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For more than seven centuries most of the Near East was part of the Roman empire. Yet no work exists which explores the means by which an ancient power originating in the western Mediterranean could control such a vast and distant region. What was the impact of the army presence on the population of the provinces? How did Rome respond to the challenge posed by the desert and its nomadic population? Isaac here offers answers to these questions in the first comprehensive treatment of the Roman military presence in the Near East. Using both well-known and neglected sources, he reassesses the means by which Rome achieved and maintained its control over the region. His study, now revised and updated to reflect recent research findings, casts new light on an important issue which has far-reaching implications for the understanding of ancient and modern imperialism. ... Read more

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Not for the casual historian
Benjamin Isaac's work is very important for ancient historians who are studying how Rome maintained its empire in the East.Unlike simiplistic models that claim it was the might of the Emperor or the brutality of the army, this book looks at the interactions of the local people, the idea of the Emperor, the legal and social codes of the Empire and the realities of military occupation of a region.Certainly more current research will answer some of the questions I had while reading this book but Isaac's approach was unique in the early 1990s and it was an eye opener.It is not for anyone without a basic understanding of Greek or Latin and an advanced grasp of the ancient world during the Roman Empire.In order to best use this book, you must be a historian, an ancient historian. ... Read more

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The growing threat from Germanic tribes and the Persian Empire, combined with internal difficulties, shook Rome to the core. In many respects the Empire should have collapsed, yet it didn't. Pat Southern's elegant narrative synthesizes a wealth of recent scholarship to bring the era to life. ... Read more

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Crisis in the 3d Century
Having enjoyed the author�s LATE ROMAN ARMY, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this volume on a recent visit to Rome. Of course any author benefits when writing about the likes of Diocletian, Septimus Severus and Constantine the Great. Southern�s highly readable text, buttressed with extensive illuminating notes and a sound examination of the sources, brings the period alive. I find Southern�s writing to be clear and understandable ---very well-crafted. I found the author�s well-developed bibliography particularly helpful.Passable maps, interesting illustrations and the obligatory, colossal head of Constantine accompany the text as well as a number of numismatological sketches of the era�s coinage. Chester Starr in his brief but excellent THE ROMAN EMPIRE delineates this time period as �The First Test� ---a massive turning point for the empire. Southern does a masterful job examining the evolving threats to the empire including themes such as depopulation, barbarization, succession, usurpation.I also liked her analysis of the mobile, multiethnic war bands of the era as well as her defense of the Emperor Gallienus (not too surprising as she co-authored THE ROMAN CAVALRY). I thoroughly enjoyed this work, in all three readings. I recommend following this up with Birley�s SEVERUS and William�s DIOCLETIAN. The old standby, AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS, is still available in an affordable Penguin abridgment. ... Read more

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A complete history of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, chronicling the story of the most influential civilization the world has ever known. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Handy Roman History book.
I find myself constantly picking up this handy book for reference on parts of roman history I'm hazy about. If your the kind of person who loves ancient war movies, or fell in love with the HBO series Rome, then you will be flipping through this book more than just a few times! I loved this book so much I've tried to see other books released by this publisher, but I couldn't find many others. With information on the publisher a little elusive, the book is great non the less. Many books have been released to serve as a summary about Rome. with lots of pictures to inform the casual reader. However I have found that most of them zap my interest half way through, this book is is strong where the others have failed. I recommend it!

A Definitive Tome
First of all, be warned that this IS a very good book, make NO mistake about it. Actually, it's a compilation (with additional material) of the first 2 smaller volumes by the same author.
Yet, it is SO much more.

I would have to classify this right up there alongside Gibbons Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire...only this book includes beautiful illustrations and artwork from the history of one of the greatest periods of mankind.

There are way too many pluses to go into detail about here, but if you take a few minutes to thumb through this book when you see it, you will most certainly want to add this to your library.

My wife teaches Latin, and finds this an invaluable source for teaching, discussion, and the culture that was Rome.

