The work is a practical manual and according to its author "a rather modest elementary handbook [...] for those devoting themselves to generalship", that was to serve as a general guide or handbook to
Byzantine art of war. In the introduction of his 1984 translation of the text,
George Dennis noted that "the Strategikon is written in a very straightforward and generally uncomplicated Greek." The
Strategikon may have been written in an effort to codify the
military reforms brought about by the soldier-emperor Maurice. The true authorship of the
Strategikon is still debated among academics. Maurice may have only commissioned it and perhaps his brother
Peter or, more likely, another general was the true author. The date also remains debated. If it was written during the 6th century, the
Strategikon may have been produced to analyze and reflect on the experience of the
Balkan and
Persian campaigns, or the campaigns may have been carried out in compliance with the manual. However, beginning in the late 19th century, a number of historians have, due to perceived
philological and technological inconsistencies, argued for a later publication date during the eighth or ninth century. In any case, the work is considered to be one of the most notable military texts of the medieval Byzantine period, along with treatises attributed to the Byzantine emperors
Leo VI (
Tactica) and
Nicephorus Phocas (
De velitatione and the
Praecepta Militaria), among others. Leo's
Tactica in particular was greatly inspired by the
Strategikon. The text consists of 12 chapters or "books" on various aspects of strategy and tactics, employed by the Byzantine army during the 6th and 7th century A.D. Its contents primarily focus on cavalry tactics and formation and several chapters elaborate on matters of infantry,
siege warfare,
logistics,
education and training and movement. The author was familiar with antique Hellenistic military treatises, especially
Onasander and
Aelian, which he utilized as conceptional models rather than sources of content. Each book focuses on a generic topic. Several levels of subsections go into further detail and include maps. These maps are mainly sketches and drawings to show essential symbols of troop positions and highlight the standard designs of formation and manoeuvre of the Byzantine military of the epoch. Books seven and eight tackle with practical advice for the commander in the form of instructions and
military maxims. The eleventh book is of interest for
ethnographers as it portrays various enemies of the Byzantine Empire, such as the
Franks, the
Lombards, the
Avars, the
Turks and the
Slavs. The
Strategikon also represents and refers to
military justice and Byzantine legal literature, since it contains a list of military infractions and their respective penalties. ==Contents==