Imperial Roman Army

by Yann Le Bohec

Book Overview

Now available in paperback, The Imperial Roman Army looks at the structure and development of the army between the Republic and the Late Empire, examining why the army has always been accorded such a prominent position in the history of the Roman Empire, and whether that view is justified.
The book is divided into three sections. The author first examines the major divisions of army organization, the legions, the auxiliary units, the fleet and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415222958
• ISBN13: 9780415222952
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Definitive Work On the Conduct Of Roman Warfare

I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history. The glory that was Rome came with a price. Some historians have said at too high a price--the fall of the Republic and the reinstitution of a monarchy. This political change came about for two important reasons. The first reason was that the political structure of the Republic could no longer adequately serve Rome's expanding empire in the last century BCE. Secondly, politically ambitious generals facilitated changes in Rome's military structure from a volunteer force to a professional force. This change gave them total control over the military, which they used to usurp the political power of the Senate. This precipitated the bloody political revolution, changing the government from a republic to a dictatorship and eventually a monarchy. The goal of this book is to examine the importance of the development and the effect that a professional army had on the downfall of the Roman Republic. The focus of this book includes such topics as how the Roman army developed from a volunteer force into a professional, mercenary force, created by generals and politicians who coveted power. Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, Mark Antony, and Augustus are four examples of men drunk with power who plunged Rome into Civil War to wrest power from a weak Senate, which proved to be inadequate in coping with the intricacies of a burgeoning empire. In addition, this book examines how by changing the traditional pay structure, bonuses, and retirement payments made to the legions, these politically ambitious generals changed the traditional allegiance that the legions had to the Republic and essentially not only bought their services, but also brought the legions under their control for their own personal and political gain. This book proves that the successful subversion of the Roman Legion's structure for personal gain had a direct correlation in the downfall of the Republic and the rise of a permanent monarchy. A critical change to the Roman army came after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Once again, Rome was plunged into Civil war, this time the two protagonists were Mark Anthony, and Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus learned how to use the army to gain political advantage with efficient alacrity from his great uncle Julius Caesar's example. Once he defeated his rival Mark Anthony, he took Julius Caesar's military reforms to new heights solidifying his political power and reinstituting the Roman monarchy. Under Caesar Augustus' reign, the potential for a soldier to gain wealth, rank, and upward mobility in society was much greater. It was not uncommon for a soldier to reach the rank of centurion after fifteen years of service, with the potential for earning an even higher rank. During this period, the rank of centurion garnished him fifteen times that of the ordinary soldier. Almost half of the centurions would succeed to the office of primipilares--the senior centurion of a legion fo

Definitive Work On the Conduct Of Roman Warfare

I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history. The glory that was Rome came with a price. Some historians have said at too high a price--the fall of the Republic and the reinstitution of a monarchy. This political change came about for two important reasons. The first reason was that the political structure of the Republic could no longer adequately serve Rome's expanding empire in the last century BCE. Secondly, politically ambitious generals facilitated changes in Rome's military structure from a volunteer force to a professional force. This change gave them total control over the military, which they used to usurp the political power of the Senate. This precipitated the bloody political revolution, changing the government from a republic to a dictatorship and eventually a monarchy. The goal of this book is to examine the importance of the development and the effect that a professional army had on the downfall of the Roman Republic. The focus of this book includes such topics as how the Roman army developed from a volunteer force into a professional, mercenary force, created by generals and politicians who coveted power. Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, Mark Antony, and Augustus are four examples of men drunk with power who plunged Rome into Civil War to wrest power from a weak Senate, which proved to be inadequate in coping with the intricacies of a burgeoning empire. In addition, this book examines how by changing the traditional pay structure, bonuses, and retirement payments made to the legions, these politically ambitious generals changed the traditional allegiance that the legions had to the Republic and essentially not only bought their services, but also brought the legions under their control for their own personal and political gain. This book proves that the successful subversion of the Roman Legion's structure for personal gain had a direct correlation in the downfall of the Republic and the rise of a permanent monarchy. A critical change to the Roman army came after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Once again, Rome was plunged into Civil war, this time the two protagonists were Mark Anthony, and Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus learned how to use the army to gain political advantage with efficient alacrity from his great uncle Julius Caesar's example. Once he defeated his rival Mark Anthony, he took Julius Caesar's military reforms to new heights solidifying his political power and reinstituting the Roman monarchy. Under Caesar Augustus' reign, the potential for a soldier to gain wealth, rank, and upward mobility in society was much greater. It was not uncommon for a soldier to reach the rank of centurion after fifteen years of service, with the potential for earning an even higher rank. During this period, the rank of centurion garnished him fifteen times that of the ordinary soldier. Almost half of the centurions would succeed to the office of primipilares--the senior centurion of a legion fo

A Good Companion Book

If you like Adrian Goldsworthy you'll probably like this book as well, it has a similar focus on the small details instead of simply presenting biographies of the commanders. Readers not ready to dive into detailed technical assessments of the Roman military will appreciate the excellent visual presentation of the book and concise writing that will not have you hunting for a Latin dictionary. It covers a bit of everything: soldier names, location of Legion camps, economic life, diet, religion, training, etc. If the book has a fault it's that it only provides the barest of details on many of these aspects (notably soldiers and Roman law), probably expecting the reader to refer to other sources if they want more information. Yet the bibliography is not very useful to the English reader as they are almost all French or German sources! Not unexpected as this is a translation, but still annoying.

Good Overview

Yann Le Bohec's book is an excellent synthesis of many specialized studies of the Roman army in the period from the time of Augustus to the end of the third century. This text is actually a paperback reissue of the English translation of the 1989 French orginal. Nonetheless, Le Bohec's text updates and surpasses earlier treatments and is the most reliable overview of the subject at the present time. I found the chapter on the practical and symbolic value of "training" fascinating, and the chapter on the strategic deployment of the legions is valuable for an understanding of the attempts Rome made to deal with external threats. Less successful is the book's brief "history" of the army--essentially a chronological look at the emperors and how they rated as generals. The treatment is far too compressed. However, Le Bohec's final chapters on the socio-economic impact of the Roman army on Europe are first-rate. A fine treatment and one of interest to anyone who studies Roman history.

Most Informative and Interesting to date

This book is the best written book for the Roman Army and History layreader, yet. I cannot express how, after reading it twice front to back, I pick it up to read various areas of the book, again! The attention to detail, the presentation of its sources, and the GREAT manner in which this book is written makes this an enjoyable, easily read, book.