This is a POWERFUL work, and as we all know:
"Scientia est potentia"
(knowledge is power)

... Read more

Product Description
Agrippina the Younger attained a level of power in first-century Rome unprecedented for a woman. In this first biography of Agrippina in English, Anthony A.Barrett draws on the latest archaeological, numismatic, and historical evidence to create a startling new picture of this influential and misjudged woman.
According to ancient sources, she achieved her success by plotting against her brother, the emperor Caligula, murdering her husband, the emperor Claudius, and controlling her son, the emperor Nero, by sleeping with him. Although she was ambitious, Barrett argues that she made her way through ability and determination rather than by sexual allure, and that her political contributions to her time seem to have been positive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Intrigue in Rome
This is the first book published in English written solely about the life of Agrippina.FYI the original title of this book, published in England, was "Agrippina, Mother of Nero."The subtitle of this book is great because she really embodied all of this.She used marriage and sex to get power and make political decisions through first her brother Caligula then her husband Claudius then her lovers Seneca, Dio and others then finally through her son Nero.When Nero was a child emperor and he was advised by tutors, namely Seneca, Agrippina wielded huge influence on the entire Roman Empire.The first and pretty much only woman ever able to do that in ancient Rome.Even after Nero grew up and killed Seneca and everyone else who plotted against him Agrippina still influenced Nero on public policy and probably advised him on who to kill next.Barrett argues that she made wise decisions.However, it wasn't enough to stop her son from killing her in 59 after a lovers fight.Apparently they had an argument and subsequent falling out and when you fall-out of favor with Nero you could count on certain death; mother or not.Barrett's got some great stuff in here.A section on "Significant Events and Figures" is a great reference and contains lists like Agrippina's husbands, lovers, and victims.He also has a good timeline of her life, a few maps, and a lot of further reading in the huge 20 page bibliography.It is the only book in English on the subject.

A fascinating study of an influential Roman Imperial woman
Overall, this was a very good biography of Agrippina.The author should be commended for writing a biography from the perspective of a highly influential and important woman during Imperial Rome.The author certainly takes an academic approach to the study, and appears to have done a good job with research and use of sources.His treatment of Agrippina seems fair and even-handed.The author does a very good job of providing the story of Agrippina, the Imperial family, and other important Romans. My only criticism of the book is that somewhat more background about Roman society, social classes, the economy, foreign affairs was needed.Nevertheless, the author has provided us with a very informative and entertaining biography.I will undoutedly read his newest book on Livia.I highly recommend this biography of Agrippina.

Great book
The only reason that I didn't give 5 stars was the constant latin quotation.Sorry I'm taking Latin at present, but it wouldn't kill an academic author to write a book ENTIRELY in english!Besides that pet peeve, this was an excellent book!Not a fast read, but worth it.Barrett writes a wonderfully balanced tale of one of the most reviled women in Rome and shows that she was simply an ambitious women who wanted the most for her son.Albit she was a bit overzealous, she is not as bad as everyone assumes!

An Essential Biography
I have had a copy of this book since it was first published and have found it an invaluable resource.Anthony Barrett discusses the life of Agrippina and her times completely, and presents a well-formed opinion on the more obscure and difficult aspects of Roman history.Claudius, for example, comes off as being intelligent and politically astute rather than an ugly, dithering fool.The complexities and politics of Claudius' reign are very well discussed.Aspects of Agrippina's life (that are usually taken for granted) are examined in full by Mr. Barrett.Did she poison Claudius?It certainly appears to have suited her aims in keeping Nero as the sole heir to the empire but there are so many inconsistencies among ancient sources that renders it impossible to definitely say Agrippina did the crime.

Mr. Barrett also discusses the closing years of Agrippina's life as the Empress Mother particularly well.He covers the lack of any information about her in sources and relates her presumed murder at Nero's hands in detail with a critical view of what Tacitus, Suetionius and Dio say what happened.He does not go into detail concerning points of view that suggest Agrippina was, in truth, involved in a conspiracy but he does make mention of this idea and footnotes the article.

