The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome's Elite Special Forces: A Concise History of Rome's Elite Special Forces - Hardcover

Sandra Bingham

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845118847 ISBN 13: 9781845118846

Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 2012

Synopsis

From the Immortals, the personal bodyguard of the Persian Achaemenid kings; the death-or-glory Companions, Alexander the Great's glorious cavalry corps; to Napoleon's Imperial Guards, flower of the French army, select martial cohorts are perennially fascinating. And perhaps no special force commands the romance, the mystique or the enduring appeal of ancient Rome's throroughbred protection and counter-insurgency squadron: the renowned Praetorian Guard. This elite military unit existed for over 300 years. Conceived as a personal army for the emperor, the Guard soon took over a wide range of powers in Rome, and thus from the very beginning made a much greater impact on the city's life than just as an imperial bodyguard. The Praetorians were in fact inseparable from the whole machinery of state, in some cases even making or breaking individual emperors. Sandra Bingham here offers a timely history of the Guard from its foundation by Augustus in 27 BCE to its disbandment by Constantine in CE 312. Topics covered include arms and insignia; the size, recruitment and command structure of the Guard; duration of service; the duties of individual soldiers and officers; and their familes and religion. The author also provides a lively and comprehensive survey of the Praetorians in the sources of antiquity. Augmented by carefully selected illustrations, maps and plans, this book will be vital reading for students and military history enthusiasts alike.

About this title

About the Author

Sandra Bingham is Teaching Fellow in Classics, University of Edinburgh. She resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Review

"Bingham has performed a valuable service in providing an up-to-date and detailed discussion in English of the history, structure and development of the Praetorian Guard. Her treatment of the relationship between the emperor and his elite regiment offers an important insight into the crucial relationship between the imperial office and the military force that was essential to its survival and effectiveness."―Michael M. Sage, Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati

"Bingham's fast-paced and carefully constructed narrative, backed up by sound analysis of crucial issues, expertly conveys the reader though this blood-thirsty and exciting tale, which highlights important issues in the wider history of the Roman world. Readers will welcome its crisp and clear style and eye for intriguing details of life in the guard."―Brian Campbell, Professor of Roman History, Queen's University, Belfast, UK

" Bingham has written what will be the standard book in English on the subject in a style that should endear it to a wider audience."―Conor Whately, University of Winnipeg, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"...an original mind at work. This is an exceptionally clear-headed and hard-working volume."―Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly

"The Praetorian Guard is a valuable contribution to Roman history generally and specifically to Roman imperial rule, the household of the emperor, and the person of the emperor himself."―R. Alden Smith, Professor of Classics, Baylor University

"The Praetorian Guard is a much-needed and valuable history of the Praetorian Guard from its origins to its disbandment by the emperor Constantine the Great in AD 312. Clear and concise in style, supported by ancient and current secondary sources, Bingham's study is balanced in its treatment of an often partisan subject."―Sara Elise Phang, author of Roman Military Service: Ideologies of Discipline in the Late Republic and Early Principate

"In short, Bingham's book is important if not essential reading for students of Roman imperial history; future work on the Praetorian Guard will depend in large part on the impressive efforts on display here."―Lee Fratantuono

, Ohio Wesleyan University, The Historian

"Bingham's book is important if not essential reading for students of Roman imperial history; future work on the Praetorian Guard will depend in large part on the impressive efforts on display here."―Lee Fratantuono, The Historian

"Through meticulous research and innovative interpretations, Sandra Bingham masterfully navigates the Praetorian Guard's meager data bringing this clandestine group to the historical light."―Shane J. Wood, Ozark Christian College, Stone-Campbell Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: I.B.Tauris
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1845118847
• ISBN 13: 9781845118846
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256