Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

David Nicolle (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: September 25, 1992

Although the Byzantine Empire was a continuation of the Roman Empire and faced similar military problems, its solutions were very different. In North Africa, for example, Rome's large army concentrated on securing main roads and urban centres. Byzantium's smaller army built more fortifications and took a defensive stance. The most striking characteristic of later Byzantine military thinking was, however, the theme or provincial army system, which owed nothing to ancient Roman tradition. With eight superb full colour plates by Angus McBride, and many other illustrations, David Nicolle examines the history of Romano-Byzantine armies from 4th-9th centuries.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

David Nicolle was born in 1944, the son of the illustrator Pat Nicolle. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before going 'back to school', gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He later taught world and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has written many books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives and works in Leicestershire, UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855322242
• ISBN-13: 978-1855322240
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative text harmonized with attractive illustrations., January 19, 1999

By 

Nelson R. Willis "Rob Willis" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

I bought this one for the same reasons that I bought the title _Late Roman Infantryman_ which is also from Osprey military books, and one which I have also reviewed for Amazon.com. I do a lot of research on the historical origins of Arthurian myths, and books like these cover the right general areas of the world in roughly the right period (see also my review of Osprey's _Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars_).

Osprey books offer a good ballance of text and illustrations to convey information to the reader in a way which is both efficient and entertaining. This is far preferable to books which have either too high a text-to-illustration ratio or too high an illustration-to-text ratio.

My only complaint about these books is that their photographs of period art are printed in black & white, so one often misses some of the spectacular color and detail found in ancient mosaics, frescos, or manuscript illuminations. Printing everything in color would, of course, make these books more expensive, but that might still be worth it depending on how you look at it. Each of these books does, however, feature a series of full color illustrations in the middle. These beautifully portray the appearance and activities of the troops under study.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent plates, lousy text, June 14, 2004

By 

Florentius (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

I purchased this book as a supplement to my research on early Byzantine arms and armor. I got it specifically for the color plates in the hopes that they would help me visualize some of the descriptions that I had read in the historical sources. The book was at least somewhat useful from this perspective. The plates are fanciful but well executed. The photos included of Byzantine-era representational art and still-extant fortifications were also a welcome addition.

The actual text of the book was very disappointing. The author seems to have a greater affinity for the Islamo-Arabic and Persian peoples who lived on the frontiers of the empire, and it shows through time and again in the writing. He ascribes practically every Byzantine military accoutrement, weapon, unit organization, and tactic to foreign influence. Perhaps most annoying of all was the short-shrift given to the height of Byzantine military power under the emperor Justinian I. The author races right past this epic period to focus on the Arab invasions and Byzantine dark ages of the 7th and 8th centuries. There is no coverage in the text of Byzantine siege craft and fortification--two areas where the empire excelled.

I think the publisher would have been better served to have an actual Byzantinist write the text rather than someone whose familiarity with the subject seems tangential at best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars In agreement with other reviewers; the text is useless, but the drawings are good, July 7, 2010

By 

Kirialax (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

There is very little reason to recommend this book, especially when there are much better ones available. Nicolle tries to sum up far too much information into 36 picture-laden pages, and fails rather miserably. It is not that some of the information is wrong, it is just that 500 years of military history and change cannot be crammed into such a small book. As each section finally seems like it is going to finally say something of real substance, it just ends. He also distorts the record somewhat, as practically every piece of Byzantine military technology and every innovation of the period seems to be coming from the Arabs or Persians, at least according to David Nicolle. Angus McBride's illustrations are fantastic, but many of the other plates aren't all that great. They are frequently black and white, and often very grainy. Considering that many of these mosaics and manuscripts have centuries of deterioration on them already, lousy black and white reproductions do not help. If this books has one redeeming feature, it is Nicolle's description of the theme system. Admittedly, entire books have been written upon the topic, and it is still not all that well understood, but Nicolle seems to recognize this and leaves the reader with the ambiguity that the sources have left us. Considering the quality of the rest of the book, I was not expecting that.

There is no real reason to read this book. You're much better off with Haldon's 'The Byzantine Wars' for a brief (but far more substantial than anything in this book) treatment of the topic, or for a more in-depth understanding from his 'Warfare, State, and Society in the Byzantine World'. Walter Kaegi's 'Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests' and 'Byzantine Military Unrest' are also important for this period, and far better than this book. Skip it.