In short, a very readable and balanced account of the younger Agrippina.Mr. Barrett takes the time to present a full picture of Agrippina, her family and her role in Roman history.In particular, I found the description of Nero's youth and path to becoming Claudius' successor as more detailed and of greater use than Miriam Griffin's book about Nero.The bibliography is among the more useful I have encountered. Readers will find Mr. Barrett's account of the early empire to be stimulating.

Sister, Wife, Mother: A Freudian Quagmire
Agrippina was the sister of Caligula, the wife of Claudius and the mother of Nero.She survived the first two but was murdered by the latter in spectacular style: after surviving an elaborately engineered attempt to kill her aboard her sailboat she swam to shore only to be stabbed to death by Nero's henchmen.Like Agrippina, Barrett proves adept at keeping afloat: despite the many competing and unreliable sources, he avoids turning the book into a set-piece, overly-footnoted plethora of quotes and counter-quotes (or worse still, an extended book on coins).He explains, in terms a modern reader can easily understand, how Agrippina used her considerable powers of tact and persuasion to win influence in a patriarchal system.He also displays a keen sense of humor, not least in dispelling some of the many myths about Agrippina.Which is not hard: the Roman historians Tacticus and Suetonius accused her of cheating on all her husbands, sleeping with Caligula, murdering Claudius and then sleeping with the newly-installed Caesar, her son Nero, and if you don't immediately chuckle at the sheer implausibility of these charges, you'll at least find some amusement in the Freudian implications. ... Read more

Product Description
In this probing study, Starr covers the whole sweep of imperial Roman history, analyzing the binding forces of government and the army as initated by Augustus, the maturing of these forces under subsequent emperors, and the eventual collapse of this network in the western provinces. Not simply a chronological summary, the book explores in piquant, telling detail the elements and institutions that shaped the empire's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A great scan of the empire in under 200 pages
I agree with the comments another reviewer made here about Starr's writing style. But I do not arrive at the same conclusion. I learned early on in my read that taking the time to sift through the dense paragraphs Starr serves up pays great dividends. This is an excellent starting point for someone who's never read on the Roman empire. I do have a couple of quibbles - there is significant work left to do for the casual reader. Many names (yes, I include the well-known, such as Plutarch) appear without even a line of biographical context to ease their entry. And Starr, while dissecting the reigns of the Caesars' power, entirely neglects to give us any thoughts on the role of co-emporer. I would have thought this role would have been discussed along with that of the emporer's amicii. Perhaps the co-emporer role superfluous, which is the conclusion Starr allows us to reach in the absence of any other information. Or perhaps he assumes a knowledge of the empire that goes beyond that of one who picks up a brief summary like this one to get an idea how it all worked. In any event, these relatively minor flaws aside, this is a tremendous book. If you hear otherwise, it is likely from readers who are not inclined to read a paragraph twice when on the first run through the message (messages in Starr's case) do not immediately reach them with clarity. This is definitely not fast food for those in a hurry. It is a meal to be taken and digested slowly.

it reads like a gossip column.
Although this book is highly informative, Starr's writing style often hinders the reader from fully comprehending the scope of what is being written about.Starr seems to jump from topic to topic and cross centurylines with little or no notice to the reader.This book would be a greatcompanion text to another volume of Roman history, but on its own, it isvery difficult to decipher. ... Read more

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Battlefields are sites of international conflict, places where the course of history is decided. They are also places of pride and community identity, where the sacrifice and the courage of those who fought take on mythic status. Battlefield archaeology is a crucial tool for understanding how battles are fought and won, often revealing shocking conclusions at odds with the documentary record. Physical evidence shows whether battle plans succeeded or failed and the effectiveness of planning versus luck.

