The
Strategikon of Maurice was written by the
Byzantine Emperor Maurice (582-602) and is a handbook designed to help a field commander. As well as providing military
strategies and
tactics it also serves as a guide on how to
manage the
provisioning,
marching,
medical care,
military law necessary to keep an
army in top fighting form. It really is full of facinating descriptions of weapons, marches, drills, formations and other details found nowhere else (supposedly it is the first manual to mention the use of
stirrups for
cavalry). For example :-
"Each
squad should have a
tent, as well as
sickles and
axe to meet any
contingency. It is well to have the tents of the
Avar type, which combine
practicality with good appearance.."
He also said it is often preferable to strike the enemy "by means of deceptions or raids
or hunger" instead of open battle.
I'm sure much of what he says is still relevant today....But aside from it's military value, it is of huge importance to
historians and
ethnologists, as it goes into great detail over many aspects of normal 6th-7th century life, as well as providing
eye-witness reports of the
Persians,
Slavs,
Lombards, and
Avars.
Dennis, G.T., Maurice's Strategikon. Handbook of Byzantine military strategy (Philadelphia 1984) 178p.