I. P. Stephenson

Viking is such a vivid word, steeped in imagery and blood. The Viking Age began and ended in England. Its first act in AD 789 was a murder on a beach in Dorset; its last, some two and a half centuries later, was the crowning of a Dane in London as king of a united England. In between, the Vikings waged war on four continents, they besieged London, Paris and Constantinople, founded Russia and the Duchy of Normandy and very nearly snuffed out Anglo-Saxon England. Yet these days they are seen more as traders and explorers than as warriors. This new history returns the Vikings to their former position as the scourge of Christendom.

The Viking Age began and ended in England. Its first act in AD 789 was a murder on a beach in Dorset; its last, some two and a half centuries later, was the crowning of a Dane in London as king of a united England. In between, the Vikings waged war on four continents; they besieged London, Paris and Constantinople, founded Russia and the Duchy of Normandy and very nearly snuffed out Anglo-Saxon England. Yet these days they are seen more as traders and explorers than as warriors. This groundbreaking new work seeks to return the Vikings to their former position as the scourge of Christendom by providing the first comprehensive survey of Viking warfare in all of its forms. As a result of the quality of the primary source material, England is used as the lens through which to view the Viking art of war, although the impact of Eastern and Byzantine influences is not ignored. In the process, traditional beliefs regarding the Icelandic sagas and the role of berserkirs are challenged. Thus alongside arms and armour this study looks at tactics, formations and all aspects of combat from raiding and siege warfare, to pitched battles on land and at sea. Ian Stephenson is a specialist in Roman and Early Medieval warfare. He has lectured and published widely on these topics, most recently in the forthcoming Blackwell Encyclopaedia of the Roman Army.

A history of Roman cavalry equipment

For the Anglo-Saxons the shield, more than any other piece of armour or weaponry, epitomised the warrior. Using the full range of archaeological, representational, literary and comparative sources, Ian Stephenson describes both the construction, decoration and use of their shields and is then able to throw considerable new light on the art of war in the Anglo-Saxon period. The book also contains a complete list of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries.

As a result of both internal and external pressures on the Empire, the third century was a period of transition and transformation for the Roman army. It saw changes in its role, organization and equipment. Having looked briefly at the role and the tactical organisation of the army, I. P. Stephenson deals systematically with defensive equipment such as helmets, body armor, and shields, and offensive equipment such as spears, swords, javelins, and slings. He also considers how each piece of equipment was used--not just how it looked.

As a result of both internal and external pr essure on the empire, the 3rd century was a period of transi tion and transformation for the Roman army. This book looks at changes in the equipment they used both in how they were used and looked. '