{"title":"Jean Charl Du Plessis","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"seleucid-army-of-antiochus-the-great-book-jean-charl-du-plessis-9781399091794","title":"The Seleucid Army of Antiochus the Great","description":"*The Seleucid Empire was a superpower of the Hellenistic Age, the largest and most powerful of the Successor States, and it's army was central to the maintenance of that power.  Antiochus III campaigned, generally successfully, from the Mediterranean to India, earning the sobriquet 'the Great'.   Jean Charl Du Plessis has produced the most in depth study available in English devoted to the troop types, weapons and armour of Antiochus' army. He combines the most recent historical research and latest archaeological evidence with a strong element of reconstructive archaeology, that is the making and using of replica equipment.   Sections cover the regular, Hellenistic-style core of the army, the auxiliaries from across the Empire and mercenaries, as well as the terror weapons of elephants and scythed chariots. Weapons and armour considered in great detail, including, for example, useful data on the performance of slings and the wounds they could inflict, drawing on modern testing and the author's own experience.   The army's performance in its many battles, sieges and campaigns is analysed and assessed.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49742199226641,"sku":"NGR9781399091794","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53251979542801,"sku":"GOR014833599","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399091794.jpg?v=1751304621"},{"product_id":"light-infantry-of-the-greek-and-roman-world-book-jean-charl-du-plessis-9781399081481","title":"Light Infantry of the Greek and Roman World","description":"Ancient accounts of battle often neglected the role of lightly-armed infantry, presenting the deeds of the heavy infantry, such as Greek hoplites or Roman legionaries, or dashing cavalry charges as the decisive battle winners. This bias was partly due to the light infantry typically being drawn from the poorer sections of society, who could not afford to equip themselves with armour and because they generally fought from a distance, killing from afar with missile weapons, not bravely face-to-face like heroes worthy of recording. Modern research has generally followed this bias.  Dr Jean Charl Du Plessis argues that while light infantry might have had a subordinate role in pitched battles, such clashes were relatively rare occurrences. Most ancient campaigns consisted mostly of foraging, raiding and pillaging of enemy territory, minor skirmishes and ambushes, all roles in which light infantry excelled. In particular they were indispensable for an army traversing mountainous or forested terrain. Moreover, he shows that even in pitched battles they were far from useless and made a valuable contribution, typically harassing the enemy as they deployed and screening friendly battle lines from similar treatment. Some, such as Cretan archers or Balearic slingers were highly sought-after specialists.  Uniquely, the author draws on years of practical experimentation to demonstrate and test the various weapons used: slings, bows and javelins, including the use of the amentum throwing strap. This yields fresh evidence and insights into matters such as range, penetrative power and the level of skill and practice required. Overall, this is a valuable study of these forgotten heroes of ancient warfare.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51070616568081,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51070617747729,"sku":"GOR014168401","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52111204352273,"sku":"NGR9781399081481","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399081489.jpg?v=1751428678"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-jean-charl-du-plessis.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}