Romans at War: The Roman Military in the Republic and Empire

by Simon Elliott

A comprehensive guide to this remarkable ancient fighting “Groundbreaking insights into the Roman military . . . sumptuously illustrated.” —Love ReadingThe Roman military machine was pre-eminent in ancient times, projecting power across the known world over a vast chronology, and an increasingly huge and diverse geography. One of the most powerful instruments of war in the history of conflict, it proved uniquely adept at learning from setbacks, always coming back the stronger for it. In so doing, it displayed two of the most important traits associated with the world of Rome. Firstly grit, that key ability to remain steadfast and to overcome adversity even in the most challenging of circumstances, as faced for example by the Republic in the Second Punic War against Hannibal. Secondly, the ability to copy the successful technical and tactical innovations of their enemies, enabling the Roman military to always stay one step ahead of its opponents on campaign and in battle.In this grand tour, covering every aspect of the Roman military, leading expert Dr. Simon Elliott first provides a detailed background to the Roman Republic and Empire to provide context for all that follows. He then looks specifically at the Roman military in its three key chronological the Republic, the Principate Empire, and the Dominate Empire. Next he forensically examines specific instances of the Roman military on campaign and in battle, and of its engineering prowess. Finally, he investigates the many enemies faced by the Roman Republic and Empire. This all provides a firm structure to enable the reader to come to grips with this incredible military machine, one whose exploits still resonate in the world to this very day.

Genres: History

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2022

Reviews

[Charles Inglin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with reading Roman history is there's so much of it. Besides being a study of the Roman war machine and how it changed and adapted over the centuries, this book gives a fairly decent high level overview of the three phases Rome went through, the Republic, the Principate and the Dominate. Two things become very apparent very quickly. The Romans were very logical and methodical in organizing and equipping the legions. When they saw a weapon or tactic their opponents used, if it worked they were quick to adopt, adapt and improve on it. The Roman army constantly changed to meet threats and deal with new opponents. The other outstanding characteristic was their "grit." If the Romans suffered a defeat, they didn't give up. They regrouped, reorganized, figured out what went wrong, and came back for another try.

Besides their primary role in defended and expanding the empire, the Roman army acquired a secondary role. As the largest organized, disciplined and trained men in the empire they were frequently employed in engineering and administrative functions. The Roman civil service was quite small and frequently all on the services of Army officers to assist them as administrators. Whenever there was a problem, the Army was where a Roman civil servant looked for help. Somewhat like the Army Corps of Engineers today, but with much broader scope.

In format the book falls somewhere between a textbook and a coffee table boo. It's beautifully illustrated while the text is concise and scholarly. The only thing that detracts from it is occasional lapses in the editing that allowed a few too many typos to slip through.

[Richard Worden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative.

[Patrick J Granigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kindle copy

Did not finish. Very small type and Kindle function to increase will not function for the book. Saw too late another's warning.