The Roman Art of War

Stroud, UK: Tempus Publishing Ltd. Very Good/Very Good. 1999. First Edition. Hard Cover. Sm 4to 0752414224 Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Black cloth covered boards with bright gilt titling on spine. Previous owner's details on f. paste down. 192 pages clean and tight. The Roman army is recognised as one of the most effective fighting machines that the world has ever seen. However, the senior officer corps of the Roman army was essentially amateur, made up of aristocratic men pursuing political careers. What then was the secret of the Romans' success? According to the Greek historian Polybius, the successful general relied on personal experience, on the example of past generals and on textbooks. Since the latter offered a significant contribution to the training of Roman commanders, Kate Gilliver provides the first comprehensive study of military theory - as well as practice - in the late Republic and early Empire. She draws not just on the ancient textbooks (in particular Frontinus' Stratagems and Vegetius' Epitome), but makes use of other contemporary literary evidence (by non-Romans such as the Jewish writer Josephus as well as by Romans) and on the wealth of archaeological evidence for military activity. In five central chapters Dr Gilliver looks in detail at all aspects of the Roman army: at its organisation, the order of march, temporary encampments, pitched battles and siege warfare. These chapters reveal the army's very flexible organisation and skills, as well as its discipline. A mediocre general could get by with essential published knowledge and with the advice and experience of his officers; the great general, as the first-century Greek writer Onasander implies and as Julius Caesar was very aware, would know when to move beyond the recommendations of textbooks and trust to his own imagination and inspiration. The book also contains a fine range of illustrations, an Appendix of all the key Roman military treatises, a translation of Arrian's Order of March against the Alans and a full Glossary of key technical terms. The complete work will command a wide international readership, particularly among military historians, archaeologists and wargamers. .