion among all ranks, and the wide dissemination of lessons learned, will lead to improvements.

Finally, the authors are in whole-hearted agreement with Colin Gray, author of Modern Strategy, in stating out-right that revolutions in military affairs are not a substitute for strategy as so often assumed by utopian planners, but merely an operational or tactical means.

This is a brilliant, carefully documented work that should scare the daylights out of every taxpayer--it is nothing short of an indictment of our entire current approach to military spending and organization. As the author's quaintly note in their understated way, in the last paragraph of the book, "the present trend is far from promising, as the American government and armed forces procure enormous arsenals only distantly related to specific strategic needs and operational and tactical employment concepts, while continu[ing], in the immortal words of Kiffin Rockwell, a pilot in the legendary First World War Lafayette Escadrille, to 'fly along, blissfully ignorant, hoping for the best.'"

Lest the above be greeted with some skepticism, let us note the 26 October 2001 award of $200 billion to Lockheed for the new Joint Strike Fighter calls into serious question whether the leadership in the Pentagon understands the real world--the real world conflicts of today--all 282 of them (counting 178 internal conflicts) will require the Joint Strike Fighter only 10% of the time--the other 90% of our challenges demand capabilities and insights the Pentagon is not only not capable of fielding, it simply refuses to consider them to be "real war." Omar Bin Laden beat the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, and he (and others who follow in his footsteps) will continue to do so until we find a military leadership that can lead a real-world revolution in military affairs.... rather than a continuing fantasy in which the military-industrial complex lives on regardless of how many homeland attacks we suffer.

Book Description

The three centuries following the discovery of the New World was a period of unprecedented global expansion, spearheaded by the lusty armies of the imperial European powers. This volume of The Cambridge Illustrated Atlases of Warfare is a lively and elaborately illustrated study of warfare during the early modern period, ranging from the European Renaissance to the American Revolution. Unique color maps and authoritative text illuminate the major military and naval developments that characterized the period. Feature boxes describe key events, important military confrontations, individual tacticians, battle strategies and weapons. Throughout, the author pays particular attention to the effects of European military expansion on the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean. This comprehensive and accessible book about a fascinating and important period will appeal to war buffs and historians alike.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent reference.......2004-01-06

This book, and its companion, covering The Middle Ages, 768-1487 and Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792, though with different authors, form an elegant pair of references. They cover a period that is infrequently covered in much detail, and rarely illustrated with any maps, much less the excellent examples here. My primary use for these books is as aids when reading both history and, even more, historical fiction such as Sharon Kay Penman, Dorothy Dunnett and Neal Stephenson. These authors write intricately plotted tapestries that rely heavily on movements in historical time, but their publishers include only incidental maps. These volumes supply a much needed reference for readers who are not quite au courant with the 3rd Anglo Dutch War, or the rise of Maratha India. The accompanying text gives an adequate survey of the time, but the primary emphasis is `rightly on the illustrated portion. The maps are beautifully designed, and easily deciphered, covering both individual battles and broader strategic concepts.

It's not bad...not great, but not bad.......2001-12-14

This isn't a bad book especially if you are looking for a good, general history of warfare during this time period.

At times the author gets a little heavy handed with the political correctness. For example, he states in the preface how he wanted to move away from the "customary dominance by western European developments". Then on the very next page he says "it is all too easy to take a Eurocentric perspective..."

Whatever. Can't historians just write their books nowadays without having to drag all this PC baggage around with them?

If you can slog through the rhetoric this book isn't so bad.

Not for the Wargamer or Military Historian.......2001-06-25

This Atlas is too general for the Military Historian and wargamer, but is a nice worldwide historical overview. It does have some good political maps, but there are not a lot of them, and they are only snapshots far apart in time. When I think of an Atlas I think of page followed by page of maps. This book is mostly text with many illustrative maps, and lots of non-map pictures. It is not as detailed as some other historical Atlases. I do not mean to disparage this work, it is a very good, very colorful overview, and puts military history in context. It is not however, a book that will provide informative maps for the Military Historian, or gaming enthusiast. Definately a book to check out of the library, It would be a good buy as a color paperback, unfortunately I paid for a hard copy.

Brilliant and provoking.......2000-05-15

Black's clear advantage was that the timeline span of the subject was avoided by most historians, probably because it's difficult to compile into a single piece of work. But, Black have done it in a fashion, arguably, very original than most historical atlases.

The special maps and themes are divided into daunting blocks of adventure and you'll not stop until the last pages. There are new insights into the clashes between Portugal and Utsmani Devlet in and around the Indian Ocean.

