ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE IMPERIAL ROMAN SOLDIER: From Marius to Commodus [Hardcover]

G. Sumner (Author), Raffaele D'Amato (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2009

From the Latin warriors on the Palatine Hill in the age of Romulus, to the last defenders of Constantinople in 1453 AD, the weaponry of the Roman Army was constantly evolving. Through glory and defeat, the Roman warrior adapted to the changing face of warfare. Due to the immense size of the Roman Empire, which reached from the British Isles to the Arabian Gulf, the equipment of the Roman soldier varied greatly from region to region. Through the use of materials such as leather, linen and felt, the army was able to adjust its equipment to these varied climates.

Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier sheds new light on the many different types of armour used by the Roman soldier, and combines written and artistic sources with the analysis of old and new archaeological finds. With a huge wealth of plates and illustrations, which include ancient paintings, mosaics, sculptures and coin depictions, this book gives the reader an unparalleled visual record of this fascinating period of military history.

This book, the first of three volumes, examines the period from Marius to Commodus. Volume II will cover the period from Commodus to Justinian, and Volume III will look at the period from Romulus to Marius.

REVIEWS

"...fresh in depth look...uses sources such as archaeological evidence ... illustrated throughout...magnificent full color plates buy Graham Sumner supporting the new research published in this book..." Toy Soldier and Model Figure (UK), 08/2010

"...a significant contribution to the understanding of the Roman Army"Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 09/2010

"...provides a wealth of textual and archaeological evidence....slaughters some rather old sacred cows, but at the same time it's one of the freshest insights into old sources...wealth of information covered is stunning..."United Nations of Roma Victrix Review, 07/25/2011

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Frontline Books (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848325126
• ISBN-13: 978-1848325128
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars massive reference but..., January 29, 2010

By 

Mikhail Barkovskiy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE IMPERIAL ROMAN SOLDIER: From Marius to Commodus (Hardcover)

Massive reference. Almost every item is fully described in text: weapons, armor, "soft" clothes, insignia, foot, horse, auxiliary and naval troops equipment etc. The only drawback (in my opinion) is that the text is illustrated mostly with frescoes, sculptures (which are hardly "readable" for an average inexperienced student) and original items from museum collections (same badly damaged). There are comparably few "modern reconstruction" drawings - in fact just 7 full page color plates by Graham Sumner (4 of which were already published in another massive book by Sumner - "Roman Military Dress", 1st plate descriptions are confused), the book lacks (again, in my opinion) accurate line drawings of javelins, swords, shields, helmets etc. This makes the present title rather "academic", perhaps not suitable for beginners who should use Osprey series first

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Controversial - but worth it., February 10, 2011

By 

Alexand96 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE IMPERIAL ROMAN SOLDIER: From Marius to Commodus (Hardcover)

Although I do agree that some of the ideas presented in this book are controversial, I also believe that the quality of the images alone in the book make it well worth the sticker price. Absolutely beautiful book, and even though I do not agree with the author's conclusions, I believe that there are some interesting ideas to consider. The author's main point that the Roman army was much less standardized than modern convention assumes is an argument that I also adhere to. Unfortunately, there is simply too much conjecture in regards to the analysis and description of the images displayed within the book. One other detracting factor that I must note is the way in which the written material is organized: the description of any particular monument or artifact is rarely on the same page as its photograph. This flipping back and forth between the object's image and the written description makes for a harried reading experience.

The value in this work is the photographic evidence of monuments and artifacts seldom seen anywhere else. The written material is interesting, undoubtedly, but not always as convincing as I would have liked to see in a scholarly work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Re-emphsis of Sources, November 10, 2010

By 

Celer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE IMPERIAL ROMAN SOLDIER: From Marius to Commodus (Hardcover)

This book presents a re-emphasis of the types of sources employed in the discipline.
Perceptive observation is given to representation sources.
Different conclusions are reached from past consensus on equipment.