ARMY OF THE ROMAN EMPERORS

This impressive volume is an invaluable resource for specialists and amateurs alike who want to know the details of Roman armour, the different configurations of forts and battle formations, their methods and approaches to waging war, and our sources of evidence in iconography, written records and archaeology. A major objective of this comprehensive account is to be a resource for re-enactment groups, film makers and video gamers. Our 21st century culture takes its idea of the Roman army from Trajan's column in 100 AD, which is not typical of soldiers for most of the imperial period. The army of the Roman empire consisted of only half a million professional soldiers, assisted by non-citizen auxiliaries in the provinces. Legions of 5-6000 men were divided into ten cohorts, which in battle were deployed side by side and three deep. Their main role was defence of the frontiers, and their disciplined training and leadership, together with arms and equipment superior to that of their opponents, meant that a small force could keep control. The empire also had a good infrastructure of roads, camps and forts, facilitating rapid movement of men and supplies. In the 4th century AD the fragmentation of the empire and internal rivalries between claimants to imperial power created the need for a domestic as well as frontier force. In this wide-ranging book an introduction to the army is followed by fully illustrated chapters on operational detail. A section on types of helmet includes five variants on the Montefortino type with a knobbed crown, some cast in one piece and others with ornamentation added later. Spears, daggers, greaves, shields and other hardware are described. Camps and forts have many variant ground plans, and featured examples include not only those on the European frontier such as Nijmegen or Numantia in Spain but also border forts in the United Kingdon such as Caerleon and Inchtuthill. An essential resource. With over 600 illustrations of the costumes, weapons and equipment. 22.9 x 28.6cm, 416pp, drawings and photos on most pages.