late roman army

[mike_espo]

Depends on what you are looking for. Warfare in Roman Europe: AD 350-425 by Hugh Elton: Oxford Classical Monographs.

This book is a paperback edition relating all aspects of the late Roman Army from Recruitment, Tactics, Strategies, Finance, Fortifications. Operations of the Roman and Barbarian armies.

Scholarly, but quite interesting nevertheless. :wink:

[Renatus]

I'm still waiting avidly for Ancient Warfare VI-5, 'The Army of Diocletian' - release date now December 15th...

This is now out and looks excellent, although I have not had the chance to read it yet. One thing I have noticed, however, is that the captions to the photographs of the tombstones of Flavius Augustalis and Aurelius Sudlucentius on pp. 17 & 18 respectively are transposed. There used to be a Forum on the 'Ancient Warfare' website where comments like this could be made but it seems to have gone the way of all flesh.

[Nathan Ross]

Ancient Warfare VI-5, 'The Army of Diocletian' - This is now out and looks excellent

Yes, I've just read it, and it is excellent.

Of course, I wanted it to be about twice or three times as long and detailed... with even more pictures! But one can't ask too much, I suppose...

Most of what's here draws on accepted thinking, and there's little actually new, but it's good to see this sort of material combined and presented so well. Some big names in the field too - Martijn Nicasie contributes an article, Jon Coulston another. Nicasie's piece contained the only eyebrow-raiser, for me - the note (p.12) that Legion VI Herculia apparently had ten cohorts (I think the citation is wrong* - but two inscriptions from Mursa and Bononia read Leg VI Herc X, which I assume is what he's referring to). This scuppers my theory that III-VI Herculia and Jovia were formed from two-cohort detachments of legions I and II... Bah!

*[EDIT - no it's not! My apologies to Mr Nicasie, and see below...]

One slight criticism might be that so many of the articles begin by giving an overview of the third century crisis, which is covered very well in Vincent van der Veen's introduction; the repetition of info here cuts down space for more in-depth writing on other subjects.

Oddly, Nicasie claims (p.12) that there is 'little or no... independent evidence for the shield designs of late Roman units', besides the ND. This contradicts Coulston (p.18), who rightly mentions the designs from the Arch of Galerius (one could add the Arch of Constantine!) and the Egyptian shield leather. A shame, actually, that several of the (otherwise excellent) illustrations use the ND designs for the Herculiani and Joviani shields, rather than the more contemporary Galerian ones. Graham Sumner's illustration on p.16 presents (I think) a far better impression of a Tetrarchic shield.

Incidentally, both Nicasie (p.11) and Paul MacDonnell-Staff (p.26) accept the existence of 'the central cavalry force that we know existed under Gallienus and Aurelian' (Nicasie), so contra Duncan Campbell in AW II.6...

I did consider starting a new thread to question J Albert Morales idea (in 'The curious career of Aurelius Gaius') that the eponymous legionary actually went to India, as his inscription states - but I'll add it here instead. The notion seems a bit far fetched, and most other commentators I've read assume that the Red Sea coast of the Sudan or Ethiopia is meant, where ships from India would arrive. Galerius was campaigning down that way in c.294. Actually I'd also place Gaius' start date a bit later - Morales has him joining the legions under Aurelian, which seems unnecessarily early. The reference to Mesopotamia can only refer to Carus's invasion of 283 (since Gaius was in Mauretania in c.298), and this would seem acceptable as a first campaign.

But anyway, these are minor quibbles about an otherwise very exciting issue.

:-)

[D B Campbell]

Nicasie's piece contained the only eyebrow-raiser, for me - the note (p.12) that Legion VI Herculia apparently had ten cohorts (I think the citation is wrong - but two inscriptions from Mursa and Bononia read Leg VI Herc X, which I assume is what he's referring to).

Perhaps he means ILS 4195 (which I cited in AW V.4 p.49), an altar set up by co(ho)r(te)s X et VII of legio II Herculia?

Incidentally, both Nicasie (p.11) and Paul MacDonnell-Staff (p.26) accept the existence of 'the central cavalry force that we know existed under Gallienus and Aurelian' (Nicasie), so contra Duncan Campbell in AW II.6...

Pity. Gallienus' Schlachtenkavallerie has become an article of faith, and no-one seems to look at the (lack of) evidence.

[Renatus]

Nicasie's piece contained the only eyebrow-raiser, for me - the note (p.12) that Legion VI Herculia apparently had ten cohorts (I think the citation is wrong - but two inscriptions from Mursa and Bononia read Leg VI Herc X, which I assume is what he's referring to).

