The 12 essays, written by leading specialists in the fields of social and military history, explore the direct and indirect influence exercised by the armed forces on government, society, and politics in Assyria, India, Persia, Greece, and in the Roman Empire. Central themes of the volume are the role played by the army in political takeovers, in maintening polical power, in social hierarchy and mobility, and in the domination and control of occupied territories. "alehrreich und anregend." Historische Zeitschrift