Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, second edition - Softcover

Bishop, M. C.; Coulston, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842171593 ISBN 13: 9781842171592

Publisher: Oxbow Books, 2006

Synopsis

Rome's rise to empire is often said to have owed much to the efficiency and military skill of her armies and their technological superiority over barbarian enemies. But just how 'advanced' was Roman military equipment? What were its origins and how did it evolve? The authors of this book have gathered a wealth of evidence from all over the Roman Empire - excavated examples as well as pictorial and documentary sources - to present a picture of what range of equipment would be available at any given time, what it would look like and how it would function. They examine how certain pieces were adopted from Rome's enemies and adapted to particular conditions of warfare prevailing in different parts of the Empire. They also investigate in detail the technology of military equipment and the means by which it was produced, and discuss wider questions such as the status of the soldier in Roman society. Both the specially prepared illustrations and the text have been completely revised for the second edition of this detailed and authoritative handbook, bringing it up to date with the very latest research. It illustrates each element in the equipment of the Roman soldier, from his helmet to his boots, his insignia, his tools and his weapons. This book will appeal to archaeologists, ancient and military historians as well as the generally informed and inquisitive reader.

Table of Contents

The representational evidence
The archaeological evidence
The documentary evidence
The republican period
From Augustus to Hadrian
The Antonine revolution
The army in crisis
The dominate
Production and technology
The study of military equipment
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About this title

About the Author:

Mike Bishop is a specialist on the Roman army, with many publications to his name including the acclaimed and widely used Roman Military Equipment (2006). The founding editor of Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, he has also led several excavations of Roman sites.

Review:

Without such a study, discussing equipment in a regional fashion woul dbe far more difficult, and Roman Military Equipment should provide a useful impetus for other researchers. This will be a popular book... (Journal of Roman Archaeology Journal of Roman Archaeology)

...encyclopaedic in its coverage and impressive in the depth of its learning, an indispensible refernce for all students of the Roman army. (Britannia Britannia)

“This was a 'must read' from the moment it was published... the 2006 second edition was even better.” (kate Gilliver XI-3)

If there is a better book out there on Roman army equipment, I haven't found it yet.' (Tactical Knives)

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxbow Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1842171593
• ISBN 13: 9781842171592
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 224