I don't know if this article (Singidunum 2005, iss. 4, pp. 111-115) helps in any way. Although written in 2005, it does not refer to the inscription cited by Nicasie.

http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/...04111M.pdf
(Click on 'full text' in the box on the left.)

[Nathan Ross]

Perhaps he means ILS 4195

No, I know the Sitifis one, and that's certainly II Herculia, not VI.

Nicasie's ref is 'Annee epigraphique 1980 777', which appears to be an inscription from Drobeta reading only 'C X' - unless there's a 'VI HR' missing from the beginning?

I believe he's actually referring to the brick stamps mentioned in the article Michael provided above though. One is CIL 03, 03754c (Mursa), another CIL 03, 10665c (Bononia). There's another inscription to VI Herc (AE 1964, 0226) from Mursa, apparently dated c.306-311, so definitely a tetrarchic legion.

Although written in 2005, it does not refer to the inscription cited by Nicasie... Click on 'full text'

Or 'pun tekst' ;-) - thanks!

[D B Campbell]

Nicasie's ref is 'Annee epigraphique 1980 777', which appears to be an inscription from Drobeta reading only 'C X' - unless there's a 'VI HR' missing from the beginning?

AE 1980, 777 refers to a brick-stamp from Sirmium: L VI HR CX.
[attachment=6246]AE1980-777.jpg[/attachment]

I believe he's actually referring to the brick stamps mentioned in the article Michael provided above though. One is CIL 03, 03754c (Mursa), another CIL 03, 10665c (Bononia).

And apparently CIL 3, 14216.

[Nathan Ross]

AE 1980, 777 refers to a brick-stamp from Sirmium: L VI HR CX.

So it does! Seems my source was wrong - thanks for the clarification, and I'll make an amending note to my post above.

[ValentinianVictrix]

I've lifted this from a thread I started on another site, hope you find it useful-

I am sure all of us have at one time or another experienced the frustration of attempting to find information and books that cover our particular ancient armies and nations of interest.
To this end I thought I would share the book list I have compiled from my own collection that covers a wide range of topic concerning the Later Roman Empire.
Please note that the comments made about the books are purely mine and your own thoughts and comments may differ.


THE LATE ROMAN ARMY

Martijn Nicasie (1998)- ‘Twilight of Empire: The Roman army from the reign of Diocletian until the battle of Adrianople’-
Hugh Elton (2004)- ‘Warfare in Roman Europe, AD 350-425’
Richard Cromwell (1998)- ‘The Rise and Decline of the Late Roman Field Army’
Phil Barker (1981)- ‘The Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome’
John Peddie (1997)- ‘The Roman War Machine’
Pat Southern & Karen R. Dixon (2000)- ‘The Late Roman Army’
Benjamin Isaac (2004)- 'The Limits of Empire- The Roman Army in the East'
A. D. Lee (2007) 'War in Late Antiquity: A Social History'
M. C. Bishop & J. C. N. Coulston (2006) 'Roman Military Equipment From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome'
Adrian Goldsworthy (2004) 'The Complete Roman Army'
Adrian Goldsworthy (2007) 'Roman Warfare'


Of the above books ‘Twilight of Empire’ and ‘Warfare in Roman Europe’ are absolute essentials. To be honest if you buy ‘Twilight of Empire’ then there is no need to waste your money on Cromwell’s over-priced and under researched book. Crowell’s only saving grace in my eyes is that he agreed that the Roman cavalry during this period were prone to brittleness. If you have more money than sense, or can find a cheap copy as I did, then by all means purchase Cromwell’s book, otherwise just stick with 'Twilight of Empire'. A word of caution here about Southern & Dixon's ‘The Late Roman Army’. Whilst it contains much that is of interest, it also contains a number of errors and mistakes, some of them quite glaring. Take a look near the beginning under the table of Emperor’s for example. Valens is quoted as dying from a natural death. I don’t know about you, but I thought that being shot by an arrow then being burned alive does not equate to a natural death! The table is also wrong as he was Emperor of the East, therefore both he and Valentinian should appear under the table of the Divided Empire. Peddies book is a good source book on all aspects of a Roman army, from supplies, baggage, to building field and permanent fortifications. Phil Barker’s book is essential for history buffs and wargamer’s alike. Full of illustrations, will keep figure painters amused for hours! Goldsworthy's books are a bit 'thin' when it comes to the Later Roman Empire and what he says is not always correct. Bishop & Coulston are to be recommended for an very good insight into the equipment used.


THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE AND IT’S ENEMIES

Herwig Wolfram (1990)- ‘The History of the Goths’
Peter Heather (2007)- ‘The Goths (The Peoples of Europe)
Peter Heather (1991)- ‘Goths and Romans, 332-489’
Michael Kulikowski (2007)- ‘Rome’s Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric’
Thomas S. Burns (1995)- ‘Barbarians within the Gates of Rome: Study of Roman Military Policy and the Barbarians, 375-425 AD’
Alessandro Barbero (2007)- ‘The Day of the Barbarians: The Battle that led to the fall of the Roman Empire’
John F. Drinkwater (2007)- ‘The Alamanni and Rome 213-496 (Caracalla to Clovis)’
Beate Dignas & Englebert Winter (2007)- ‘Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals’
Michael H. Dodgeon & Samuel N.C. Lieu (2003)- ‘The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (AD 226-363)’
Geoffrey Greatrex & Samuel N.C. Lieu (2002)- ‘The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (AD 363-628)’
Dr Kaveh Farrokh (2007) 'Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War'
David S. Potter (2007) 'The Roman Empire at Bay AD 180 - 395'
Herwig Wolfram (1997) 'The Roman Empire and its Germanic Peoples'


All of the above books I would consider worthy of being in the library of anyone interested in the Late Roman Empire and those who it fought against. Barbero’s book is good for references, but he relies too much on the Osprey ‘Adrianople’ book for information about that battle and falls into the trap of supporting the author of the above books belief that the Goths had wagon barricades, purely because that author does not believe that the wagon laager could be circular due to the number of wagon’s he surmises must have been present. These barricades are not mentioned by any ancient author. Farrokh has been critised for making too many assumptions, but due to the lack of material on the Sasanid Empires armies I have included it for completness.


THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE

A.H.M. Jones (1973 1st reprint)- ‘The Later Roman Empire 284-602: A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey’
Averil Cameron (1993)-‘The Later Roman Empire'
John Mathews (2008)- ‘The Roman Empire of Ammianus’
R. Malcolm Errington (2006)- 'Roman Imperial Policy from Julian to Theodosius'
R. C. Blockley 'East Roman Foreign Policy: Formation and Conduct from Diocletian to Anastasius'
Stephen Mitchell (2007) 'A History of the Later Roman Empire AD 284-641'
Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli-'Rome, the late Empire;: Roman art, A.D. 200-400 (Arts of mankind series)'



There are a vast number of books out there dealing with the Later Roman Empire. I chose these in particular as they cover all the bases as far as I am concerned. Jones work is still widely available in a 1986 reprint. Matthews has been slated for his books over-indulgence. However, the man’s passion for Ammianus and the age he lived in is totally forgivable in my opinion. 'Rome- The Late Empire' is an absolute treasure and should be sought out at all costs!

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Peter Heather (2006)- ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History’
Arthur Ferrill (1990)- ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation’
Michael Grant (2003)- ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’
Bryan Ward-Perkins (2005)- ‘The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization’

Again, there are a vast amount of books that deal with the fall of the Roman Empire. The ones above are thought to be essential reading.
Heather, Ferrill and Ward-Perkins all argue that it was the ‘barbarians’ who led to the direct downfall of the Roman Empire. Grant takes a different view, believing that social factors led to the fall.

ANCIENT AUTHORS WHO COVER THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE

Ammianus Marcellinus- ‘Res Gestae’ (Various translations are widely available, also online for free)
Anonymous- ‘De Rebus Bellicis’ (Translated by E. A. Thompson 1952)
Anonymous- 'Chronicon Paschale 284-628D' (Translated by Whitby & Whitby)
Aurelius Victor- 'De Caesaribus' (Translated by H.W. Bird)
Claudian (Various translations available, also online for free)
Eutropius (Various translations available, also online for free)
Eunapius, Olympiodorus, Priscus and Malchus in 'The Fragmentary Classicising Historians of the Later Roman Empire' (Translated by R. C. Blockley)
Festus- Brevarium (online for free)
Jordanes – ‘The Origin and Deeds of the Goths’ (Translated by Charles C. Mierow (1908)
Julian- ‘The Works of Julian the Emperor’ (Various translations, some of which can be found online for free)
Libanius- ‘Oratations’ ‘Letters’ etc (Various translations are available, some of which are online for free)
Paulus Orosius- ‘The Seven Books of History Against the Pagans’ (Translated by Roy J.Deferrai)
Sozomon (Various translations available, also online for free)
Themistius Select Oratations etc (Various translations are available)
Various- 'In Praise of Later Roman Emperors: The Panegyrici Latini' by C.F.V Nixon and Barbara Saylor Rodgers.
Vegetius- ‘The military institutions of the Romans’ (Various translations, can be found online for free)
Zosimos ‘Historia Nova’ (Various translations, can be found online for free)

All of these translations are essential for those who want to read the history directly from those who were there to either witness it, or were living contemporary with the age they are describing.

