10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Overview, August 6, 2001
This review is from: Imperial Roman Army (Paperback)
Yann Le Bohec's book is an excellent synthesis of many specialized studies of the Roman army in the period from the time of Augustus to the end of the third century. This text is actually a paperback reissue of the English translation of the 1989 French orginal. Nonetheless, Le Bohec's text updates and surpasses earlier treatments and is the most reliable overview of the subject at the present time. I found the chapter on the practical and symbolic value of "training" fascinating, and the chapter on the strategic deployment of the legions is valuable for an understanding of the attempts Rome made to deal with external threats. Less successful is the book's brief "history" of the army--essentially a chronological look at the emperors and how they rated as generals. The treatment is far too compressed. However, Le Bohec's final chapters on the socio-economic impact of the Roman army on Europe are first-rate. A fine treatment and one of interest to anyone who studies Roman history.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive Work On the Conduct Of Roman Warfare, December 15, 2007
This review is from: Imperial Roman Army (Paperback)
I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history.
The glory that was Rome came with a price. Some historians have said at too high a price--the fall of the Republic and the reinstitution of a monarchy. This political change came about for two important reasons. The first reason was that the political structure of the Republic could no longer adequately serve Rome's expanding empire in the last century BCE. Secondly, politically ambitious generals facilitated changes in Rome's military structure from a volunteer force to a professional force. This change gave them total control over the military, which they used to usurp the political power of the Senate. This precipitated the bloody political revolution, changing the government from a republic to a dictatorship and eventually a monarchy.
The goal of this book is to examine the importance of the development and the effect that a professional army had on the downfall of the Roman Republic. The focus of this book includes such topics as how the Roman army developed from a volunteer force into a professional, mercenary force, created by generals and politicians who coveted power. Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, Mark Antony, and Augustus are four examples of men drunk with power who plunged Rome into Civil War to wrest power from a weak Senate, which proved to be inadequate in coping with the intricacies of a burgeoning empire. In addition, this book examines how by changing the traditional pay structure, bonuses, and retirement payments made to the legions, these politically ambitious generals changed the traditional allegiance that the legions had to the Republic and essentially not only bought their services, but also brought the legions under their control for their own personal and political gain. This book proves that the successful subversion of the Roman Legion's structure for personal gain had a direct correlation in the downfall of the Republic and the rise of a permanent monarchy.
A critical change to the Roman army came after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Once again, Rome was plunged into Civil war, this time the two protagonists were Mark Anthony, and Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus learned how to use the army to gain political advantage with efficient alacrity from his great uncle Julius Caesar's example. Once he defeated his rival Mark Anthony, he took Julius Caesar's military reforms to new heights solidifying his political power and reinstituting the Roman monarchy. Under Caesar Augustus' reign, the potential for a soldier to gain wealth, rank, and upward mobility in society was much greater. It was not uncommon for a soldier to reach the rank of centurion after fifteen years of service, with the potential for earning an even higher rank. During this period, the rank of centurion garnished him fifteen times that of the ordinary soldier. Almost half of the centurions would succeed to the office of primipilares--the senior centurion of a legion for one year. With this rank came the honor of becoming a member of the Roman equestrian order, which provided a step up the ladder of the Roman social class structure. Upon their retirement, these successful military men would receive a substantial payment of 600,000 sesterces. This payment, coupled with their savings from pay and booty they earned while on campaign could propel a man well beyond his original station in life. However, one of the most important military reforms Caesar Augustus made was to introduce a permanent garrison of troops into the city of Rome itself.
Yann LeBohec noted that one of the most important military reforms Augustus made was to introduce a permanent garrison of troops into the city of Rome itself. Augustus created the Praetorian cohorts soon after his return to Rome from Egypt around 27 BCE. There were nine cohorts in number and they were staffed with between 500 to 1,000 men each. Their commanding officer, known as a prefect, answered directly to the Emperor. The cohorts served as a police force within the city of Rome. The best of these men were formed into a bodyguard unit for the Emperor, known as the Praetorian Guard. The military reforms that Caesar Augustus instituted in 13 BCE and again in 6 CE demonstrated how he solidified his control of all the armies of the Roman Empire, which he was then able to wield as an effective political instrument. They gave the Emperor control of the only military power in the city. Augustus lengthened the terms of service from 16 to 20 years for legionaries. Augustus insured that all bonuses known as donatives, as well as severance pay and territorial grants made to soldiers and veterans were made in the name of the princeps. These actions insured that the soldiers and veterans would remain loyal to Augustus; it essentially turned them into clients and him into their patron. In addition, as his legionaries conquered new territory he gave them large tracts of land when they retired; thus, founding several new towns in Italy and the provinces. His patronage to the army insured that he controlled a network of armed and devoted garrisons throughout the Empire. Augustus could do all this because he had become the richest and most powerful man in the Empire. Thus, his patronage to the army insured that he and subsequent emperors controlled a network of armed and devoted garrisons throughout the Empire.
The fourth critical change to the Roman army came as a direct result of Caesar Augustus' reforms that were played out over time. First, the Praetorian Guard became a potent political entity in its own right. At several junctures in Roman history the Praetorian Guard were active participants in political intrigue. Such was the case when the Emperor Caligula's own Praetorian Guard successfully assassinated him and installed his uncle Claudius on the throne. Secondly, the military reforms made by Diocletian 284-305 CE and Constantine 305-337 CE effectively split the army into two distinct entities to deal with maintaining order in the Empire--the field army and the border troops. The border troops were organized to defend the provinces and were garrisoned in fortress communities around the edges of the Empire. Once the Empire had ceased to expand and the cost of maintaining it became exorbitant, the emperor instituted reforms in military recruiting that had a profound change on the army and the Empire. From the late fourth century onwards, the Romans made increasing use of recruits from barbarian allies and garrisoned them in far off provinces. This reform to the army had a profound effect on the western portion of the Roman Empire to govern effectively. Since the Empire found it increasingly difficult to pay for its army, quite often the officers and soldiers turned to extortion and plunder of the very territories and communities they were given charge to protect. In addition, the western Empire's army became a much weaker fighting force and eventually fell prey to its enemies easily.
Recommended reading for those interested in Roman history, military history.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Companion Book, March 29, 2004
This review is from: Imperial Roman Army (Paperback)
If you like Adrian Goldsworthy you'll probably like this book as well, it has a similar focus on the small details instead of simply presenting biographies of the commanders. Readers not ready to dive into detailed technical assessments of the Roman military will appreciate the excellent visual presentation of the book and concise writing that will not have you hunting for a Latin dictionary. It covers a bit of everything: soldier names, location of Legion camps, economic life, diet, religion, training, etc.
If the book has a fault it's that it only provides the barest of details on many of these aspects (notably soldiers and Roman law), probably expecting the reader to refer to other sources if they want more information. Yet the bibliography is not very useful to the English reader as they are almost all French or German sources! Not unexpected as this is a translation, but still annoying.
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