Roman Military Disasters: Dark Days and Lost Legions

Description

There is a tendency when dealing with world superpowers to focus on their successes. After all, these are what made them superpowers in the first place. However, reverses and disasters suffered on the way to preeminence are equally significant. The experience of ancient Rome is no different. This book is the first to examine the paradoxical role lost battles and defeat played in the success of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Over some 1200 years, the Romans proved adept at learning from military disaster and this was key to their eventual success and hegemony. Roman Military Disasters covers the most pivotal and decisive defeats, from the Celtic invasion of 390 BC to Alaric's sack of Rome in AD 410. Paul Chrystal details the politics and strategies leading to each conflict, how and why the Romans were defeated, the tactics employed, the generals and the casualties. However, the unique and crucial element of the book is its focus on the aftermath and consequences of defeat and how the lessons learnt enabled the Romans, usually, to bounce back and win. Acknowledgements List of Plates List of Diagrams List of Maps Timeline Introduction Part One: The Republic Chapter 1 Rome’s Peninsular Wars Chapter 2 The Roman War Machine Chapter 3 The Sources Chapter 4 The Fourth Century: the Gallic Invasion and the Samnite Wars Chapter 5 The Third Century: the Wars with Pyrrhus, the Punic Wars and the Gallic Invasion Chapter 6 The Second Century: the Spanish Wars, Viriathus and the Invasion of the Northmen Chapter 7 The First Century: the Social War, Spartacus, Mithridates, Crassus, the Parthians and the Gauls Chapter 8 ‘Doom Monster’ – Cleopatra VII Part Two: The Empire Chapter 9 The Early Empire: Clades Lolliana 16 BC, the Teutoburg Forest AD 9 Chapter 10 Boudica’s Revolt AD 60 Chapter 11 Beth-Horon AD 66 and the Jewish War AD 68 Chapter 12 Carnuntum AD 170; the Crisis of the Third Century – Abritus AD 251, Edessa AD 260 Chapter 13 The Theban Legion Massacre AD 286 Chapter 14 Adrianople AD 378 Chapter 15 Alaric’s Sack of Rome AD 410 Epilogue Appendix 1: Typical Cursus Honorum in the Second Century BC Appendix 2: Roman Assemblies Appendix 3: The Seven Kings of Rome Appendix 4: Some Carthaginian Generals Appendix 5: Greek and Roman Authors Appendix 6: Glossary of Greek and Latin Terms Notes Bibliography