Customer Reviews

History of Warfare: Roman Warfare

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This book is not the definitive history of Rome's wars, but a well-constructed survey of how it prepared, equipped, manned and made war, using selected illustrative examples from each stage of development over the thousand-year period.

Goldsworthy sets his task as tracing the development of warfare within the context of the evolution of the army and state: the nature of the army, why and with what objectives if fought a war, and the way in which it operated, taking into consideration the military institutions of the main enemies in each era. Matters such as arms,armor and equipment are handled succinctly by use of drawings and diagrams, which are especially good at depicting battle tactics for the major encounters. The positions of troops are shown as if from an aerial view rather than the bare schematic bars and squares usually shown.

Despite being touted as a general, introductory text, there is plenty to keep the knowledgeable reader interested as well. I found new insights in every chapter, which follow a chronological rather than topical arrangement.

Being pitched at the general reader, as is required by Cassell's _History of Warfare_ series, the book is heavily illustrated. This has its good and bad features. Mostly, the illustration are taken from columns, gravemarkers, monuments and ruins of forts. They are usually provided with detailed captions to explain the significance of the features shown therein. My only complaint is that some of the pictures occupy a full-page or two-page spread where a smaller image would have sufficed. I expect this is due to the publisher's required text-to-illustration ratio.

Here is an example of Goldsworthy's exposition, taken from his section on Caesar in Gaul. After a brief excerpt from Julius Caesar's _Bellum Gallicum_, describing the battle at Sambre in 57 BC, Goldsworthy remarks:

"It is worth noting that Caesar, although he had moved into the front line, does not bother to tell us whether or not he actuallt fought hand-to-hand. What he does stress is that he exposed himself to danger in order more effectively to do his job of encouraging the battle line. The general's job was to lead and control his army, not inspire them with his personal prowess, like the warrior aristocrats of early Rome or Alexander the Great who consciously emulated the behavior of Homeric heroes."

The book is filled with such helpful commentary.

Every epoch (including that of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, of _Gladiator_ fame) is depicted, showing how the financial and political policies of the emperors and senate affected the abilities of the armies to do what was expected.

A detailed chronology, a glossary that actually explains rather than merely annotates terms, a brief review of the ancient sources for each chapter, mini biographies of each of the luminaries, and a well thought out reading list for each chapter all add to the books usefulness.

Highly recommended both as a "first book" for novices and a handy references for old hands.

Unlike other armies in antiquity, the Roman army evolved to be a formal institution with a distinctive military code, standard equipment, defined ranks and duties, as well as laws and procedures affecting the life and retirement of its soldiers. Although service was long (20 years/no family allowed) and discipline was strict (i.e. decimation), it was truly the first modern professional army with very specialized units ranging from doctors and cooks to sappers and siege engineers. Its men were led by leaders such as Lucullus, Pompey, and Caesar who took war as a precise implementation of massive and usually unrestricted force towards a defined political ends. Despite its defeats, the Roman army's training, efficiency and tenacity allowed it to overcome superior numbers of often disorganized tribal or despotic mercenary armies of Celtic tribes or Greeks even under higher attrition. It made Rome the master of the Mediterranean world and most of modern Europe for over 1500 years (counting the Byzantine.)

Adrian Goldsworthy's book on Roman warfare is a decent text covering the evolution of the Roman army from the Early Republic to the Empire but is primarily illustrative. The text tries to study the evolution of the Roman army from the perspective of three disciplines: historical, political,and sociological. It generally covers its projection from the origins as aristorcratic clans and retainers raiding cattle from nearby Veii to the Imperial war machine that would for so long ruthlessly crush any threat or resistance to its conquest. The problem with the text seems to be in what discipline it focuses on to explain a certain evolutionary aspect of the army: the juxtapositions are awkward and/or fail to reinforce the main purpose of the text in clarifying the evolution. More specific details about the Roman legionary life could have been added for example and, in other places, more detail on the political changes would have been more instructive. Again the book's emphasis is more on the political evolution of the army as opposed to a strict categorization of army units and equipment and how they each evolved over the course of time. The book is a sociological summary of the Roman army: how it affected the political process and vis versa.

