The time of the Roman Empire tends to attract a lot of fans of ancient history. Rome was very much a major power for several hundred years and was much fodder for books and plays through the ages. Interestingly, while there was much written either during the time or shortly after, quite a bit seems to be either contradictory or rather lavishly embellished. Everyone likes a good story and much like the docu-dramas were see in the media today, history makes a better story if one exaggerates a bit in the telling. Fortunately, by reading various accounts and matching it with other records of the time (many of which are coins or headstones or friezes on the side of buildings, we can get a pretty accurate depiction of those days.

One area of interest are the personal guards of the various Roman leaders. These units were actually quite large and often consisted of several thousand men. Not only foot soldiers, but also mounted cavalry. Of course, this was quite expensive to maintain. Even more so as these men were hand picked for loyalty and were generally paid quite a bit more than the standard legionnaire. This often resulted in some jealousy regarding what many refer to as the praetorian guard, and so down through the ages, many have come to consider these troops as being pretty worthless in a fight, more suited to a lot of drinking and wenching when compared to the standard legion trooper.

It is true that these soldiers did not campaign anywhere near as much as the usual Roman legion, but they were all excellent fighters and when they were used, which was more often than one would think, they proved to be extremely tough opponents. They were used to protect the emperor from attempts to overthrow him, sometimes from disgruntled members of the praetorian guard, but often from outside groups. They were used to quell riots and civil unrest, and they were used on campaign from time to time, where they nearly always triumphed.

Eventually, as the Roman empire contracted and was finally usurped by Constantine I, the name changed. Interstingly, on those few occasions when the guard was defeated, they were not slaughtered or sold to slavery as was the common soldier, but frequently offered the chance to switch sides and work for the victory. So much was their skill and training valued.

In this book, the author provides us a background to the praetorian guard, and shows us how these men were recruited, the way they were trained, and the sorts of weapons and uniforms they wore. Also as a standard part of this series, we see what it was like to be on campaign, how they got along with each other and how well they fought. Several battles are chosen to show how well these units fought as well as what the results of their efforts were.

In all, it makes for a very interesting read about a subject that often fires the imagination but about which few really know. A book I can easily recommend to you. 

March 2014

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