Rome and her Enemies
An empire created and destroyed by war
Published by Osprey (see links page).
Paperback, 290 pages, priced at £14.99 (UK in 2008).
Introduced by Tom Holland, this richly illustrated book is divided into four distinct periods. (1) Early Republic 753 BC - 150 BC, (2) Late Republic 150 BC - 27 BC, (3) Early Empire 27 BC - AD 235, (4) Late Empire AD 235 - AD 500.
In each period, the protagonists are individually discussed in dedicated chapters, with the
Roman army of the period being described first. The chapters are constructed from a collection of relatively short articles covering a range of military related topics. This, combined with an abundance of illustrations, makes this a very easy book to just pick up and browse. Readers can go straight to their favourite armies without referencing earlier chapters.
The sheer span of time being covered and the diversity of tactics and armies over this period naturally means that it is not in this books remit to give detailed coverage on individual battles but neither is this a book of superficial history.
The articles contain a lot of interesting military information that while not being a prime source for scenario construction (perhaps DBA type systems excepted), does give good insight into tactics, equipment and dress. By way of example, the battle of Cannae is dealt with in two pages. One of the pages illustrates the three phases of the battle and the other page discusses the battle. The reader is left with a firm understanding of the general principles that make this battle notable but the necessary broad
brush approach means that strengths are discussed in general terms such as giving the Roman army 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, rather than giving a more detailed Order of Battle. The illustrations as always with Osprey, are a strong point of the volume and will be a prime source for anyone painting figures. Much of the artwork here has been previously published in other various Osprey books and one of the joys of this title is that it brings so much of this artwork together into a single volume.
The kind of coverage that a single nationality typically receives can be exampled by looking at the chapter dealing with the British Celts, which covers; - General background, Claudius invades Britain, conquering the Celtic tribes, the Celtic feast and the raid, Boudicca, Agricola, the warriors role and status, the Celtic Otherworld, appearance and dress, the cavalry, the chariot warrior, arms, armour and equipment and fighting style. This chapter occupies some 15 pages and has 10 illustrations, with around half of them being substantial in size. The book is much more than a ‘general history’ type product, with it’s focus throughout staying on military matters, it will find favour with many gamers and military enthusiasts. The topic based format makes it easy to dip in and out of and the price delivers excellent value. This would make an ideal gift.
