The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History - Hardcover

Southern, Pat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1851097309 ISBN 13: 9781851097302

Publisher: Bloomsbury 3PL, 2006

Synopsis

This wide-ranging study of the Roman army covers its political, historical, and social aspects as well as its peacetime occupations and its operation in war. * Contains an appendix detailing the rank structure of the Roman army * Includes illustrations of military equipment, sculptured tombstones, and portraits of generals and emperors * Provides further reading lists at the end of each chapter and a complete bibliography of major works for further research * Offers a glossary of important Latin and Greek terms as well as military and political terminology

About this title

Review:

"Community learning librarian and experienced scholar Pat Southern presents The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History, an in-depth, comprehensive examination of a fighting force that lasted nearly 1,000 years ... A glossary and index round out this fascinating, 'must-have' reference for military historians and scholars of the Roman empire." - Wisconsin Bookwatch

"Southern has written the best general survey in English of the Roman army to appear in at least two decades. Highly recommended. Laymen, students, and scholars alike." - Choice

"This volume is a scholarly look at the Roman army's history, culture, and organization, but is very accessible to high school students." - Library Media Connection

Synopsis:

This wide-ranging study of the Roman army covers its political, historical, and social aspects as well as its peacetime occupations and its operation in war. From city-state to Republic to Empire, Rome's army embodied the nation it protected and expanded. But beyond the battlefield, the Roman army was a fundamental social force as well. It became the first full-time standing army, offering steady pay and pensions, while providing an essential career path for ambitious men from the upper echelons of society. What were the secrets behind the greatest army of all time? "The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History" offers a revealing portrait of a legendary fighting force in peacetime and at war from a soldier's-eye view. Organized thematically, it explores the army's history, culture, and organization, while providing fascinating details of the soldier's daily life and of the army's interactions with citizens, politicians, and the inhabitants of conquered territories.

Written by a leading scholar of Roman military history, "The Roman Army" helps readers appreciate the distinctive traits that helped the army sustain itself for nearly 1,000 years, including its adaptability (soldiers did civilian police and military duty and the army continually modified its tactics and weapons), as well as its training methods, compensation system, strict regimen of punishment and rewards, and its skill at "Romanizing" foreign lands. Readers will also see how historians pieced together their understanding of the army's way of life, drawing on everything from Rome's rich historical record to depictions of military subjects in literature and art.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury 3PL
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1851097309
• ISBN 13: 9781851097302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 398