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Average customer rating:

The Origins of World War I

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0521817358

Book Description

Why did World War I happen? Several of the oft-cited causes are reviewed and discussed in this analysis. The argument of the alliance systems is inadequate, lacking relevance or compelling force. The argument of an accident or "slide" is also inadequate, given the clear and unambiguous evidence of intentions. The arguments of mass demands focusing on nationalism, militarism, and social Darwinism are also arguably insufficient. They lack indications of frequency, intensity, and process or influence on the various decisions.

The Art of Renaissance Warfare: From the Fall of Constantinople to the Thirty Years War

Average customer rating:

Great Book

The Art of Renaissance Warfare: From the Fall of Constantinople to the Thirty Years War
Stephen Turnbull
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1853676764

Book Description

The Art of Renaissance Warfare tells the story of the knight during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries - from the great victories of Edward III and the Black Prince to the fall of Richard III on Bosworth Field. During this period, new technology on the battlefield posed deadly challenges for the mounted warrior; but they also stimulated change, and the knight moved with the times. Having survived the longbow devastation at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, he emerged triumphant, his armor lighter and more effective, and his military skills indispensable. This was the great age of the orders of chivalry and the freemasonry of arms that bound together comrades and adversaries in a tight international military caste. Such men as Bertrand du Guesclin and Sir John Chandos loom large in the pages of this book - bold leaders and brave warriors, imbued with these traditions of chivalry and knighthood. How their heroic endeavors and the knightly code of conduct could be reconciled with the indiscriminate carnage of the 'chevauchee' and the depradations of the 'free companies' is one of the principal themes of this book.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2006-05-22

I thought that this was truly an interesting book... bought it for a research paper about the fall of Constantinople and expected it to be one of those generic, list-of-what-happened type history books, but it turned out to be very well written and anything BUT a generic book. I personally am interested in late medieval/early Renaissance warfare, so I found this book especially interesting, but I recommend it to anyone!

The Past as Prologue: The Importance of History to the Military Profession

Average customer rating:

A brilliant intellectual defense of the study of military history
Doomed to Repeat History
Good food for thought

The Past as Prologue: The Importance of History to the Military Profession

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 052185377X

Book Description

Exploring the usefulness of the study of history for contemporary military strategists, this volume illustrates the great importance of military history while simultaneously revealing the challenges of applying the past to the present. Essays from authors of diverse backgrounds--British and American, Civilian and Military--present an overwhelming argument for the necessity of the study of the past by today's military leaders in spite of these challenges. Part I examines the relationship between history and the military profession. Part II explores specific historical cases that reveal the repetitiveness of certain military problems.

Customer Reviews:

A brilliant intellectual defense of the study of military history.......2006-08-31

American strategic thought is cyclic. Ever since the end of the Civil War the study of military history has fallen in and out of style, even within U.S. Military War Colleges and Command and Staff Colleges. During the 1960s, the organizational and business accounting theories of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and his "whiz kid" advisors stated that war could be reduced to number crunching and statistical analysis. As a result military history suffered. By the 1980s, military history was reborn with the wide acceptance of the writing of Carl von Clausewitz. The application of his theories played a major part in the complete rebuilding of American military operational art and the success of Operation Desert Storm. By the mid-1990s, the tide began to shift. "New" theorists began to opine on the wonders of "network-centric" warfare and "effects-based operations". Once again the study of history was replaced by computer networks and mathematical formulas.

"The Past as Prologue" is a brilliant defense of the need for military officers and policymakers to continue to vigorous and constant study of military history and resist attempts to reduce warfare to scientific analysis. The book is a collection of essays from some of the top military theorists and historians of our time. The famous historian Michael Howard's essay on the role of military history in warfare is worth the price of the book alone. LtGen Paul Van Riper's essay demonstrates that military history is not for other academics, but was a critical element in his success as a battlefield commander. His respect for the topic lead him to be a major force in the rebirth of professional military education within the United States Marine Corps.

The essays on Thucydides and Clausewitz clearly show their continued relevance in today's post 9/11 world. The second half of the book is a collection of essays that demonstrate how ignoring the lessons of history led to eventual battlefield defeat. While excellent, essays they did seem to drift a bit away from the central themes of the book and often got bogged down in detail.

The first 2/3 of the book were outstanding and should be required reading during the first week of all major defense colleges and universities, not to mention the need for policy makers to take the time to delve into these critical topics.

Doomed to Repeat History.......2006-07-08

We all think that our times are unique. And little makes this as clear as the opening few pages of this book.

After getting rid of the leader of a country, there were difficult challenges in getting a new regime in power -- Panama after Noriega.

There were great difficulties in learning to recognize and deal with an insurgency -- Vietnam.