The book is primarily illustrative and therefore has great pictures, maps, and charts, but it doesn't have much depth in its summaries. The book presents good introductory material on Roman warfare but is general in its content. The information is presented more as a summary and the main value in the book is in its maps and diagrams which seem to be more illustrative on the subject matter than the text itself. Don't let that dissuade you though: the summaries are decent and the hardbound book is good for looking at its maps or photos making it a great addition to your bookshelf. However, for a complete categorical summary description of structure, units, armor, and armaments covering the Roman Empire, I would recommend Goldworthy's "The Complete Roman Army" which is more comprehensive on these precise topics as well as more categorical in the division and chronology of these topics. A book on the political evolution of the Roman army as attempted here is something that requires more textual analysis than illustration as it is more abstract of a subject and so I would also recommend G.R. Watson's 'The Roman Soldier' as a companion to this book as it explains the Roman army more from the perspective of the individual soldier as opposed to Rome's political institutions.

Adrian Goldsworthy's short guide, Roman Warfare, is easily the best book of its length that I have read. If you're looking for a concise yet detailed survey of Roman military history, this is the book to buy.
Goldsworthy cuts the fat from the subject, stripping away the mundane details that typically bog down the casual reader or armchair historian. He charts the development of the Roman army from its earliest forms through the end of the empire, relying on impeccable research and a very clear style. He clears up a lot of confusing ideas (such as the composition of the republican-era triplex acies formation) and, unusual for an historian dealing with figures like Caesar, Scipio, and Hannibal, he never indulges in hero-worship (something which, sadly, cannot be said of the otherwise excellent historians Theodore Dodge and B.H. Liddell-Hart).
Another thing that makes this book worthwhile is the copious amount of maps and illustrations, all of which support the text in a clear and easy to understand manner.
If you enjoy this book and would like something a bit deeper, I'd also recommend Goldsworthy's The Fall of Carthage, a very good history of the three Punic Wars.
Roman Warfare is highly recommended reading for anyone new to Roman military history or history in general.

Roman Warfare by Adrian Goldsworthy is a very detailed book. Starting with the founding of Rome, the conquest of Italy and the early Republic, the author gives us a great foundation for the rest of the book. We get a very complete chronology and each chapter gives us the major points of the military history of Rome, from equipment, to tactics, to where they got their recruits, to how they treated their enemies. By the time we get to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West and the recovery, for a short period, in the East we learn that the Roman Army, if given the men and funding, was always victorious in the end. The Army did not fail the Empire, the Empire failed the Army.
With a glossary on terms, appendices with lots of information and great maps detailing some of the important battles and wars, this is a great book for its size. A must for any library on Roman history or military history.

The field of Roman warfare is an area of interest that has attracted widespread fascination from the time of the Roman Caesars themselves. Many of the surviving representations of Roman art, such as the Arch of Titus and the Column of Trajan, show us Roman legionaries like those commanded by General Maximus (Russel Crowe) in the new Ridley Scott/Dreamworks' epic "Gladiator!" Adrian Goldsworthy's superb book Roman Warfare could not come at a better time, since the field of historical reenactment of the time of the Roman legions is more popular than ever. In England, where the outdoor battle scenes of the "Gladiator" movie were filmed, reenactment groups like the Ermine Street Guard have raised the art of historical reenactment to true perfection. Many of the extras in the movie "Gladiator" probably came from these British reenactment groups! Coming out now from Cassell, a British publishing house with a firm reputation in military publishing, Adrian Goldsworthy's Roman Warfare is a welcome addition to the growing field of Roman military history. With the new information continually coming to light about the brave Roman legions from archaeologic excavations at historical sites in England and in Europe, Goldsworthy's book is an essential addition to the book shelf of anyone interested in the Roman legions which wrote so much of European history. Roman Warfare clearly focuses on all the aspects of the Roman war machine, which for centuries ruled the battle fields from Hadrian's Wall in England to the frontier of the Danube River and the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. Close attention is paid to the many campaigns of the Roman Army--featuring great generals like Julius Caesar--as well as to a clear explanation of the organization of the army which made the legions of Rome supreme against any adversaries. Joining a clear text with well-chosen illustrations, a combined operation of real sophistication, the book is a welcome find for any scholar and a fine introduction to anyone inspired by the "Gladiator" movie to learn more about the soldiers of General Maximus. Goldsworthy's book comes packed with much information that will lead to rewarding further study of this exciting subject. As the Roman legionaries would say themselves, "Ave Caesar!" "Hail Caesar!"

