As Rome’s power and influence extended across the Mediterranean, she was destined for a collision with the Carthaginian Empire, a clash ultimately resulting in the decisive Second Punic War. At first the Roman Army was no match for the superior tactics and leadership of Hannibal and his troops. However, talented generals like Scipio Africanus transformed the legions into a formidable fighting force. Covering Rome’s catastrophic defeats at Lake Trasimene and Cannae to her final victory at Zama, this book examines the development of Roman tactics and organization through Rome’s transition from a city-based state to a Mediterranean powerhouse.
The armour and weapons of Rome's legionaries and auxiliaries have been the subject of intense research and speculation, and much has been published - but almost nothing on the actual clothing of Imperial soldiers. In this first part of a rigorous study of the literary, sculptural, pictorial and archaeological evidence, a specialist author/artist examines the clues which enable us to attempt reconstructions of tunics, cloaks, footwear and other items worn by officers and men all over the empire, from the late Republic to c.200 AD. His text is illustrated with meticulous drawings of surviving relief sculptures - particularly soldiers' gravestones - and eight striking colour plates.
The book clearly explains and illustrates the mechanics of how Roman commanders - at every level - drew up and committed their different types of troops for open-field battles. It includes the alternative formations used to handle different tactical problems and different types of terrain; the possibilities of ordering and controlling different deployments once battle was joined; and how all this was based on the particular strengths of the Roman soldier.
Mons Graupius AD 83 - Rome's Battle at the Edge of the World
In AD 77, Roman forces under Agricola marched into the northern reaches of Britain in an attempt to pacify the Caledonian tribesman. For seven years, the Romans marched and battled across what is now Scotland. Finally, in AD 83, they fought the final battle at Mons Graupius where 10,000 Caledonians were slaughtered from only 360 Roman dead. It proved the high-water mark of Roman power in Britain. Following unrest elsewhere in the empire, the north of Scotland was abandoned and Rome's forces began their long retreat. Never again would Roman arms stand on the edge of the known world.
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger--highborn commander of the local vigiles--was determined to investigate.
