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A Companion to the Roman Army

Paul Erdkamp (Edited by)

9781405121538, Wiley

Hardback, published 15 March 2007

600 pages
25.4 x 18 x 5 cm, 1.234 kg

"It is an excellent academic reference book and should prove a valuable resource for anyone interested in the development of the Roman Army as well as its interactions over a thousand years with the Empire it both served and influenced." (UNRV History, 1 April 2011)

"This book, another in the burgeoning special series from Blackwell Publishing, is an unqualified success. Rather than a simple assemblage of vaguely related, overspecialized academic papers, it is truly what its title promises—a companion." (Michigan War Studies, May 2010)

"This book is a valuable work for the reference shelf and a bible for military buffs." (Greece & Rome, 2008)

"This volume is another in the growing range of period- or topic-focused Companions to the Ancient World published by Blackwell. The Roman army, as a central institution and influence in so many aspects of Roman imperial history, is an obvious subject for such a volume. Like other volumes in the series, this one boasts an impressive range of international authors, and the scholarship is of a very high order." (New England Classical Journal, February 2009)

"It is no easy task to commission and co-ordinate 29 separate contributions, and the editor's energy in doing so should be recognized. The volume will happily sit on an academic bookshelf ... as a handy compendium of the views of the individual authors." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, October 2008)

"The most extensive and likely best researched overview on the Roman army that is currently available." (Ancient Warfare)

"Highly readable, informative, and up-to-date survey.... The book constitutes an outstanding resource for many topics concerning the Roman army ... there is much to interest laymen ... and scholars alike." (Choice)

"It is particularly valuable in providing up-to-date accounts of the army's manifold aspect and the bibliographies to support them." (Scholia Reviews)

This companion provides an extensive account of the Roman army, exploring its role in Roman politics and society as well as the reasons for its effectiveness as a fighting force.

  • An extensive account of the Roman army, from its beginnings to its transformation in the later Roman Empire
  • Examines the army as a military machine – its recruitment, training, organization, tactics and weaponry
  • Explores the relationship of the army to Roman politics, economics and society more broadly
  • Considers the geography and climate of the lands in which the Romans fought
  • Each chapter is written by a leading expert in a particular subfield and takes account of the latest scholarly and archaeological research in that area

List of Illustrations x

Notes on Contributors xii

Abbreviations of Reference Works and Journals xvii

Abbreviations of Works of Classical Literature xxii

Introduction 1
Paul Erdkamp

Part I Early Rome 5

1 Warfare and the Army in Early Rome 7
John Rich

2 The Army and Centuriate Organization in Early Rome 24
Gary Forsythe

Part II Mid- and Late Republic 43

3 Army and Battle During the Conquest of Italy (350–264 bc) 45
Louis Rawlings

4 The Age of Overseas Expansion (264–146 bc) 63
Dexter Hoyos

5 The Late Republican Army (146–30 bc) 80
Pierre Cagniart

6 War and State Formation in the Roman Republic 96
Paul Erdkamp

7 Roman Manpower and Recruitment During the Middle Republic 114
Luuk de Ligt

8 Military Command, Political Power, and the Republican Elite 132
Nathan Rosenstein

9 Colonization, Land Distribution, and Veteran Settlement 148
Will Broadhead

10 Army and General in the Late Roman Republic 164
Lukas de Blois

Part III The Empire (Actium to Adrianople) 181

The Structure of the Imperial Army

11 The Augustan Reform and the Structure of the Imperial Army 183
Kate Gilliver

12 Classes. The Evolution of the Roman Imperial Fleets 201
D. B. Saddington

13 Battle, Tactics, and the Emergence of the Limites in the West 218
James Thorne

14 The Army and the Limes in the East 235
Everett L. Wheeler

15 Strategy and Army Structure between Septimius Severus and Constantine the Great 267
Karl Strobel

Military Organization

16 Military Documents, Languages, and Literacy 286
Sara Elise Phang

17 Finances and Costs of the Roman Army 306
Peter Herz

18 War- and Peacetime Logistics: Supplying Imperial Armies in East and West 323
Peter Kehne

Army, Emperor, and Empire

19 The Roman Army and Propaganda 339
Olivier Hekster

20 The Army and the Urban Elite: A Competition for Power 359
Clifford Ando

21 Making Emperors. Imperial Instrument or Independent Force? 379
Anthony R. Birley

Soldiers and Veterans in Society

22 Military Camps, Canabae, and Vici. The Archaeological Evidence 395
Norbert Hanel

23 Marriage, Families, and Survival: Demographic Aspects 417
Walter Scheidel

24 Recruits and Veterans 435
Gabriele Wesch-Klein

25 The Religions of the Armies 451
Oliver Stoll

Part IV The Late Roman Empire (up to Justinian) 477

26 Warlords and Landlords 479
Wolf Liebeschuetz

27 The Foederati 495
Timo Stickler

28 Army and Society in the Late Roman World: A Context for Decline? 515
Michael Whitby

29 Army and Battle in the Age of Justinian (527–65) 532
Hugh Elton

Index locorum 551

Index 555

Subject Areas: History [HB]
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