In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire

by Adrian Goldsworthy

Book Overview

The complete and definitive history of how Roman generals carved out the greatest and longest-lasting empire the world has ever seen. The Roman army was one of the most effective fighting forces in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0297846663
• ISBN13: 9780297846666
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Warriors and the Rough Generals who Expanded Ancient Rome

This looked a little daunting but Adrian Goldsworth held my intellectual hand and walked me through 700 years of Roman history as seen from the viewpoint of the fightin' generals. Goldsworth demands a bit of rigor from his readers but the payoffs are fun and worthwhile. Join Africanus as he lays waste to Carthage, Caesar in France and Germany, and everbody else in Spain. Weapons and discipline are explained patiently. (When you get tired of crucifying enemies the regular way, try some new positions where the folks looking out at your camp can see what you have in store for them unless they surrender) He helps you understand how the process of war changed with the political drama constantly unfolding back in Rome. And finally helps you come to grips with why commanders ultimately came to feel that Rome was irrelevant. This is a meaty book for the serious ancient history fan. Thanks Adrian !

An all around excellent book on the subject

While it of course has a very interesting subject matter, it still is an extraordinarily easy book to read. It is no thin composition and yet I accidently finished it in three days. While I'm a fledging of sorts on the subject this book is easily the best written military history book I've ever read.

A Sound Theory With An Interesting Narrative

Roman-era expert Adrian Goldsworthy has written an outstanding history of seven centuries of Roman generalship with his latest volume, In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire. This is Goldsworthy's first volume that is focused primarily on individuals, rather than organizational studies of the Roman Army, but he handles the material deftly and brings these characters into sharp focus as individuals, rather than as mere ciphers. Goldsworthy also attempts to divine general lessons about the nature of the Roman command style from the behavior of these generals, many of whom are not well-known to modern readers. Each chapter in this volume details the career of one or two generals in a given period and the chapters are arranged sequentially, covering the period from the Second Punic War to the 6th Century A.D. Generally, Goldsworthy covers each of these Roman commanders in 25-30 pages as well as providing background material about contemporary conflicts and leaders. It is particularly impressive that Goldsworthy has been able to construct such a rich narrative on these generals, given the fragmentary and incomplete nature of the historical record. The chapters on Sertorius and Corbulo were particularly enlightening. Readers may also note that Goldsworthy's discussion of the Emperor Julian's generalship is far less complementary - although probably more accurate - than some modern accounts that attempt to rank him alongside Julius Caesar. Goldsworthy disputes the oft-held opinion that Roman generals were military amateurs and instead depicts them as professional public figures who alternated between military, civic and political roles. One of the chief attributes of Roman leaders that Goldsworthy cites is Virtus, the steadfast ability to endure setbacks and to endure until final victory was achieved. Although Roman armies were often defeated, they were rarely demoralized and they usually recovered quickly. While only a few Roman generals were truly gifted soldiers - Scipio Africanus and Julius Caesar being exceptions - most learned how to employ the operational art and tactics that served Rome so well for centuries (unlike modern military leaders, who must constantly update their professional knowledge due to changes in technology and doctrine). As Goldsworthy notes, Roman generals did not typically participate in close combat, as Greek generals did. Rather, the role of a Roman general on the battlefield was to "serve as a witness to his troops' acts of bravery" and to dispense rewards. Goldsworthy's theory is essentially that Roman troops were primarily motivated by the anticipation of rewards. It is a good theory and certainly one that tracks well with what we know about other armies in history, such as Napoleon's Grande Armee. Goldsworthy also discusses changes in the Roman Army over these centuries, including a greater degree of professionalism and the fact that soldiers became more loyal to their comm

Marvelous

Goldsworthy successfully draws a picture of how Roman generals actually commanded their armies. This book is in similar style to Goldworthy's first book "The Roman Army at War", which covers how the Roman Army actually fought its battles. Besides the story of individual generals, this book also traces the development of the Roman style of command as it evolved along with changing Roman society. The story starts with Fabius Maximus and Claudius Marcellus who are elected leaders of citizen soldiers in the Second Punic War and ends with Belisarius, a member of the Imperial household, who is general of an army of unruly mercenary cavalry and questionable infantry. A definite "Roman", style of command emerges which Goldsworthy then follows past the end of the Roman world and into modern times through leaders like Gustavus Adolphus, du Picq and especially Napoleon. The main Roman leaders covered in the book are: Fabius Maximus (2nd Punic War) Claudius Marcellus (2nd Punic War) Scipio Africanus (2nd Punic War) Aemilius Paullus (Conquest of Macedonia) Scipio Aemilianus (Numantia) Gaius Marius (Jugurthine War / Cimbri & Teutones) Quintus Sertorius (Roman Civil war in Spain) Pompey the Great (Conquest of the East) Julius Caesar (Conquest of Gaul) There is also a chapter on Pompey vs. Caesar in the Civil War. Germanicus Caesar (Reprisal war across the Rhine after defeat of Varus) Domitius Corbulo (Armenian War) Titus Vespasianus (Siege of Jerusalem) Emperor Trajan (Dacian Wars) Emperor Julian (Career on the Rhine and in Parthia) Belisarius (Persian Wars / Battle of Dara) Goldsworthy also manages to work in many other prominent Roman generals such as Sulla, Lucullus, Agrippa and Paulinus Seutonius. If you are interested in military leadership, ancient military history or Roman history in general you should read this book.