Grand unified books thread

[Jacob]

Got a few books recently:

Viking-Age War Fleets: Shipbuilding, resource management and maritime warfare in 11th-century Denmark by Morten Ravn

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Archaeology and the Sea: in Scandinavia and Britain by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen

Very interesting topics those, Jacob.

Short reviews after you've done with them?

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Gardela does a thorough review of the evidence for armed women in Viking Age Scandinavia. He covers the archeological record - especially graves (including the much discussed grave Bj 581 from Birka), but also other parts of the material culture - as well as the historical record - the various categories of sagas, chronicles, travellers' accounts, and contemporary evidence in neighbouring cultures. He offers multiple possible interpretations for the evidence considering the wider context, before finally engaging in some comparisons with "armed women" in other places and times. ​

When it comes to interpretation, Gardela is very diligent in explaining why every piece of evidence could be interpreted as something other than warrior women. In the end his conclusion is something like "we don't have clear evidence for actual warrior women in viking society, but the concept of them was embedded in viking culture."

The book is - as expected - excellent in terms of laying out the record, an overview of the preceding scholarship, and the various interpretation challenges. It's solid enough that you can see how arguments that warrior women were a historical reality to some extent during the viking age are argued.

The cross cultural section on "women with weapons" is an interesting addition  - in particular the bit on cross-dressing Dutch women during the age of Empire and the warrior women of Dahomey (both of which I knew little of).

[Habbaku]

I'm about 100 pages or so in to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy, about the EIC and its rise to power and pseudo-statehood. Great reading so far, given that Dalrymple has focused almost exclusively on the affairs of the Indian states to this point. 

[Admiral Yi]

What's EIC?

[Jacob]

What's EIC?

East India Company, I expect.

[Habbaku]

Yes, specifically the English/British East India Company, though the VOC (Dutch) and the French EIC both have supporting roles.

[The Brain]

Got a few books recently:

Viking-Age War Fleets: Shipbuilding, resource management and maritime warfare in 11th-century Denmark by Morten Ravn

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Archaeology and the Sea: in Scandinavia and Britain by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen

Very interesting topics those, Jacob.

Short reviews after you've done with them?

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Gardela does a thorough review of the evidence for armed women in Viking Age Scandinavia. He covers the archeological record - especially graves (including the much discussed grave Bj 581 from Birka), but also other parts of the material culture - as well as the historical record - the various categories of sagas, chronicles, travellers' accounts, and contemporary evidence in neighbouring cultures. He offers multiple possible interpretations for the evidence considering the wider context, before finally engaging in some comparisons with "armed women" in other places and times. ​

When it comes to interpretation, Gardela is very diligent in explaining why every piece of evidence could be interpreted as something other than warrior women. In the end his conclusion is something like "we don't have clear evidence for actual warrior women in viking society, but the concept of them was embedded in viking culture."

The book is - as expected - excellent in terms of laying out the record, an overview of the preceding scholarship, and the various interpretation challenges. It's solid enough that you can see how arguments that warrior women were a historical reality to some extent during the viking age are argued.

The cross cultural section on "women with weapons" is an interesting addition  - in particular the bit on cross-dressing Dutch women during the age of Empire and the warrior women of Dahomey (both of which I knew little of).

I enjoyed this review. Might get the book.

[mongers]

Got a few books recently:

Viking-Age War Fleets: Shipbuilding, resource management and maritime warfare in 11th-century Denmark by Morten Ravn

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Archaeology and the Sea: in Scandinavia and Britain by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen

Very interesting topics those, Jacob.

Short reviews after you've done with them?

Women & Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North by Leszek Gardela

Gardela does a thorough review of the evidence for armed women in Viking Age Scandinavia. He covers the archeological record - especially graves (including the much discussed grave Bj 581 from Birka), but also other parts of the material culture - as well as the historical record - the various categories of sagas, chronicles, travellers' accounts, and contemporary evidence in neighbouring cultures. He offers multiple possible interpretations for the evidence considering the wider context, before finally engaging in some comparisons with "armed women" in other places and times. ​
.....

Jacob, thank you for the review; sounds intriguing.

[Sheilbh]

I'm about 100 pages or so in to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy, about the EIC and its rise to power and pseudo-statehood. Great reading so far, given that Dalrymple has focused almost exclusively on the affairs of the Indian states to this point. 

Just got this - planning to read the Company Quartet. But won't get to it for a bit.

[Habbaku]

I'm about 100 pages or so in to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy, about the EIC and its rise to power and pseudo-statehood. Great reading so far, given that Dalrymple has focused almost exclusively on the affairs of the Indian states to this point. 

Just got this - planning to read the Company Quartet. But won't get to it for a bit.

I think I may end up doing the same after I clear a few from my reading pile.

[The Brain]

Finished Ancient Rome Infographics, by Guillerat et al. The Roman state is presented in infographics form, in three areas: 1) The Lands and People of the Empire 2) Government, Worship and Social Needs, and 3) Rome's Military Might. Obviously population numbers and similar are estimates when it comes to the ancient world, and they are very clear about this in the introduction. They are also clear on why they don't cover for instance art and literature. I like the format, and I've always liked infographics (especially 19th/early 20th century ones), I think the book is a nice addition to what's written on Rome. Some pages are not easily digested at a quick glance, but that's as it should be I think, there's a lot of info in some of them.

[jimmy olsen]

I think my favorite Roman infographic is that online digital atlas.

[Jacob]

Finished Ancient Rome Infographics, by Guillerat et al. The Roman state is presented in infographics form, in three areas: 1) The Lands and People of the Empire 2) Government, Worship and Social Needs, and 3) Rome's Military Might. Obviously population numbers and similar are estimates when it comes to the ancient world, and they are very clear about this in the introduction. They are also clear on why they don't cover for instance art and literature. I like the format, and I've always liked infographics (especially 19th/early 20th century ones), I think the book is a nice addition to what's written on Rome. Some pages are not easily digested at a quick glance, but that's as it should be I think, there's a lot of info in some of them.

That sounds pretty cool

[Gups]

I'm about 100 pages or so in to William Dalrymple's The Anarchy, about the EIC and its rise to power and pseudo-statehood. Great reading so far, given that Dalrymple has focused almost exclusively on the affairs of the Indian states to this point. 

His City of Djinns is outstanding. I wasn't hugely impressed by White Mughals though and haven't picked up anything else by him since. I'll give this a try - it's certainly a very interesting area of history.

[Habbaku]

Thus far, it's definitely the tidiest narrative of that era of the EIC that I've read. He keeps everything flowing properly, doesn't confuse the reader with too many terms at the same time, and has been doing an excellent job of putting the Company's actions in context of what's going on with the rest of India.

[Malthus]

Thus far, it's definitely the tidiest narrative of that era of the EIC that I've read. He keeps everything flowing properly, doesn't confuse the reader with too many terms at the same time, and has been doing an excellent job of putting the Company's actions in context of what's going on with the rest of India.

Well, I'm sold. It's an interesting area of history that I don't know much about.