Roman Legionary 58 BC-AD 69
The period 31 BC-AD 43 saw the greatest expansion of the Roman Empire. In 31 BC Octavian defeated Antony at the battle of Actium and remodelled the semi-professional Roman army into a permanent force of 28 legions. Octavian became the first emperor (Augustus) and under his leadership the legions conquered northern Spain, all Europe south of the Danube line and Germany west of the Elbe. The legionaries exemplified the heroic culture of the Roman world and this title takes a behind-the-scenes look at their lives, training, weaponry and tactics, including the bloody massacre of the Teutoberg forest.
Adrianople, 378 : The Goths Crush Rome's Legions
'Never, except in the battle of Cannae, had there been so destructive a slaughter recorded in our annals.' Thus the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus recorded the battle of Adrianople, which spelled the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. Such a crushing Roman defeat by Gothic cavalry proved to the Empire, as well as to the Goths themselves, that the migratory barbarians were a force to be reckoned with. This book tells the story of the misguided Roman plans and the surprise attack of Gothic cavalry, and puts forward the most recent theories as to the true location of the battlefield.
Late Roman Cavalryman, 236-565 AD
The twilight of the Roman Empire saw a revolution in the way war was waged. The drilled infantryman, who had been the mainstay of Mediterranean armies since the days of the Greek hoplite, was gradually replaced by the mounted warrior. This change did not take place overnight, and in the 3rd and 4th centuries the role of the cavalryman was primarily to support the infantry. However, by the time of the 6th century, the situation had been completely reversed. Late Roman Cavalryman gives a full account of the changing experience of the mounted soldiers who defended Rome's withering western empire.
The Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire
In the third century A.D., the Roman Empire was on the brink of collapse. Yet miraculously the Empire recovered and continued, in the west, for another two hundred years, in the east, for far longer. In The Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire, esteemed classical historian Michael Grant examines this puzzling chapter in Western history. Although this period of Roman history is often discussed, there are no adequate discussions to explain why the Empire did not disintegrate -- all indications seemed to lead to its demise. In his clear, concise style, Grant analyzes the collapse through the succession of emperors, the impact of the Germans and the Persians and sheds new light on the reasons for the recovery of the Empire by revealing the emergence of strong emperors, the reconstitution of the army, new developments in finance and coinage, as well as the impact of state religion. Lively and accessible, The Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire offers a fresh look at the power and endurance of the Roman Empire.