Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This title excellently fulfills its purpose as an introduction to this, least-known branch of the Imperial armed forces. The text is but a brief overview, discussing conditions of service, uniforms, weapons, ships, and tactics. The color plates add a very attractive splash of color, and reveal the great diversity that existed in the appearance of naval troops in these five centuries.

A highly recommendable title for anyone with a serious interest in the Roman Empire, or someone curious about its sailors, marines, and ships.

This is the best book I have found to date which covers this subject. If you are interested in this subject matter, I highly recommend purchase of this book. Looking forward to the book covering pre 31 BC era.