Fields of Conflict reveals new interpretations of classic battles and explores how archaeology is used regardless of geographic or temporal location. First showing the reader how to identify a battlefield from earthworks and particular artifacts, the authors then foster a new understanding of warfare by examining some of the best-preserved battlefields in the world. From the ancient world through the Middle Ages, to World Wars I and II and the Korean War, the analysis of what gets left behind at the close of epic struggles shows all too painfully how men fought and died, and how decisions their commanders made shaped history even today. Yet more than history, battlefield archaeology can be deeply meaningful to relatives of soldiers today, who seek to know where their missing loved ones fought, died, and were possibly buried. While military archaeology has always been popular, this groundbreaking volume is the first attempt to create a cohesive chronological interpretation for future study and understanding. ... Read more

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The Sybylline Oracles that provide narratives of Roman history are our best sources for popular understanding of contemporary events, since they were written by those with no obvious connection with the government.The Thirteenth Oracle is particularly interesting as it remains the only first-hand narrative of the critical years of the mid-third century AD, when the empire stood on the brink of political collapse.This book contains the first new edition of the text of the Thirteenth Oracle since 1902, an extensive historical introduction, and a detailed commentary that discusses disputed points of chronology, and how the authors, living in Roman Syria, viewed both the great rival powers of Roman and Persia, and the war that ensued. This work should be of particular value to scholars, graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and historians interested in the history of the late Roman empire. ... Read more

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The Praetorian Guard of Imperial Rome was the power behind the throne, with the ability to make or break an Emperor. Its origins lay in the guards units of republican commanders and the units of Octavian and Anthony that fought at Actium. This title covers the organisation, dress and history from these early days to the Guard's effective destruction at the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, and also details the guard units of the third and fourth centuries that replaced those lost. ... Read more

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1924. A study in the origin of the Roman Empire. As we read the deeds of the Queen of Egypt, we must doff our modern conception of right and wrong; and, as we pace the courts of the Ptolemies, and breathe the atmosphere of the first century before Christ, we must not commit the anachronism of criticizing our surroundings from the standard of twenty centuries after Christ. It is apparent that to a great extent we must be influenced by the thought of today, but the true student of history will make the effort to cast from him the shackles of his contemporary opinions and to parade the bygone ages in the boundless freedom of a citizen of all time and a dweller in every land. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A First-Rate Biography by a World-Class Egyptologist
Arthur Weigall's biography of Queen Cleopatra VII, written in 1924, deserves a new and appreciative audience. Weigall was an important Egyptologist who studied with Flinders Petrie when he was in his early 20s, and was to become the Inspector-General of Antiquities in Egypt.

Weigall's biography of Cleopatra, entirely based on classical sources, is well-complemented by his biography "The Life and Times of Marc Antony,"
(1921).

Both biographies are written for scholars and laymen alike, and they have the advantage of providing all the necessary academic detail while at the same time eschewing an over-abundance of footnotes and other scholarly baggage.

In addition, Weigall's writing style is extremely enjoyable to read because he has cultivated a fine sense of irony and understatement, often resulting in very amusing comments on and judgments of character.

A classical scholar in his own right, Weigall shows a very judicious understanding of the classical sources and their biases toward this most extraordinary of world-historical women.

Having also read some of the more recent biographies on Cleopatra by Michael Grant, Joyce Tyldesley, Diana Preston, I am quite surprised that none of these contemporary authors have included Weigall's book in their bibliographies. Surely, this is an oversight.

Although numerous editions of this biography are available (cloth & paper), I have particularly enjoyed the Kessinger oversize paper edition because of the large format size, a size befitting the oversized character of its subject.

