Armies of the Roman Republic 264–30 BC: History, Organization and Equipment

Description

The period covered in this book saw the Roman Republic face its greatest military challenges. In 264 the Romans were pitted against the might of Carthage in the first of the three Punic Wars, which would push Rome to the brink but end with the destruction of this great rival city. In the following two centuries they would clash repeatedly with the Gauls, this recurrent threat finally overcome by Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. In this period they defeated the Hellenistic Successor states, proud heirs to the military legacy of Alexander the Great, a process completed by the annexation of Egypt in 30 BC. These wars, and others, made the Romans masters of all Western Europe and the whole Mediterranean basin, though failure against the Parthians limited their ambitions in the East. The Roman armies of this era were also employed against each other in the vicious civil wars that marked the end of the Republican period. Gabriele Esposito describes the tactics, organization, weapons and equipment of the Roman forces involved in these wars. He shows how the lessons of defeats and victories against such varied opponents in far-flung theaters, as well as social changes, forced a process of evolution and reforms that transformed Roman armies across this turbulent period. As usual, his clear, accessible text is supported by dozens of color images of replica weapons and equipment in use. Cover Book Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 The Roman Army of the Republic Chapter 2 The First Punic War Chapter 3 The Conquest of Gallia Cisalpina and the Illyrian Wars Chapter 4 The Second and Third Punic War Chapter 5 The Macedonian Wars and the Conquest of Greece Chapter 6 The Conquest of Iberia and the Jugurthine War Chapter 7 The Cimbrian War and Marius’ Military Reform Chapter 8 The Mithridatic Wars and the Conquest of Anatolia Chapter 9 The Conquest of Gaul Chapter 10 The Parthian War of Crassus and Herod’s Judaea Chapter 11 Roman Weapons and Tactics Bibliography The Re-enactors who Contributed to this Book Index