Introduction. Historiography ; Methodological and theoretical approaches ; Sources and limitations ; Structure of the argument
An age of transition : from the fall of the Roman West to the early middle ages. From late Roman to "barbarian" poliorcetics ; From emergency measures to new institutions ; Where did all the Romans go? The military implications of ethnogenesis ; Conclusion : from emergency measures to medieval institutions
East Rome to Byzantium : survival and renewal of military institutions. Continuity and change in East Roman warfare and society, 450-800 ; Organization of siege warfare : the army ; The many faces of East Roman siege warfare : the example of the Anastasian War ; Organization of siege warfare : the militarization of society ; Conclusion
The successor states in the West : Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and Lombards. The Ostrogoths, 493-554 ; The Visigoths in Spain, 508-711 ; The Lombards
The last legions on the Rhine : siege warfare in the Frankish kingdoms. Frankish warfare and military organization in the 6th century ; The 7th century : ascendancy of military followings and proprietal warfare ; The Carolingian ascendancy in the 8th century ; Conclusion
The anatomy of a siege : tactics and technology. Siege strategy and tactics : basic definitions ; Siege tactics ; Defensive responses ; Conclusion : towards a thick description of sieges
The anatomy of a siege : economy, society and culture. The topographies of a siege ; The urban community at war ; Ending the siege ; Conclusion : deconstructing, or reconstructing, thin sources
Appropriation of military infrastructure and knowledge. The Hunnic, Persian and Visigothic templates ; The Balkans, 530-825 : from client assimilation to conquest appropriation and back ; The Arabs and Islam : Appropriating and domesticating the late antique system ; Conclusion : from appropriation to domestication
Diffusion of the traction trebuchet. State of the question : historiography and technical aspects ; The philological evidence ; The diffusion of the traction trebuchet : the historical context ; Epilogue
Appendix one : Reconstructing the Arab invasion of Palestine and Syria from contemporary sources and the importance of Arab siege warfare
Appendix two : 'Iyad ibn-Ghanm's invasion of Armenia in 640 and the Arab capacity for storming cities without heavy siege engines
Appendix three : Arab grand strategy, 663-669 : 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid's invasion, Saporios' revolt, and the battle for Anatolia.