All in all, Arthur Weigall's The Life and Times of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt is an essential read for anyone interested in Antony, Cleopatra and this most amazing love affair of the ancient world. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1883 edition by J.W. Bouton, B. Quaritch, New York; London. ... Read more

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Agrippina the Younger, wife of the emperor Claudius and mother of his successor Nero, wielded power and authority at the center of the Roman empire in ways unmatched by almost any other woman in Roman history. Such, at least, is the portrait of Agrippina delivered by our sources and perpetuated in modern scholarship. In this posthumous work, Judith Ginsburg provides a fresh look at both the literary and material representations of Agrippina. Unlike previous treatments, she seeks neither to condemn nor to rehabilitate Agrippina. Nor does she endeavor to exhume the "real Agrippina" from the embellished or fabricated portraits found among the ancients. Ginsburg trains her focus on the representations themselves. Her painstaking dissection of the portrayals by historians exposes the rhetorical tropes, the recurrent motifs, and the craft that shaped the literary image of Agrippina. The designs, as Ginsburg shows, were more than literary flourishes. They aimed to blur the boundaries between the domestic and the imperial realms, deploying the image of Agrippina as domineering wife and mother to suggest the flaws and instability of the regime, a dysfunctional family entailing a dysfunctional system of governance. Gender inversions at home played themselves out on the public scene as imperial rule compromised by female ascendancy. Distorted stereotypes of the "wicked stepmother," the domineering woman, and the sexual transgessor were applied to underscore the violations of status and disruption of gender relations that characterized the imperial administration. Ginsburg has as keen an eye for visual (mis)representations as for literary ones. The depictions of Agrippina on coinage and statuary provide a stark contrast with the written evidence. She appears as matron and priestess, emblematic of domestic rectitude and public piety, and a central figure in the continuity of the dynasty. Ginsburg incisively demonstrates the means whereby Agrippina's imagery was molded both to serve the interests of the Julio-Claudian regime and to advance the ends of its critics. ... Read more

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This volume elucidates the effects of Roman military deployment and political control on the distribution of coinage in the late Roman Empire, dealing quantitatively with archaeological numismatics: site-find material. A separate corpus was compiled for each of the 12 dioceses created by Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century (except the Dioceses of Pontica), and an effort was made to collect data from at least five sites within each province of each diocese. In the final analysis, a sample population of approximately 65,000 coins was compiled from 135 archaeological sites across the Empire. Numismatic data was then utilized to provide evidence, or supplement existing evidence for Roman military activity in specific regions. ... Read more

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The Byzantine Army was the closest the Middle Ages came to producing a military superpower. Having been trained to operate in small, highly mobile eight-man units adept at living off the land whilst on campaign, the Byzantine infantryman was a formidable foe. Built on a strong belief system that emphasized stealth, surprise, swift maneuvering, and overwhelming force, the Byzantine infantryman was trained in survival, sword, spear and archery techniques, as well as land and sea combat and fighting within the foulkon "turtle" formation.

This book, written by Timothy Dawson, an expert in the training and techniques of the Byzantine Army, details the everyday experience of the infantryman from his recruitment, through his twice-a-day training regime, to his encounters with his enemies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good for the most part
Dawson approaches the subject with a variety of relevant source materials, including art, textual evidence, archaeological remains and his own experience in re-enactment. The book is fairly well-rounded, discussing topics such as equipment, encampment and training.

The books does have a few flaws. While Dawson may be an expert on 10th-13th century weapons and armour, this book strongly suggests that he is much less knowledgable about 10th-13th century textual history. The various military manuals are referenced incessantly, but the sources of the period such as Leo the Deacon, Niketas Choniates, and Ionnes Skylitzes are largely ignored, especially when it comes to discussing the actual army in battle. Most of Dawson's information in the latter half of the book on training and actual campaigning are primarily drawn from the military manuals, and thus reflect the ideal. The references are pretty standard for Osprey books, but it constantly makes me wish that it was better cited so that I can see which manual, for example, some diagram or quote comes from. Osprey books can be loaded with citations - look at some of Waldemar Heckel's.

The book also doesn't give a very detailed or clear explanation of the thematic/tagmatic system. For someone unfamiliar with the Byzantine Empire, this could be problematic. I'm also not very fond of his unusual but accurate transliteration style, but that is just a minor quibble.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent book on the period, especially in the aspects of arms and armour. The illustrations are quite good. The organization and daily life of the soldiers is well described, although the section pertaining to the army on campaign is lacking.

Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 (Warrior)
I found it enlightening since little, in historical literature, covers this important period of history.This is an academic work, and brief, but provides interesting information on the continuing Roman Empire.The Roman Empire didn't cease to exist in 476 A.D. but continued till 1453 A.D. but it becomes overshadowed by other events, e.g., the Crusades, Turks, Arabs, Normans, etc.

Dawson is an expert researcher on the topic
Also recommended for such an audience is Timothy Dawson's BYZANTINE INFANTRYMAN: EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE C.900-1204. The Byzantine Army was built on a belief system emphasizing overwhelming force and infantrymen were trained on fighting in formation. Dawson is an expert researcher on the topic and here chronicles a typical infantryman's daily experiences and engagements.

An Insightful Look at the Byzantine Soldier
In Osprey's Warrior No. 118, Byzantine Infantryman: Eastern Roman Empire c. 900 - 1204, classics scholar Dr. Timothy Dawson outlines the capabilities and character of the soldiers who formed the bulwark of the Byzantine Empire. This is a subject area that has been neglected for decades due to a dearth of source material and biases against the Byzantines, as the author notes. Dr. Dawson's work sheds considerable light on this oft-neglected subject and he provides an insightful look at the Byzantine soldier.

Byzantine Infantryman consists of sections on recruitment, appearance, equipment, training, conditions of service, belief and belonging, on campaign and experience of battle. Color plates by Angus McBride include: Byzantine infantry at the beginning of the 10th Century; training; equipment in the late 10th to 11th centuries; battlefield formation in the late 10th century; camp life on campaign in Armenia; siege warfare; medical treatment and super heavy infantry of the 12th Century. The author also provides a 2-page glossary and a detailed bibliography.

The author lays out the subject methodically, covering all the critical areas from recruitment, to training, to combat and then retirement. He also makes some interesting comments about the effect of Orthodox Christianity upon Byzantine soldiers - who were told that even killing a non-Christian foe was a sin. The Church and society thus regarded the Byzantine soldier as something of an outcast, which helps to explain the problems in maintaining large armies. Unlike the earlier Roman Army, the Byzantines also allowed soldiers to serve as long as they were physically able, with no set terms of service. The only shortcoming in this work is its inability to convey why the Byzantine soldiers were able to prevail against the long odds they faced in this period - the secret of their "eliteness" is alluded to, but not really explained. Overall, a good volume in the Elite series.

The continuing tradition of Roman infantry
This title, by far the most worthy Osprey has yet published on the Byzantine Army, presents a fresh and lively new look at this confused topic and supports it with lovely plates by Angus McBride.Like all warrior titles, it examines the chronology, recruitment, appearance, equipment, training, conditions of service, belief and belonging, on campaign, and experience of battle of the topic and also has a detailed glossary.Also included are some neat black and white pics of modern reenactors using the spears and solenarion of the Byzantine infantryman. ... Read more

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The most substantial biography ever written on the most important Roman emperor, Professor Charles M. Odahl has written a fascinating account of the life and reign of the first Christian emperor of the Roman world.

Drawing on over a quarter of a century of research on sources relevant to the period and retracing the journeys made by Constantine across Europe and around the Mediterranean basin, this up-to-date biography provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of literary sources and research into the archaeology of the Constantinian era, and enables a more rounded and accurate portrait than has previously been available.

Illustrated with ninety-two photographs and eight maps, Constantine and the Christian Empire is the standard work on the man and his life for scholars, students, and all those interested in Roman imperial, early Christian, and Byzantine imperial history.

Product Description
Although Rome's traditional legions of heavy infantry decreased in numbers between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, the pedes remained the backbone of the Roman army until well into the 5th century. The pede was unlike the legionary who preceded him, and perhaps he was not as well disciplined, but in many ways he was more flexible - ready for deployment to trouble spots, and for fighting both as a skirmisher and a heavy infantryman. Simon MacDowall explores the changing nature of the Roman infantryman between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, covering such topics as recruitment, training and armour, and providing an excellent evaluation of Roman infantry tactics. ... Read more