Couldn't these have taught us something about going into Iraq?

After World War I, the Germans looked for new methods to prevent a repetition of the deadlock of the trenches. The French looked at the trenches of World War I and decided to build the untimate trenches, the Maginot Line.

No senior German leader expressed any doubt about the invasion of Russia until the days began to lengthen, then they looked as some of the memoirs of Napoleon.

This is not to say that learning from history is easy. Douhet learned from World War I that the 'bomber would always get through.' This exactly fit what the bomber boys of the RAF and the US Army Air Corp wanted to hear. And a lot of young men died in the skies over Germany.

This book is a series of historical articles from a wide range of thinkers of and about history. It presents a clear analysis of why history is so important if we are not to keep repeating ourselves.

Good food for thought.......2006-06-13

The editors of this book have put together an outstanding series of essays derived from a conference at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and later presented at the Marine Corps University, Quantico. The book's theme is stated in the subtitle; "The Importance of History to the Military Profession;" its view point is that the study of military history is critical for the military. There are two introductory chapters. The first, by Editor Williamson Murray, argues that only by studying military history can a soldier begin to understand war. Not that there aren't pitfalls and, "for history to be of any use, its very complexities demand skeptical inquiry rather than reliance on a smattering of inevitably oversimplified historical anecdotes." The second chapter, by eminent military historian Sir Michael Howard, argues that only military history can provide contextual understanding for many more conventional historians in explaining many issues, such as the impact of World War's I and II on society.

The rest of the book is divided into two sections; the first focuses on the relationship of military history to the military profession, and the second looks at historical cases that illustrate recurring military problems. The essays rely on academics and on military officers both of whom provide insight into history's role in understanding war. The authors include many familiar names such as LTG (R) Paul Van Riper, USMC, MG (R) Jonathan Bailey, British Army, John Gooch, Colin S. Gray, and the two editors themselves.

If you believe military history allows a better understanding of war, or if you just enjoy military history, this book will give you insight into the positive aspects of the field and its pitfalls - and there are many. At the same time, if you tend to believe today's problems are unique, read the book so that you can find the true path.

The Renaissance at War (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)

Average customer rating:

superb introductory work
A Nice Surprise- fascinating book with excellent graphics
A Very Detailed and Well Crafted Book
Best of the series
A Superbly Written Book

The Renaissance at War (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)
Thomas Arnold
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060891955
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

The Renaissance at War

Toward the end of the fifteenth century, modern artillery and portable firearms became the signature weapons of European armies, radically altering the nature of warfare. The new arms transformed society, too, as cities were built and rebuilt to limit the effects of bombardment by cannon. This book follows these far-reaching changes in comprehensive and fascinating detail and demonstrates how the innovations of the Renaissance paved the way to further changes in warfare.

An in-depth technical look at the weaponry of the age and the tactical drills that honed the skills of Renaissance soldiers
The epic wars abroad between Western Christians and the Muslim Turks Civil strife at home between despotic rulers and rebellious forces
Kingly duels that play out on an international stage

Customer Reviews:

superb introductory work.......2005-06-30

Indeed a very nice book, with a lot of interesting information. The writer avoids the complicated style most historians dealing with the Renaissance prefer, and writes clearly, with regard of and respect to the ones who never have dealt with the complexities of the history of warfare, especially in a period such as this, when the wide use of gunpowder marked a turning point in the style of warfare and the perception of military tactics. Arnold covers every basic aspect of the Renaissance warfare, the decline of the Knight (in that old, medieval sense), the change in styles of fortifications, the change of the role of the general, the use of the artillery, etc, and does so while giving in the same time an accurate account of the main historical events (of military nature, obviously). Thus, the reader has an accurate, viewed from all sides, perspective of the matter. If there were more stars to give, I would definitely give them (!) although one must remember that this is an introductory study, and for particular details and a more in depth analysis there are other books to consider. In all this book is...a great place to start.

A Nice Surprise- fascinating book with excellent graphics.......2002-06-19

First off, I knew nothing about war during the European Renaissance before reading this book, so I went in with pretty low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised- this book is fascinating. Thomas Arnold writes in a very clear style, that is easy to follow. His research is detailed, but he does not bog the reader down with too many minute details.

Also, this book is full of excellent graphics. It has many period prints, maps, tapestry images, and some well done battlefield graphics. I thought this illustrations really helped emphasize many of the author's key points.

This is the first book in the series that I have read, so now I have rather high expectations for the other volumes I purchased with this one. I highly recommend this book to any military history student, or anyone interested in learning more about how warfare changed in Europe during the Renaissance.

