Author Topic: Anyone know....  (Read 380 times)

Offline Glasses

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« on: April 10, 2006, 04:32:17 PM »
Any good books of warfare during Roman times from the rise of  Rome as a Republic and then as an Empire, and its decline.  I'm probably asking at the wrong place but perhaps there are some people that are knowledgeable in this area also.

Thanks and  carry pwn.

Offline StarOfAfrica2

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« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2006, 05:18:35 PM »
Are you more interested in stories, biographies, anecdotal records ........... ?

This might be a good read for you .........

http://www.san.beck.org/EC24-RomanExpansion.html

Links below to further eras of Roman history.  Explore the rest of his website if you like, many people consider him a total nutjob.  I make no representation as to his personal beliefs.  What I think of him is irrellevant to the subject, he does know his history.

I can recommend a few books when I get home and have time to reference the authors as well.  Many of the books have titles that have been recycled many times by different authors so I want to make sure I am pointing you to the right ones.

Good luck!

Offline Glasses

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« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2006, 06:49:10 PM »
Oh Many thanks SOF. I'm very interested in this subject as of late and I'd like to enlighten myself with warfare in that era and just the general atmosphere in those times, will check the website and will see what this fellow has to offer .


Offline Vudak

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« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2006, 07:49:53 PM »
Yes, I have many recomendations:

First of all, you can't go wrong with Stephen Dando Collins' books.  He has three so far:

Nero's Killing Machine - The True Story of Rome's Remarkable Fourteenth Legion

Cleopatra's Kidnappers - How Caesar's Sixth Legion Gave Egypt to Rome and Rome to Caesar

Caesar's Legion - The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome

These are all unit histories from a guy who's spent his life researching Roman Legions.  I'd say you can trust him.  He also lists sources and the books read like novels, really.  All quotes are taken from ancient texts.  If they don't hook you, nothing will.  Personally I love his style.

Then of course, you can go to the ancient texts yourself.  Caesar's Gallic Wars is a first-hand account (with some first hand embellishments) and Tacitus' "Annals of Imperial Rome" is pretty darn good too.  You also have Seutonious' "The Twelve Caesars" and Plutarch's "Lives".  There are many others out there, these are the only one's I've dipped my nose in.

Not completely Roman - but "Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World" by Simon Anglim, Phyllis G. Jestice, Rob S. Rice, Scott M. Rusch, and John Serratt is very intersting.

Getting back to Rome and specifically her Legions, anything Adrian Goldsworthy won't let you down.  "The Men Who Made Rome" is good, and he also has books that are specifically geared towards the Roman Army.  "Roman Warfare" (Edited by John Keegan) is a pocket sized book thatgoes all the way from the Kings to the Decline.  A good read, but not a long one.

"The Making of the Roman Army - From Republic to Empire" by Lawrence Keppie is informative, but I find his stlye a bit dry.

"Chronicle of the Roman Republic" by Philip Matyzak has good information but its primary concentration is not the Legions.  Same with "The Romans - From Village to Empire" by Boatwright, Gargola and Talbert.  This was actually the text for my History of Ancient Rome class.  It's very dry but the most informative book I've ran across on the topic yet.  Again, military is not the primary focus, but it is certainly included.

Finally, if you're just looking for a bathroom reader on the army, check out "The Roman Army - Legions, Wars and Campaigns" by Nigel Rodgers.  It doesn't go into too much depth but is a good starter and has a lot of cool illustrations.

Anyway, I'd say that should get you started :)

Edit - when going for the ancient texts, I'd recommend any translation other than Penguin's Classics.  I really, really, really hate Legions being called "brigades", but maybe that's just me.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2006, 09:28:46 PM by Vudak »
Vudak
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Offline StarOfAfrica2

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« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2006, 08:34:41 PM »
Heh, my primary recommendation was going to be Collins.  I second the nomination, great reading.  

One I can recommend thats rather off topic for the Romans, but will give you an excellent sense of other things that were going on at the time, especially in the Eastern Empire (Byzantium).  Its called "The Cross and the Crescent" by Richard Fletcher.  Its primary focus is relations between Christianity and Islam through the centuries, but it focuses in detail on interactions between the Arabs and the Romans and the Persians, through the time of Muhammed, the Crusades, and through the fall of the last outposts of the Roman Empire, and then goes into detailed focus of religious matters regarding the two foci.  Highly recommended.

Another not-quite-on-topic book that will give you a good historical background focuses on the Greeks, called "Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter" by Thomas Cahill.  He has written several good books, this is one of them.

Offline bj229r

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« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2006, 08:58:02 PM »
As to the decline of the empire, John Smyth has a neat series of novels taking place in England, as the Romans were preparing to vacate, damn fascinating
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Offline Glasses

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« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2006, 02:20:43 AM »
Many thanks for all the suggestions I guess I should go to amazon and order some of them to get started on my reading, who knows maybe this will lead me to actually learn Latin ....:D well you never know.


Take care all!

Offline SuperDud

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« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2006, 02:53:04 AM »
One I would suggest isn't based on Rome itself but on it's enemy, Pontus. It's called "The Last King" by Michael Curtis Ford. It tells about a little known kingdom that fought against Rome and unlike everyone else, couldn't be brought to heel(mainly do to the king).

The author also wrote a book called " The 1000's chosen" or something to that effect. I think that one is about the Roman legion itself in battle. I have yet to read it, but am looking forward to it.

One final recommendation for you, also not Roman but set in the period. " The Spartans at the gates of fire". This is set about 150-250 years before Rome really started it's rise to power. It involves the greeks(Spartans) holding off a vastly superior number of enemies. If you aren't really into this time period I'd still highly recommend doing a quick google search on it and reading the history behind it. It's really amazing.

Sorry for ranting on about it. I've recently really gotten into this whole time period.
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Offline Holden McGroin

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« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2006, 12:09:49 PM »
Go to the horse's mouth... read Caeser's Commentaries.
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Offline FUNKED1

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« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2006, 12:23:12 PM »
John Keegan, History of Warfare