Well there you have it, your be broke buying all that lot, but your have some of the best books on the Later Roman Empire to show for it!

Here are some articles that may be worth reading:
Attached Files Aetius and Boniface.rar (1.80 MB, 157 views)
Cambridge Ancient History 12. The Crisis of Empire 193-337.rar (10.21 MB, 121 views)
EvolutionArmy3rdAD.rar (10.76 MB, 270 views)
Elephants In Warfare In Late Antiquity.rar (282.8 KB, 101 views)
Numeri in The Roman Army.rar (1.65 MB, 215 views)
On Foederati, Hospitalitas, and the Settlement of the Goths in A.D. 418.rar (1.29 MB, 99 views)
The Rise of the Sassanid Elephant Corps.rar (174.0 KB, 178 views)
The Fulcrum, the Late Roman and Byzantine Tesudo.rar (193.3 KB, 108 views)
The Legion Re.rar (100.8 KB, 150 views)
Adrianople ,contempary reactions.rar (789.8 KB, 117 views)


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The link is- http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=224786

[Nathan Ross]

Matthews has been slated for his books over-indulgence. However, the man’s passion for Ammianus and the age he lived in is totally forgivable in my opinion.

I'm reading The Roman Empire of Ammianus at the moment, actually, and enjoying it a great deal. Could you expand a bit on the 'over-indulgence' complaint?

THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE AND IT’S ENEMIES

Does anyone have a view on the relative merits of the work of Guy Halsall, Malcolm Todd and/or Edward James with regard to the other authors mentioned here?

[ValentinianVictrix]

Matthews has been slated for his books over-indulgence. However, the man’s passion for Ammianus and the age he lived in is totally forgivable in my opinion.

I'm reading The Roman Empire of Ammianus at the moment, actually, and enjoying it a great deal. Could you expand a bit on the 'over-indulgence' complaint?

THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE AND IT’S ENEMIES

Does anyone have a view on the relative merits of the work of Guy Halsall, Malcolm Todd and/or Edward James with regard to the other authors mentioned here?

In reference to your first question Nathan I too very much enjoy Matthews work on Ammianus, however several historians have taken him to task over their claims he has been overly indulgent in his praise of Ammianus and over reliance on the historical accuracy of his work. I've seen reviews of the book that say basically the same thing. I dont necessarily agree with this viewpoint, a passionate man can be given the odd indulgence now and again surely?

The second question I cannot answer as I've only got the one book by Halsall, the one on the Barbarian Migrations, and none by the other two authors.
The list I gave has greatly expanded since I originally posted it on the other site, I've got far too many now to even begin to list, and every time another parcel arrives in the post the sighs from my good lady get louder and deeper by the day!!!

[Robert Vermaat]

Nice thread gents.

Ancient Warfare VI-5, 'The Army of Diocletian' - This is now out and looks excellent

Yes, I've just read it, and it is excellent.

I agree, although I haven't finished it yet.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I have some links to the Chronica Minora and to Hydatius online, along with a few other sources. Here:

Notitia Dignatatum, Abriged and Images
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/no...itatum.asp
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda-sarson/...terns.html

Jordanes:
http://people.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Cour...dgeti.html

Hydatius, in latin. Translated Document won't upload for whatever reason.
http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0776/_P1.HTM

Sidonius Apollinaris, Lstin
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/sidoni...reface.htm

Merobaudes, Can Be Downloaded as a PDF, in LAtin
http://books.google.com/books?id=LuE9AAA...&q&f=false

Priscus, maybe abridged
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/priscus1.asp

Codex Theodosiani, in Latin
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/lati...theod.html

Ammianus, Latin, Maybe Abridged?
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ro.../home.html

gildas
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/gildas...ritain.htm

eutropius abridged
http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/e...index.html

Collectio Avelana
http://www.archive.org/stream/corpusscri...9/mode/2up

Chronica Minora
http://archive.org/details/chronicaminorasa09momm
http://archive.org/details/chronicaminorasa11momm
http://archive.org/details/chronicaminorasa13momm


I'll try and Upload my Chronicle of Zaragoza, Chronicle of Isisdore later