Excavations at Dura-Europos 1928-1937

James (archaeology, U. of Leicester, UK), whose PhD dissertation was on this material, has written a thorough account of the Roman and other arms and armor that were discovered at Dura Europos, a Roman site abandoned in the 3d century AD following a siege by the Sasanian Persians. The book, which is well illustrated with b&w and some color plates, is divided into three parts. In the first, the discovery of the artifacts, the historical context, and the physical context of the finds are described. The second section is devoted to the artifacts themselves, with description of each type--including military dress, armor, horse armor, helmets, edged weapons, shields, shafted weapons, bows and arrows, and torsion artillery--and a catalog with drawings and descriptive entries on each piece. The third section contains a concluding discussion of the use, manufacture, and repair of the equipment; evidence for the use of the equipment in combat; and other themes. An extensive bibliography, concordance, and indexes are included. This is a paper reprint of the 2004 original. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)