A Very Detailed and Well Crafted Book.......2002-01-05

Thomas Arnold is a great writer, and having John Keegan as the editor of could only have helped the text. It is very easy to read and still extremely interesting, covering first the technical evolution of warfare from the 15th to the 17th centuries and then covering the major conflicts of the era.

Added to the strong writing and editing are many computer generated maps of individual battles and some great illustrations, many taken from period tapestries and paintings.

This book is probably the most clear, well-written book available on the subject, while still encompassing many lesser known facets of the Renaissance and even injecting some humor in a couple of passages.

Don't judge it by its textbook appearance and odd dimensions...it is anything but textbook-like and will undoubtedly lead you to buy more of the books in the series.

Best of the series.......2001-06-07

this book is part of the Cassell History of Warfare series that is currently being published and is, in my opinion, one of the best books in this collection (along with Hanson's Wars of the Ancient Greeks and Goldworthy's Roman Warfare). The first half of the book covers the developments on siegecraft, artillery, infantry tactics, and strategy of European armies in the 16th century; the second half covers the history of wars between the Ottoman empire and Europe and between Europeans themselves during the same period. The writing is succinct and informative. The illustrations are well chosen - both relevant and pleasing to the eye. Charts and maps are plentiful. You will enjoy this book.

A Superbly Written Book.......2001-05-16

This book is well worth buying by any history buff or for anyone who appreciates good writing. The author presents his subject clearly and vividly. The arrivial of gunpowder on the medieval scene, the beginnings of battlefield formations and an explanation of siege warfare are all well presented. Mr. Arnold's writing style is flowing and unobtrusive. That together with the beautiful illustrations makes this book a gem. Don't miss it.

Average customer rating:

Recommended reading for students of the Renaissance era.

Artists and Warfare in the Renaissance
J. R. Hale
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0300048408

Customer Reviews:

Recommended reading for students of the Renaissance era........2000-02-04

I have been over the illustrations in this book with a magnifying glass and the level of detail for the large battle scenes is very high and works very well to compare the German and Italian attitudes to both art and war, and to the art of war itself. But this book has a deeper meaning as it explores an explosive confluence in both the technology of war and the artist's ability to represent it, which makes this a very important interdisciplinary work with both a narrow and broad focus.

This makes Hales work which was supported by a number of very respected foundations as interesting to the military historian to the student of intellectual historian. For the matter the historical recreationist or interpreter would find this book a treasure as an idea book that could get him to the nuts and bolts of the period in a very literal sense.

Starting with a contextualizing introduction sections follow dealing with: The German Military Genre; The German Image of The Soldier; Italy Soldiers and Soldiers and Soldiering; North and South Contrasts I; North and South Contrasts II; The Reproduction of the Battle Italy; The Reproduction of the Battle Germany and Switzerland; War and Values The Vocabulary; Soldiers and Religious Art; The Epilogue (Beyond The German and Italian Worlds)

Artists And Warfare In The Renaissance by J.R. Hale Yale University Press is an essential work for any one who seeks to gain a new perspective in their approach to the Renaissance. Hales is as interesting and valid in the first months of the New Millennium as it was when the work was created more than a decade ago.

278 pages with index, bibliography, notes and attribution for each of the 345 of works represented and cited. Many of these works are in color, representing a wide range of media, including but not limited to paintings woodcuts etchings calligraphy, and of course book illustrations.

Book Description

This book examines the developments in military technique and technology which both fueled and resulted from the changing nature of warfare.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful and Succinct.......2005-09-25

Unlike the other critic, I do not think that the language is too ornate. It is written with a professional pen and not a crayon. The author presents many original ideas and conclusions.

My only problem with the book is its citation method. It lists the many sources at the end of the book, but does not link them with the location in the actual reading. This is a problem when trying to check his facts or reference some of his statistics. But he did the research, so I can't justify knocking him down a star for this.

Good survey of critical period in early modern history.......2000-12-27

War and Society attempts to explore the extent to which warfare affected social conventions and vice versa. The author explores a multitide of avenues: weaponry, politics, technological innovation, army composition, state finances, and impact on civilians. His conclusions are somewhat surprising at times, as he does not conclude that war had as great an impact on society as many believe. In fact, society had the greater impact on the conduct of warfare than strictly military factors.

A good amount of detail is provided on recruitment, both of leaders and soldiers, mercenaries, early modern taxation, and effects of warfare on the formation of governments (or lack thereof).

The weakness is that it is a very difficult book to read, with lots of words that will send you to the dictionary and sentences that last eight lines or so with 3 semicolons, 1 colon, and 7 commas. Despite that, if you are interested in getting a somewhat different view and style about the military-social relationships in early modern Europe, this is a good choice.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books