War and Society in Imperial Rome, 31 BC-AD 284

Warfare and History

by Brian Campbell

This well-documented study of the Roman army provides a crucial aid to understanding the Roman Empire in economic, social and political terms. Employing numerous examples, Brian Campbell explores the development of the Roman army and the expansion of the Roman Empire from 31 BC-280 AD.
When Augustus established a permanent, professional army, this implied a role for the Emperor as a military leader. Warfare and Society in Imperial Rome examines this personal association between army and emperor, and argues that the Emperor's position as commander remained much the same for the next 200 years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2002

Reviews

[Les]

Part of Routledge's Warfare and History series, Campbell's work is a brilliant introduction to the role the Roman army played during the Imperial period. He outlines how Augustus' role in creating a permanent, professional army which he controlled as the emperor set the course for the next 300 years. Campbell is strong across the whole range of issues, and is particularly good at setting out the economic impact of the army, its political role, and the use of ideology to celebrate both the emperor and Rome's military triumphs. An excellent survey.

[EAL]

Roma! I skimmed this book for the parts about Augustus for my class project. The Roman army fulfilled a lot of contradictory roles--internationalization and homogenization, war and peace, &c.