Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500 (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Raffaele D'Amato (Author), Graham Sumner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: November 24, 2009

The Roman navy, although somewhat overshadowed by the Legions, played an important role for the Roman Empire. For the army to conquer and rule its vast territories, control of the sea lanes was essential. The navy fleets needed to be structured and powerful in order to dominate the trade routes, transport Legions and defend and attack against pirates and other enemies. Under Augustus in 31BC, the navy consisted of 800 warships with many being sent to Ravenna and Misenus in Italy, and smaller squadrons to the external coasts (e.g. Gaul, Spain, Britain) and to the major rivers, to support land operations (e.g. Rhine, Danube, Seine and others). When Roman coasts came under attack from Teutonic raiders in the 3rd and 4th centuries, the navy played a key part in the defense of the empire. This book provides a detailed re-evaluation of the vital contribution made by the Roman navy to imperial power, covering the organization of the fleets and the everyday life of the soldiers. Previously unpublished research is complemented by superb color reconstructions of the uniforms and equipment, making this a central resource on a neglected piece of ancient history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""Osprey's 'Men-at-Arms' series offers a narrowed focus on equipment and uniforms throughout history and military collections will appreciate some new additions... Rafaele D'Amato's Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500 follows the history of the Roman navy from the battle of Actium to the fall of the Western Empire." -The Bookwatch (January 2010)

"[This]is the first time that Osprey has delved into Roman Naval Forces and the super artwork of Graham Sumner takes advantage of the various artifacts of the time to give us a look at how these men appeared. It is a fascinating peek into a time and subject that often escapes the notice of the history buff. A book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I know you will as well." -Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness / www.modelingmadness.com (February 2010)

About the Author

Dr. Raffaele D'Amato is an experiencd Turin-based reseracher of the ancient world. He is an external professor to the Athens University School of Philosophy and Material Culture. This is his first book for Osprey. The author lives in Turin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846033179
• ISBN-13: 978-1846033179
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Introduction to the Topic, February 6, 2010

By 

Henry S. Plouse "oldefarte" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

This is a very typical "Osprey" offering, which is to say that it does a reasonable job of introducing the topic, complimented with copious illustrations and original artwork (good enough, but not up to Angus McBride standards). Unfortunately, the sheer scope of the subject really exceeds the format and one must hope that "Osprey" will supplement this initial overview of the Roman Navy with additional texts covering more limited sub-topics within the general topic. The riverine and coastal fleets are certainly worth a book or two on their own as are each of the main Roman fleets and the "Marine Legions" (the various Legio Adiutrix). Indeed, one hopes for the expansion of the "Rome's Enemies" series to include her maritime opponents, from the Carthaginians to the Veneti and on to the Gothic fleets which so troubled the 3rd Century AD, and the later Viking and Arab fleets which menaced Constantinople, with "Campaign" editions covering such topics as the Punic Wars and the anti-piracy campaigns. Considering that the Empire came to ruin as a consequence chiefly of the loss of control over their adjacent seas and rivers, there is a serious dearth of reference works on the topic and, while this book at least attempts to fill that gap, it is disappointing chiefly because a book this size really can't address the topic in more than a cursory fashion. It is the consequent "lick and a promise" nature of this book which constitutes its chief deficiency and one puts it down feeling just a tad "cheated", because there is enough here to wet the interest but not nearly enough to satisfy it. Put simply, if you are interested in the Roman Navy, buy the book and hope for more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great description of the underated Roman Navy, November 29, 2009

By 

Tuvan Uner (Virginia,United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

While this is a short book on an often forgoten branch of the Roman military, Osprey offers a sample of the different units and officers that made up the Empire's naval forces.

Colorful plates and depictions of every variant of Roman Naval officer is depicted here:despite its short length it offers the reader just enough tidbits of information to encourage additional research on this often-overlooked branch of the Roman Empire.

Ways this book could've been improved would've been to expand the color plates and include more in-depth explanations of each and every unit. While I understand the dynamics behind an Osprey book it would serve them better to expand on their research material. This is the only drawback to the book which otherwise would've received 5 stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classis revealed with class, March 19, 2010

By 

Anibal Madeira (Lisboa Portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC-AD 500 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

The men that served in the roman fleets (classis) are described with great assertivity by the author, Raffaele D'Amato, in this great introduction to this long overlooked subject that curiously reflects the prejudices that the romans had against naval service.

I must remind the reader that this book is about the Roman imperial naval forces; after de battle of Actium, not the Roman republican navy. You won't find information about the sea battles of the punic wars and the introduction of the corvus or the perfect campaign of Pompeus against the pirates.

Most of this work centers in the early imperial period, but there are interesting snippets of information about the entire imperial period.

Very good photographs of the usual sculptural evidence but also of some rare finds like a muscled cuirass found in a shipwreck dated Ist to IIIrd Century AD.

The original art was painted by Graham Sumner...competently drawn, respecting archeological, sculptural or epigraphic evidence.

Almost every aspect of the imperial naval forces are summarized including the way they were viewed, recruitment, the legions adiutrices, duties and daily life, clothing and their favorite colour (the blue), armour and weapons (both personal arms and the ships weaponry like the beak/rostrum, the turrets/pyrgoi or the artillery), etc.

Also detailed are the organization of the fleets, localization of military ports, a chronology of the main naval engagements and a description of the several types of sailers, marines and officers.

For a 48 page book its difficult to ask for more.