Roman Legionary 109-58 BC: The Age of Marius, Sulla and Pompey the Great (Warrior)

The quote “let us watch well our beginnings and the results will manage themselves” certainly applies to the Roman legionnaires. The battle tactics they develop and deploy from 109-58 BC, under the leadership of Marius, Sulla, Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar serve them well over the next 300 years. From 58 BC to 324 AD, there are improvements and additions to weaponry, uniforms, transportation, organization, composition, and leadership, but the legionnaires role in the defense of the empire is set down in this period.This book, then, provides the best overview of the battle readiness of the Roman Empire’s soldiers. Author Ross Cowan writes several subsequent volumes that build on the themes organized here with interesting supplementary detail in each edition, but this book is the map of the Romans military conquest by way of the foot soldier.If you have time to only delve into one of Cowan’s books in the Roman Legionary series, make it this one. The combination of individual valor led by brilliant generals to form a singular, disciplined, and lethal fighting machine is what gave Rome the edge over all her enemies and conquered peoples. Cowan succinctly lays out the role that unit cohesiveness, superior arms, unparalleled training, and charismatic and visionary leaders made in creating an empire. His story is enhanced by outstanding graphics (I particularly liked the sections on slingshot and spear-throwing soldiers) and pictures of historical artifacts.A lively and engaging book despite its 63 pages.

I enjoyed this book, it was extensively researched but very readable. It also had numerous photographs of artifacts and locations related to the discussion about the Roman military at that time. Finally I enjoyed how it discussed in depth how the soldiers trained and developed into an army.

Good, well written, only a few historical errors.

This is incomplete and misssing illustration. Different lists of the equites section are not accompanied by the illustrations listed. The editing is rather shoddy throughout.

The main thrust of this Warrior Osprey’s title from Ross Cowan is to show that the legionaries from the time of Marius to Caesar were not necessarily the superbly disciplined soldiers of modern popular imagination. It also shows that virtually all of the Roman generals of the time, including Marius, Sulla and Pompey, had to handle them with care and know when to be lenient and when to exact strict discipline. Some of them failed at doing so and consequently suffered mutinies or even loss of life. They could, however, be superb fighters and soldiers, through their rigorous training.The author also explains the reasons for this apparent paradox, suggesting that they were essentially fighting for plunder rather than anything else and that a large proportion of them came from the poorer classes with little else to expect. As a consequence and as well shown in the book, one of the biggest challenges for Roman generals was to keep control of their troops once victory was theirs and, more precisely, to prevent them from pillaging and looting enemies defeated in the field or cities that were stormed. This was all the more difficult to achieve because general themselves made huge fortunes through war spoils and attempting to restrain their soldiers could make these suspect their general of waiting to keep most of the loot for themselves.The related point he makes, by reviewing lengths of service in particular, is that at least some were becoming increasingly professionalised during what was essentially a period of transition between the citizen armies that had conquered most countries around the Mediterranean and what would become the full-time professionals of the early Empire under Augustus.A related and very interesting point is the author’s explanations showing how some generals managed their legionaries better than others. This seems to boil down to their respective characters. Some generals were clearly more charismatic than others. In addition, some were ready to cajole them and were not above a bit of melodramatic theatre to rally them and require yet another “last effort”. Others, however, did not understand the need for this or, in the case of Lucullus in particular, were too proud to do so, believed that such theatrics were beneath them and were consequently unloved by their troops and had to face mutinies which they were unable to control.These well-made points can be found spread across the book and as part of the various sections describing the main features associated with the roman legionary. These include pieces on recruitment and terms of service, which were in practice quite variable, the military oath and the soldier’s beliefs and belonging alongside interesting parts on training, equipment, organisation and campaign and battle. The illustrations are good and support the main text rather well. Five stars

The main thrust of this Warrior Osprey’s title from Ross Cowan is to show that the legionaries from the time of Marius to Caesar were not necessarily the superbly disciplined soldiers of modern popular imagination. It also shows that virtually all of the Roman generals of the time, including Marius, Sulla and Pompey, had to handle them with care and know when to be lenient and when to exact strict discipline. Some of them failed at doing so and consequently suffered mutinies or even loss of life. They could, however, be superb fighters and soldiers, through their rigorous training.The author also explains the reasons for this apparent paradox, suggesting that they were essentially fighting for plunder rather than anything else and that a large proportion of them came from the poorer classes with little else to expect. As a consequence and as well shown in the book, one of the biggest challenges for Roman generals was to keep control of their troops once victory was theirs and, more precisely, to prevent them from pillaging and looting enemies defeated in the field or cities that were stormed. This was all the more difficult to achieve because general themselves made huge fortunes through war spoils and attempting to restrain their soldiers could make these suspect their general of waiting to keep most of the loot for themselves.The related point he makes, by reviewing lengths of service in particular, is that at least some were becoming increasingly professionalised during what was essentially a period of transition between the citizen armies that had conquered most countries around the Mediterranean and what would become the full-time professionals of the early Empire under Augustus.A related and very interesting point is the author’s explanations showing how some generals managed their legionaries better than others. This seems to boil down to their respective characters. Some generals were clearly more charismatic than others. In addition, some were ready to cajole them and were not above a bit of melodramatic theatre to rally them and require yet another “last effort”. Others, however, did not understand the need for this or, in the case of Lucullus in particular, were too proud to do so, believed that such theatrics were beneath them and were consequently unloved by their troops and had to face mutinies which they were unable to control.These well-made points can be found spread across the book and as part of the various sections describing the main features associated with the roman legionary. These include pieces on recruitment and terms of service, which were in practice quite variable, the military oath and the soldier’s beliefs and belonging alongside interesting parts on training, equipment, organisation and campaign and battle. The illustrations are good and support the main text rather well. Five stars

Great

me a gustado sus ilustraciones y como explica la vida del Legionario de esa epoca.Las fotos tambien son buenas y aclaran algunas cosas sobre la epoca

Good book

Good for the period but more definitive atlas' exist.