History Of Warfare: Roman Warfare

Part of the Cassell 'History Of Warfare' series, a multi-volume history of war and warfare from ancient to modern times.

Roman warfare was relentless in its pursuit of victory. A ruthless approach to Rome's history, creating an Empire that eventually included much of Europe, the Near East and North Africa. What distinguished the Roman army from its opponents was the uncompromising and total destruction of its enemies. Yet this ferocity was combined with a genius for absorbing conquered peoples, creating one of the most enduring empires ever known. This book narrates the history of Roman warfare from 753 BC, the traditional date of the founding of Rome by Romulus, to the eventual decline and fall of the Roman Empire and attempts to recover Rome and Italy from the "barbarians" in the sixth century AD.

The professional Roman Army was the most advanced the world had ever seen, and no comparable force emerged in Europe for over a thousand years after Rome's fall. The army was surprisingly modern, with drill, uniform, organisation and command structure, many aspects of which would be instantly recognisable to modern soldiers. This book expertly chronicles the history of this army throughout the history of Rome and the Roman Empire. It begins with early Rome and the conquest of Italy, then moves on to the epic wars with Carthage and the Hellenistic world and to the great era of world conquest and Empire. The book then covers the period of crises and instability of the third and fourth centuries AD before ending with collapse of Roman power in the West and the resurgence of the Empire in the East.

Throughout the author vividly describes how it was that Roman methods of waging war were so terribly effective in building and then defending the power of Rome. Here is a vivid history of Roman warfare that is an ideal introduction to this fascinating period of military history.