The Complete Roman Army
by Adrian Goldsworthy
List Price:
Our Price: $29.03
You Save: $10.92 (27%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $15.96 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Adrian GoldsworthyEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10-27
ISBN: 0500051240
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Book Reviews of The Complete Roman Army
Book Review: Best One-Volume Work on the Subject Available
Summary: 5 Stars
My first impression on receiving this book was that at 214 pages it was far too short to be considered a "complete" history of the Roman Army. However, Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy is one of the finest Roman-era historians writing today and he packs a considerable amount of detail into this slim volume. Although the volume is primarily a synthesis of other existing works, Goldsworthy has taken the best materials - including recent archaeological research from Kalkriese in Germany - to provide a very balanced portrait of this subject. Furthermore, The Complete Roman Army has a very high graphic quality, with beautiful color photographs of uniforms, reconstructed and ruined fortifications, weapons and locations. Indeed, this book is easily the best one-volume work available on the Roman Army today.
The Complete Roman Army consists of five major sections: the Republican Army (25 pages), the professional army (29 pages), the life of a Roman soldier (87 pages), the army at war (35 pages) and the army of late antiquity (14 pages). Goldsworthy covers numerous topics, including recruitment, daily routines, rewards and punishments, religion, retirement, equipment, rank structure and off-duty behavior. In essence, this represents a "handbook" on the Roman army. The author also includes order of battle data on the Roman Army, maps of garrison locations, layouts of camps and sidebars on major battles like Pharsalus and the defeat of Boudicca. Although some readers might wish greater detail than Goldsworthy can provide on some subjects, the author's extensive bibliography does point to other sources for expanded information. All in all, Goldsworthy's synthesis and condensation of so much information into such a small space is impressive.
Goldsworthy's discussion of Roman battle tactics follows in the tracks of his earlier works on the subject and I do find some gaps in his otherwise superb analysis. Goldsworthy never really explains how the Romans were so often victorious in the close battle; in previous books, Goldsworthy suggested that it was a handful of "extra-aggressive" soldiers who "broke into the enemy line" but in this book he leaves it more vague. While Goldsworthy notes the importance of the reserve in a Roman army, he doesn't discuss how it was used to win battles. Furthermore, he uses literary evidence from Caesar's commentaries to suggest that Roman soldiers charged at their enemies, hurling their pilum at 10-15 meters and then crashed into their line. The idea that a soldier could run with armor and scutum, throw a javelin, then draw his sword while maintaining linear order with the soldiers on his right and left in the space of perhaps 6-10 seconds is absurd. Indeed, the idea of running with a large rectangular shield like the scutum seems pretty absurd. Given the Roman emphasis on tight discipline and the need to use the shields to cover the front rank, I think it far more like that Roman infantry advanced methodically.
In the final section, Goldsworthy spends little effort discussing the role of the army in Rome's decline and fall. While the author does mention the army's role in causing political instability in the empire and the difficulty its smaller units had in defeating Barbarian invasions, he dismisses the "Barbarization" theory and delves no further into examining the decline. Yet it is clear from the sources and evidence we have available that the Roman Army did decline in quality toward the end and that it was up against tougher opposition (Goldsworthy never mentions the Goths, Ostrogoths, Vandals or Huns). The Roman military system was based on a high level of tactical organization, skill and discipline - all of which apparently declined over time and contributed to their eventual defeat.
Summary of The Complete Roman Army
?An outstanding general study of the Roman military system. . . . The best one-volume treatment of the subject now in existence.??Historian
The Roman army was one of the most successful fighting forces in history. Its organization and tactics were highly advanced and were unequaled until the modern era. Spectacular monuments to its perseverance and engineering skill are still visible today, most notably Hadrian?s Wall and the siegeworks around the fortress of Masada.This book is the first to examine in detail not just the early imperial army but also the citizens? militia of the Republic and the army of the later Empire. The unprecedented scope and longevity of Roman military success is placed in the context of ordinary soldiers? daily lives, whether spent in the quiet routine of a peaceful garrison or in arduous campaign and violent combat. Key battles and tactics are described, and there are brief biographies of the great commanders.
Drawing on archaeology, ancient art, and original documentary sources, this book presents the most convincing history ever published of the Roman army. 245 illustrations, 107 in color
Rome Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Rome Books
The Praetorship in the Roman Republic: 2 Volume Setby T. Corey Brennan
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2000-12-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $225.00
Water Baby: The Story of Alvinby Victoria A. Kaharl
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1990-10-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.95
Price in other shops:
The Roman Empire, 27 B.C.-A.D. 476: A Study in Survivalby Chester G. Starr
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1982-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $124.95
The Madness of Nero (Penguin Epics)by Tacitus
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2006-12-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.02
Price in other shops:
Christians & the Fall of Rome (Great Ideas)by Edward Gibbon
Penguin Books; Published: 2004-09-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.02
Dialogues and Letters (Penguin Classics)by Seneca
Penguin Classics; Published: 1997-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives (Penguin Classics)by Plutarch, Rex Warner, Robin Seager
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics; Published: 1954-02-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops:
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Penguin Classics)by Edward Gibbon
Penguin Classics; Published: 1983-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops:
Meditations (Penguin Classics)by Marcus Aurelius
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics; Published: 2006-10-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
The Civil War of Caesar (Penguin Classics)by Julius Caesar
Penguin Classics; Published: 1976-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome (Roman Legions)by Stephen Dando-Collins
Wiley; Published: 2004-09-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Romeby Stephen Dando-Collins
Wiley; Published: 2002-01-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
Roman Military Equipment: From The Punic Wars To The Fall Of Romeby M C Bishop and J C N Coulston
Oxbow Books; Published: 2006-06-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.88
Price in other shops:
On Roman Military Matters; A 5th Century Training Manual in Organization, Weapons and Tactics, As Practiced by the Roman Legionsby Vegetius
Red and Black Publishers; Published: 2008-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops:
Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legionby Stephen Dando-Collins
Quercus Books; Published: 2010-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $37.96
Price in other shops:
Roman Legionary 58 BC-AD 69by Ross Cowan
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2003-06-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.86
Price in other shops:
Roman Battle Tactics 109BC-AD313 (Elite)by Ross Cowan
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2007-07-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.85
Price in other shops:
Roman Warfare (Phoenix Press)by Adrian Goldsworthy
Phoenix; Published: 2007-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.06
Price in other shops:
Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual (Unofficial Manuals)by Philip Matyszak
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2009-06-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.37
Price in other shops:
The Roman Army: The Greatest War Machine of the Ancient World (General Military)by Chris McNab
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2010-06-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.96
Price in other shops: