Ortwin Gamber — Waffe und Rustung Eurasiens. Fruhzeit und Antike: Ein waffenhistorisches Handbuch.

Braunschweig Klinkhardt & Biermann 1978 Bound, cloth with original dustjacket, 431pp., 16,5x24cm., richly illustr. in colour and b/w., in very good condition (dustjacket with some traces of use on the edges, otherwise very good). The book presents a broad overview of weapon systems and protective equipment in Eurasia from the earliest archaeological periods to the ancient world. The author discusses various categories of weapons such as swords, spears, daggers, bows and melee weapons, as well as various forms of armour including helmets, shields and body armour. The study analyses the development of materials and construction techniques, the spread of military innovations between cultures, and the relationship between armament and social organisation. In addition, the work examines iconographic and archaeological sources that provide insight into military equipment in different civilisations, drawing comparisons between regions in Europe, the Near East, and Central Asia. Through a combination of extensive illustrations and analytical descriptions, the handbook offers an in-depth reconstruction of the evolution of armament and military technology in antiquity. Ortwin Gamber was an Austrian weapons historian and curator who became internationally renowned for his research into historical weapons and military equipment. He was affiliated with museum collections and scientific institutions specialising in weaponry and the material culture of warfare. Gamber published numerous studies and catalogues on weapons and armour from different periods and regions and is considered an important specialist in the field of historical weaponry and military archaeology. His work combines precise analysis of objects with historical and archaeological research.