The Limits of Empire: The Roman Army in the East [Hardcover]

Benjamin H. Isaac (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198148917 | ISBN-13: 978-0198148913 | Publication Date: July 12, 1990

For more than seven centuries, most of the Near East was part of the Roman Empire. Drawing on a wide range of archaeological material and both well-known and neglected sources, Issac here reassesses the means by which Rome achieved and maintained its political and military control over the region from Caucasus to Sinai.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the first edition: "His book is where to start looking for information and bibliography about individual sites and their relation to other sites."--Classical World

"A readable and stimulating synthesis."--International History Review

"Has original ideas which no student of the Roman Empire can neglect."--Classical Review

"Immensely impressive."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Praise for the first edition: "Magnificent....Students ignore it at their peril."--Times Literary Supplement

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Benjamin Isaac is at University of Tel Aviv. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 520 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 12, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198148917
• ISBN-13: 978-0198148913
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,770,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the casual historian, October 29, 2002

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Limits of Empire: The Roman Army in the East (Clarendon Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Benjamin Isaac's work is very important for ancient historians who are studying how Rome maintained its empire in the East. Unlike simiplistic models that claim it was the might of the Emperor or the brutality of the army, this book looks at the interactions of the local people, the idea of the Emperor, the legal and social codes of the Empire and the realities of military occupation of a region. Certainly more current research will answer some of the questions I had while reading this book but Isaac's approach was unique in the early 1990s and it was an eye opener. It is not for anyone without a basic understanding of Greek or Latin and an advanced grasp of the ancient world during the Roman Empire. In order to best use this book, you must be a historian, an ancient historian.