Brill's Companion to Courage and Cowardice in Ancient Warfare: 12

Courage and Cowardice in Ancient Mediterranean Warfare reexamines the ideological concepts behind the emotional, psychological, and physical demands of the ancient battlefield, problematizing traditionally dichotomous interpretations of human behavior in ancient Mediterranean military contexts. This volume contains contributions from global experts on the nature of military courage and cowardice in ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt. Using ground-breaking concepts in human emotions (including fear), behavior (bravery, boldness, recklessness, flight), and motivation (tangible and intangible rewards), the book problematizes traditional dichotomies associated with expected reactions to danger on the battlefield. In analyses of historiography, epic, epigraphy, numismatics, philosophy, and myth, authors demonstrate that no individual was impervious to the stresses of ancient battle. Most importantly, the volume encourages a new paradigmatic continuum for understanding the range of these conceptual terms in ancient military history.