Product Description

The story of a small town that rose to become the most powerful empire of the ancient world has been an inspiration to generations of people. Even after the eventual collapse of the Roman Empire, many nations and their leaders have styled themselves 'heirs of Rome', emulating its society, technology and warfare. This book details the wars that shaped the Roman Empire, from the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar and the subsequent civil war between Caesar and Pompey which tore apart the ageing Republic, through the expansionism of the early Empire to its 'decline and fall'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #315840 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
C.M. Gilliver studied Classics and Classical Archaeology at King's College London and took her PhD in Roman Military Theory at The Institute of Archaeology, University College London. A lecture in Ancient History at Cardiff University, she is currently preparing a book on Roman siege warfare and has acted as an historical consultant for the BBC. Adrian Goldsworthy read Ancient and Modern History at Oxford, where he stayed to take his doctorate in Ancient History. His research focuses on aspects of warfare in the Graeco-Roman world. Michael Whitby is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Warwick. He is the author of 'The Emperor Maurice and his Historian: Theophylact Simocatta on Persian and Balkan Warfare' (Oxford, 1988), and is currently working on a study of warfare and society in the later Roman world.

Customer Reviews

The Romans At War
The Roman Empire was built on war, but how did the Romans create and defend their Empire for centuries? This book attempts to answer that question.
The Essential Histories series are short guides on the major conflicts of World History, designed for reading by the interested amateur or the layman. As such, these books don't expect you to have prior knowledge of the period in question, although that definitely helps.

Rome At War covers the battles of the Romans, starting with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 58 BC and finishing with Byzantium's wars against the Islamic army in AD 696. As a result, the book does cover a huge scope of history in only 288 pages.
Essentially the book is divided into three sections, the Conquest of Gaul 58-50 BC, Caesar's Civil Wars 49-44 BC and Rome at War AD 293-696. A very brief section also covers the Early Empire. These three sections are based on three different books by Kate Gilliver, Adrian Goldsworthy and Michael Whitby, which have all being collected under one title for this book.

If you own any of those other three books by Osprey, then there is no need to buy this book. Sadly the title on the Punic Wars by Nigel Bagnall was not included in this book, and as result you'll have to buy it separately.

The book attempts to explain a certain war or campaign from an all round perspective. So, after you've been a tour of the main events of the war, you'll then be given a political, strategic, tactical, cultural and individual perspective on the conflict. This is a fascinating way to study a campaign, as you are given the point of view of a war from someone like a Centurion in Caesar's army, or a civilian's point of view, such as a Roman merchant or poet. Each overview finishes with a conclusion and a look at the consequences of the war.

The book is also notable for having dozens of photographs of statues, coins, mosaics and other items from the Roman world. Maps are also included although they are lacking in detail, especially the tactical maps which are very basic. This is certainly the biggest fault with book.

The book is generally well written, although some sections do tend to be drier than the others. That said, this is a solid and informative guide to the Rise and fall of the Roman Empire, which deserves to be read by anyone who has an interest in the subject.