As the title implies this book does cover all aspects of Roman Army life and it's campaigns. As well as documenting the history of the legionaries it also includes the auxiliary soldiers and the Roman Navy.

It is well illustrated on every page and is the best reference book for the Roman Army as a whole.

Comment added 10/03/07

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Product Description

"The Complete Roman Army" draws on archaeology, ancient art and original documentary sources to present a picture of one of the world's most famous fighting machines. Every aspect of the Roman army, from the daily lives of individual soldiers to the outcome of major campaigns, is explored in five accessible sections. Discussions of key Roman battles, hundreds of illustrations and brief biographies of the great commanders bring the campaigns and personalities to life.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30325 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

About the Author
Adrian Goldsworthy studied at Oxford University. His publications include Roman Warfare, The PunicWars and Cannae.

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Customer Reviews

Not Complete!
The book is a bit disappointing. There are some bad mistakes like naming a "Gladius" to "Spatha" in one picture. Is it also too hard to have also good pictures of republican and late roman re-enactors in one book instead of those high-empire "Ermine Street Quard" guys who seem to be everywhere? Why are there whole-page pictures of Hadrian`s crumbling walls in colour and then a tiny black-and-white picture of a very interesting looking late roman soldiers? Bad editing, I quess. Also the illustrations are very disappointing and rudimentary. They also give the wrong impressions for example of roman swords. The shape of "Mainz type" sword is awful and in comparison to newer "Pompeii style" sword they were usually longer.

The text is very good like always with Adrian Goldsworthy, although there`s not much new. So there`s plenty of room for another basic book about roman army, this book won`t fill the need. The "dream book" about roman army would be in my mind a combination of Peter Connolly`s illustrations, Daniel Peterson "Roman Legions Recreated in Coulour Photographs" style photos and Adrian Goldsworthy`s writing. We are still waiting for a "Complete Roman Army".

Good reference but sadly poor graphics
Good reference book for beginners on the subject.
Sadly battle maps and graphics are very rudimentary.
Too expensive for what one gets.

Great for a begginer
I picked up this book being interested in the Roman millitary but not knowing a thing on the subect. After simply browsing through several chapters, I knew enough to write an essay. The writing, whilst sometimes vague and confusing, is extremely informative for the greater part. The pictures are a fine addition, and the battle descriptions are worth praise.
The book is divided into three sections. The Early Army, from the founding of Rome to the Legionary. The Proffesional Army, from Marian to the Batlle of Adrianople, and the Army of Late Antiquity. The ill fated army that fought at the collapse of the western empire. In fact, it is essentiall to note that the Byzantine Empire hardly gets a mention in the works, although most intrepid historians should start off with the 'tradditional' roman solider. Each section is divided into sub-chapters, detailing things such as seige and the average soldier's working life.
To conclude, a great book that you will treasure, mostly because of it's hefty price tag.