Classical & Archaeological Studies alumnus Simon Elliott has published a new book titled Old Testament Warriors: The Clash of Cultures in the Ancient Near East (Casemate, 2020).
The age of the biblical warrior was one of both great technological development and innovation in warfare, and clashes between competing cultures in the ancient Middle East. The Sumerians were the first to introduce the use of bronze into warfare, and were centuries ahead of the Egyptians in the use of the wheel. The Assyrians developed chariot warfare and set the standard for a new equine-based military culture. The Babylonians had an army whose people were granted land in return for army service.
Beginning in approximately 3000 BC with the Sumerians, this short history gives an overview of warfare and fighting in the age of the Old Testament and explains what light archaeology can shed on events in the Bible such as the famous ‘walls came tumbling down’ in the battle of Jericho, David the boy warrior who later faced the Philistines in two crucial battles, and Gideon whose military skills enabled him to defeat an army that vastly outnumbered his own.
Simon was awarded his PhD from the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies in 2017, during which he studied the military presence in Britain during the Roman occupation (with a particular focus on the Classis Britannica regional fleet). In spring 2020 he participated in a panel discussion with other Kent graduates to share expertise, in ‘Working in Writing and Publishing‘, as part of a joint event with the School of English.