Treasures and Experiences
2 total works
The world's great conquerors blazed trails of blood, havoc and destruction across the pages of world history. Their exploits have excited, appalled and amazed generations of people, and today's readership is no exception. Some conquerors did nothing but pillage, loot and kill. Others set out to create new empires and new civilizations from the lands that they overran. Historians have painted some conquerors as little better than savage beasts devoid of culture or feeling, but others have come down to us as highly civilized individuals bringing culture and the arts in the wake of their conquering armies. "Conquerors" looks at 13 of the most successful empire builders, up to the eighteenth century, that the world has ever seen. Each conqueror is detailed in turn; the scope of their conquests is examined together with the backgrounds to their careers and the results that followed after their deaths.
This title contains special items that include: slide-reveal that turns a rusty archaeological artefact into a gleaming, freshly forged Roman dagger; lift-up flap that reveals the gruesome slash mark of a long sword on a soldier's skull; a mini-guide showing different types of medieval polearms; a booklet featuring medieval fencing tactics; a fold-out blueprint of a medieval catapult; and, a flap revealing a musket ball embedded in a soldier's skull. "Weapons of War" is a bloody and fascinating journey through the past, told through the stories of some of the most famous types of weapon. This fact-packed book looks at 13 legendary weapon categories, from the earliest spears, swords, bows and maces right up to the first guns and cannons. It explains how each weapon developed, who used it and the battles that were won with it - from the conquests of Ancient Rome's sword-wielding legionaries to the devastating victories of 14th-century English longbowmen. Packed with illustrations, photographs and artwork reconstructions, the book immerses the young reader in the reality of warfare in centuries past.