The Late Roman Army
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Pat Southern and Karen Ramsey Dixon
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Format: PaperPrice: $55.00
Using a full range of original literary sources, modern Continental scholarship, and current archaeological research, Pat Southern and Karen Dixon provide a stimulating overview of the historical period, the critical changes in the army, and the way these changes affected the morale of the soldiers. The authors discuss in fascinating detail the organization and fighting methods of the army: the recruitment of soldiers, the physical conditions under which they served, the equipment they used, the fortifications they built, and the siege warfare they waged. They also describe the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine—particularly the creation of the field army and the frontier army—that shaped the final version of the late Roman army up to the beginning of the sixth century. Numerous illustrations accompany the text.
A selection of the History Book Club
"An excellent account of the organization and equipment of the late Roman army, and of the physical and administrative setting in which the army functioned. The material is well chosen and carefully described. Given the present interest in late Roman studies, the book should appeal to both a general and an academic readership."—John Matthews, author of The Roman Empire of Ammianus
"[Southern and Dixon] have succeeded in providing an introductory survey that is likely to be widely useful. The structure is simple and lucid, comprising eight main chapters: the first two describe changes in the Roman army from the Severan period down to Justinian; the next six consider, respectively, recruitment, conditions of service, equipment, fortifications, siege warfare, and morale."—T.D. Barnes, American Historical Review
"Covering the historical development of the Late Roman Army and its internal structure as well as its equipment and tactics, this comprehensive discussion may serve as a reliable introduction for all those interested in the army itself or in the essential role it played in the war-shaken history of Late Antiquity."—Bernhard Palme, The Journal of Military History
"Southern and Dixon keep the student, the intended audience, in mind with high-quality photographs and useful reconstruction drawings, plus chronological tables, a glossary of Latin terms, and many maps."—Marlene B. Flory, Religious Studies Review
Publication Date: August 1, 1996
102 b/w illus.
