For more than 400 years, during the time of late Republican and early Imperial Rome, the Roman Army was the most powerful in the Western world and provided the basis for modern Western military tradition.

However, finding out just exactly how the Roman Army fought is not as easy a task as one might think. The clues are all there, it just takes a lot of research and interpolation to figure it out. The author is an expert on the subject and has provided us with a look at many aspects of Roman military life. He looks at the life of the soldier, the way that the group is trained to work together and how this training allowed the group to adjust for different terrains and environments. The way that many famous Roman generals added to the body of knowledge is also covered as are some of Rome's most famous battles during the period.

The tactics include pre-battle deployment, skirmish tactics, use of light missiles, infantry and cavalry charges, support provided by those in the rear and how to handle panic during battle. There are also sections on the various stages of combat as well as what occurs in the aftermath as during those days, prisoners, slaves, plunder, executions, and burial were all a bit different than what occurs today.

All of this is illustrated using photos of extant art from that period and the superb historical reconstructions of illustrator Adam Hook. His work brings to life what can be a bit complicated or esoteric to many readers.

In all, a book that you'd think would be dull, but in reality is anything but. A book you'll enjoy reading and one that I can recommend to you along with any other Osprey title.

July 2007

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