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Product Description
This detailed examination of the way in which the Roman army operated during a war and how it fought a battle breaks away from existing studies, which mostly concentrate on the army in peacetime, and attempts to understand the army as an institution whose ultimate purpose was to wage war. Adrian Goldsworthy explores the influence to the Roman army's organization on its behaviour during a campaign, emphasizing its great flexibility in comparison to most of its opponents. He considers the factors determining the result of a conflict and proposes, contrary to orthodox opinion, that the Roman army was able to adapt successfully to any type of warfare. Following the technique pioneered by John Keegan in The Face of Battle (1976), Dr Goldsworthy builds up a precise picture of what happened during battle: tactics employed, weaponry, leadership, behaviour of individuals as well as groups of soldiers, and, of utmost importance, morale.
About the Author
Adrian Keith Goldsworthy is at University of Wales at Cardiff.
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THE theme of this book is the behaviour and methods of operation of the Roman army. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE theme of this book is the behaviour and methods of operation of the Roman army. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this brilliant book Adrian Goldsworthy asesses the Roman army in one of it's most interesting periods. He does so in the style of John Keegan and later VD Hanson - looking at the experience of battle for the general, the unit and the soldier. This is an art in itself and Goldsworthy pulls it off perfectly. He does for Roman military history what Keegan and Hanson did for their respective periods (the medieval and modern military history of Keegan and the Greek history of Hanson) and he does so with every bit of genius, class and readability of the aforementioned two. No wonder he got the D.Phil - this is historical brilliance!
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have many books on the roman army but this one is by far the best. As the other reader pointed out this book has a completely different approach from the illustrated uniform and equipment guide which is very common. It examines the army from a much more humane perspective, exploring how the roman soldiers acted under the enormous strain of the bloody hand-to-hand combat. I could not praise this work enough. I only hope Mr.Goldsworthy would write onother book on the subject.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I needed to read this book as research for my writing interests. Ordinarily I'm not sure that I would have picked up something quite so specific. I was worried that it would be dry and overly academic but I knew I needed the information inside so I pressed on. How wrong I was. After an initially boring introduction which seemed to confirm my fears, I was treated to something truly engrossing.
One word of warning here. I have given this book five stars but I think it can only be properly appreciated with some prior knowledge of Roman history. Goldsworthy's period stretches three hundred years but he also includes the odd example from outside this period such as the Punic Wars. It is essential therefore to know who the big figures in Roman history were and the order in which they came. Also important is knowledge of what was happening in the Empire at any particular time. If you already know this stuff you will find this book an excellent exploration of an essential aspect of Rome.
The book covers many different facets of the Roman army from its organisation to how it behaved while on campaign; there is even a section detailing Rome's main enemies. Goldsworthy organises his material with skill. Throughout the book he focuses on the army in greater and greater detail until we are pretty much in the shoes of a typical legionary, witnessing the sights and sounds just as he must have done. Goldsworthy goes into some precise detail but this never bogs down his prose. On the contrary, his numerous examples serve to create an extremely vivid picture of what life must have been like in this one of these armies. Of particular note for its drama is how he describes the fighting between opposing infantry; what it must have been like to have been at the frontline cut and thrust and even perhaps stepping into the enemy line itself.
Partly what makes the book so readable are the fantastic stories that Goldsworthy decides to highlight. Here we have Pullo and Vorenus fighting Gauls, completely unassisted in an attempt to bolster the confidence of their troops. There's Labienus riding to enemy lines, taunting them and then having his horse killed from under him. There are challenges of single combat during Titus's campaign in Judea. All of these examples and many more bring us in close contact with the time.
Goldsworthy really knows his stuff, quoting frequently from other historians as well as the ancient writes themselves. His purpose is to think about the Roman army in its own terms and not too infer too much from the behaviour of other forces in different eras. Having said this there are times when he is prepared to use sources from far outside of his period. He does this for specific purpose and to great effect in particular with Victorian data on recognition distances.
There are some good pictures detailing Roman equipment but perhaps some photos would also have been good. The book has an appendix on logistics. Often I am tempted to skip this kind of section but amazingly this is also a good read.
An excellent book. I will definitely check out some more of Goldsworthy's work.
One word of warning here. I have given this book five stars but I think it can only be properly appreciated with some prior knowledge of Roman history. Goldsworthy's period stretches three hundred years but he also includes the odd example from outside this period such as the Punic Wars. It is essential therefore to know who the big figures in Roman history were and the order in which they came. Also important is knowledge of what was happening in the Empire at any particular time. If you already know this stuff you will find this book an excellent exploration of an essential aspect of Rome.
The book covers many different facets of the Roman army from its organisation to how it behaved while on campaign; there is even a section detailing Rome's main enemies. Goldsworthy organises his material with skill. Throughout the book he focuses on the army in greater and greater detail until we are pretty much in the shoes of a typical legionary, witnessing the sights and sounds just as he must have done. Goldsworthy goes into some precise detail but this never bogs down his prose. On the contrary, his numerous examples serve to create an extremely vivid picture of what life must have been like in this one of these armies. Of particular note for its drama is how he describes the fighting between opposing infantry; what it must have been like to have been at the frontline cut and thrust and even perhaps stepping into the enemy line itself.
Partly what makes the book so readable are the fantastic stories that Goldsworthy decides to highlight. Here we have Pullo and Vorenus fighting Gauls, completely unassisted in an attempt to bolster the confidence of their troops. There's Labienus riding to enemy lines, taunting them and then having his horse killed from under him. There are challenges of single combat during Titus's campaign in Judea. All of these examples and many more bring us in close contact with the time.
Goldsworthy really knows his stuff, quoting frequently from other historians as well as the ancient writes themselves. His purpose is to think about the Roman army in its own terms and not too infer too much from the behaviour of other forces in different eras. Having said this there are times when he is prepared to use sources from far outside of his period. He does this for specific purpose and to great effect in particular with Victorian data on recognition distances.
There are some good pictures detailing Roman equipment but perhaps some photos would also have been good. The book has an appendix on logistics. Often I am tempted to skip this kind of section but amazingly this is also a good read.
An excellent book. I will definitely check out some more of Goldsworthy's work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Substantial overview of the greatest every military machine
I agree completely with my fellow reviewers, but found Goldsworthy's style in the earlier parts of the book highly irritating. Read more
Published on 6 Dec 1999 by Victor
Superb, well written.
A very good book, at least the Roman equivalent of "The Western Way of War". It's great to see that it is now available in paperback. Read more
Published on 22 July 1999
Excellent book with one flaw!
I completely agree with everything else posted by the other 2 reviewers. But the book has one flaw: On page 98 Goldsworthy states that the Eagles lost in the Varus disaster in AD... Read more
Published on 5 May 1999
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