This authoritative work chronicles the thousands of battles, military campaigns, and wars throughout history, from the skirmishes of the first empires of ancient Mesopotamia to the armed conflicts being waged today, ironically, in roughly the same regions of the Middle East. The volume runs a continuous timeline, century by century, identifying the wars fought from generation to ensuing generation. Besides hundreds of absorbing images, the book includes detailed maps with annotations, biographies of kings and generals, and information on the evolution of weapons and their applications. This quick, accessible reference gives readers a much-needed compact history in one volume.