"There is a conceit among many contemporary military theorists that logistics, that is the art and science of supplying an army with equipment and supplies in a timely fashion, was invented in modern times, and that pre-modern armies simply "lived off the land". This view of the primitive nature of military supply also has been accepted by many specialists in medieval European history,"
"However, it is now understood by most specialists in medieval military history that warfare in the millennium following the dissolution of the Roman Empire in the west was dominated by efforts to defend and capture fortifications. Armies engaged in this type of warfare necessarily were large and had to be kept in the field for lengthy periods. Moreover, the troops generally were deployed near the fortresses that were under siege and thus supplies located in the area were consumed quite rapidly."
Early medieval warfare involved careful planning, detailed reports, and royal officials who turned administration into an essential weapon of war. Many modern theorists assume logistics are a modern invention and that pre-modern armies simply lived off the land, and some historians have promoted a 'dark age' model of societal decline and small raiding bands. Warfare after the Roman west focused on defending and capturing fortifications. Sieges required large forces to remain in the field for long periods and consumed local supplies rapidly. Sustaining sieges demanded extensive logistical preparations and timely information gathered months before campaigns.
Read at Medievalists.net
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