The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200 by Adrian Goldsworthy


The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200
Title : The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0198150903
ISBN-10 : 9780198150909
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 328
Publication : First published November 7, 1996

Goldsworthy examines how the Roman army operated on campaign and in battle. He compares the army's organization and strategic doctrine with those of its chief opponents and explores in detail the reality of battle: tactics, weaponry, leadership, and, most of all, the important issue of morale.

The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200 Reviews

  • Katie

    The perfect guide to the Roman Army (100 BC-AD 200), Goldsworthy's book stemmed from his PhD thesis and it shows. Rigorously academic, Goldsworthy discusses six main areas of the Roman Army (The Organisation, The Opposition, The Campaign, The General's Battle, The Unit's Battle, and The Individual's Battle) and offers a view unique to mainly modern scholars, building on John Keegan's methodology in The Face of Battle.

  • Bonnie_blu

    This book is nothing less than a revolutionary analysis of the Roman legions and their auxiliaries at war. Goldsworthy deconstructs current theories about how the Roman legions waged war and shows how comparisons to modern armies leads to erroneous conclusions. He calls for historians to thoroughly consider the individual legionary, the culture within which he lived, the Roman culture as a whole, and specifically how Roman culture viewed war, courage, honor, and glory. A thoroughly riveting read.

    Note: This is a very thorough analysis and is not for an amateur historian or a casual reader. At least a basic knowledge of Latin is needed, as well as, a firm grounding in Roman history, especially as it pertains to the legions, the men who led them, and the wars they fought.

  • Daniel Bennett

    Adrian Goldsworthy is an excellent historian and author. This was his dissertation, and it provides in-depth knowledge on all facets of the Roman Army. It is most useful as a reference book, because of its systematic analysis of the historical data.

  • Philippe

    Not for the faint of heart - this is his thesis paper. Excellent material for those looking for an in-depth study.

  • Benjie Deford

    This is intricate scholarly work for my work in historiography, not NYT beat seller stuff but a wonderful compendium of primary source material organized efficiently.

  • John Somers

    19/20.

  • Endre Fodstad

    The main failing of this book is its conservative approach. There is little genuinely new in it; the myths he tears down were already in ruin when he wrote it and his theories about the roman army are ultimately conventional. It was a decent read, but it isn't fantastic.