This is a small book that takes on a large task and does it very well. It shows the origination of the Roman Military System, the development to its peak in the late republic- early empire period, and the decline of the Roman military along with the Empire.

Key battles are used for illustrative purposes, and give an excellent picture of the effectiveness of the manipular system, the use of cavalry and the importance of reserves.

Where this book is a bit light is that it does not give a detailed description of the gear of a legionnaire, rank uniforms etc. Also, the legion structure could be laid out more clearly in the appendices.

Where the book excels is in explaining the drift from a republican citizen army to a professional army, and from a Latin army to one made up of conquered peoples. It also explains the transition from armies led by Consuls and Governors to legions led by Imperial Legates, and ultimately by professional soldiers from non-Senatorial classes. All of this is fundamental to the shift from a Republic to an Empire, and is key to any study of the history of Rome.

This makes it a book valuable to students of Roman politics who have little or no interest in the Military History. Goldsworthy establishes that regardless of whether the political events changed the army or vice versa, a proper study of Rome cannot ignore impact of the Military Arm in dictating the Path of Romes affairs.

I am not an expert on Roman Warfare by any stretch, and bought this book to fill a gap in my own knowledge. It certainly suceeded, and admirably so for a book of its smaller size.

As is noted below, the topic of Roman warfare is vast, and is alos worth considering that a lot of the specialist knowledge is buried in specialist academic works, and generally inacessable to the general reader, and unable to act as a general introduction.

This work serves as an excellent introduction to the topic, by placing the history of the Roman army in context , and relating that to the evolution of tactics and weapons, and relating that to the social and political developments in the Roman empire. It is well illustrated with photographs of surving materials, and even more impressivly, diagrams of key battles. The latter were most enlightening.

All in all I was highly impressed with the book. It is not deep by any stretch, but for the novice, you will do no wrong. I am not an expert, but I dont think a person with greater than passing knowledge will learn much from this.

Grade: B+

This book was fantastic, Adrian Goldsworthy knows his stuff, and puts forward not just fact but his own well educated view to the reader. I would have gladly have spent double what I paid for it.

It is an overview, but is still well detailed and provides information regarding the change in the Roman army (of both the soldier and unit organisation) from about 700BC until the 6th century AD, but also mentions changes in her enemies and why Rome was such an invincible force, and then an empire corroded by civil war and enemies no longer in fear of her overwhelming strength.

This book was not only interesting but presented new information other than the repeated stuff I see on most documentaries.

This book follows the evolution of warfare and military life in Rome from the days before its founding to its eventual collapse. Other books, I've found, focus on Rome's battles and the tactics of her individual commanders, but never giving insight as to how the Roman military machine actually ran or the life of the individual soldier. Rather than just giving the tactics of Roman commanders (though these are certainly included), Mr. Goldsworthy focuses on the organization, training, and mentality that bred such men, and how this changed with the political climate.

There can be no doubt that the Roman legions were the most dedicated, disciplined, and technically proficient force that existed in ancient times. These levels of conditioning and organization among military units have not reemerged until recently, after the world had twice gone to war.

There is one error that should be mentioned. In Rome's early days, it was organized military units and not armed citizens that were not allowed within the city walls. This policy continued until it was reversed by Ceasar's treason. As the author is British, I can forgive this misunderstanding.

Not a bad read at all. I enjoyed the information on ancient Roman military history and warfare. The diagrams of various Roman battle formations and battles in Roman history were particularly helpful. The book was especially interesting for me, as a Soldier, to see where so many of the customs and traditions still used in many militaries today originated. Plus this has to be the coolest book I've ever been assigned to read for a class!