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The Indispensable booklist
#61
And not to forget the 2 new books of Graham Sumner and D'Amato:

Roman Military Dress by Graham Sumner ISBN-13: 978-0752445762
Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus by G. Sumner and Raffaele D'Amato ISBN-13: 978-1848325128
________________________________________
Jvrjenivs Peregrinvs Magnvs / FEBRVARIVS
A.K.A. Jurjen Draaisma
CORBVLO and Fectio
ALA I BATAVORUM
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#62
Quote:I would add I have found the following useful and interesting:

Warfare in Ancient Greece[/i] (Tim Everson) ... from Homeric heroes to Alexander the Great ([size=85:3bsg18qs]Sutton Publishing, 2004[/size])

I also vouch for this book; it's as close as it gets to a new Snodgrass. Short on illustrations and pics, though, but a great resume on the state of the art. Some points are discussible though, since the author is convinced that the shield found in Egypt is simply a tureus and not actually roman.
Pedro Pereira
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#63
I would like to add the "Time/Life-Great ages of Man" series. It is good for all around research on the economics, history,
and mythology of the given subject.
Also, "The Romans- Their Life and Customs" by E. Guhl and W. Koner for architecture,
dress, furniture, and even kit.
And THEN!!! "The Anchor Atlas of World History, Vol.1 & 2" by Kinder and Hilgemann for timelines, maps and general facts of battles/events.
And THEN!!! " The Normans" by Christopher Gravett & David Nicolle for general study on the Normans you can't beat this one!!!
Craig Bellofatto

Going to college for Massage Therapy. So reading alot of Latin TerminologyWink

It is like a finger pointing to the moon. DON\'T concentrate on the finger or you miss all the heavenly glory before you!-Bruce Lee

Train easy; the fight is hard. Train hard; the fight is easy.- Thai Proverb
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#64
Robinson, H. Russell. The Armour of Imperial Rome. New York: Scribner, 1975. For almost two decades, the best source on Roman armor. While Bishop and Coulston have the advantage of being still in print (and thus much cheaper) and also more current, this book is still an invaluable reference work. The chapter on the lorica segmentata, which was the first detailed historical study of the type, is itself worth the effort of an interlibrary loan. Since it's never been reprinted, it's mucho expensive second hand, but worth it if you're into serious reference library building.

Bishop, M. C. and J. C. N. Coulston. Roman Military Equipment: From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxbow, 2006. This title has been mentioned before, but it's worth mentioning it again, as it was the book that superseded Robinson to become the standard source on Roman equipment. It's available new in paperback for a reasonable price; certainly you couldn't get a better return on $40 in this pursuit anywhere else. As an added bonus, you can interact with the author on this forum!

Bishop, M. C. Lorica Segmentata Volume I: A Handbook of Articulated Roman Plate Armour. JRES Monograph 1. Chirnside, Berwickshire: Armatura P, 2002. For those interested in the lorica segmentata, this is an indispensable book. You must have it. For one thing, it's the only full-length book devoted specifically to the topic. Secondly, it's written by the man who co-authored the standard source on Roman military equipmant. Finally, the author has made it freely available online at scribd.com. All you have to do is download it. This is a no-brainer. Equally desirable is the companion volume by M. D. Thomas (also freely available on scribd.com) which catalogues every published archeological find related to the lorica segmentata. We're talking page after page of line drawings of buckles and scraps. If there's a published archeological find related to the segmentata, you'll find a picture of it in here. Indispensable.
David J. Lohnes
Upper School English and Latin
Southside Christian School
Officium nos vocat!
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#65
Quote:I would have to add G.L. Cheesman's The Roman Auxilia (Oxford 1914) - a genuine tour de force that (in my opinion at least) has yet to be bettered. It may be out-of-date, but good scholarship (like fine wine) lasts. A year later he was killed at Gallipoli. Incidentally, this is out of copyright now (by definition, if he was killed in 1915) so why is there no digital edition on the web? A future project for Romanarmy.com, possibly?

Your wish has come true! The book is available on the Internet Archive as of April 5 2010:

[url:5ceimfks]http://www.archive.org/details/auxiliaofromanim00cheerich[/url]

Matt
Matthew Copple
[email protected]
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#66
Excellent book!!! Every time I go to that site I am impressed. So many books; so little time!
Craig Bellofatto

Going to college for Massage Therapy. So reading alot of Latin TerminologyWink

It is like a finger pointing to the moon. DON\'T concentrate on the finger or you miss all the heavenly glory before you!-Bruce Lee

Train easy; the fight is hard. Train hard; the fight is easy.- Thai Proverb
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#67
Quote:
mcbishop:3wj0noux Wrote:I would have to add G.L. Cheesman's The Roman Auxilia (Oxford 1914) - a genuine tour de force that (in my opinion at least) has yet to be bettered. It may be out-of-date, but good scholarship (like fine wine) lasts. A year later he was killed at Gallipoli. Incidentally, this is out of copyright now (by definition, if he was killed in 1915) so why is there no digital edition on the web? A future project for Romanarmy.com, possibly?

Your wish has come true! The book is available on the Internet Archive as of April 5 2010:

[url:3wj0noux]http://www.archive.org/details/auxiliaofromanim00cheerich[/url]

Matt

D'oh! Now you tell me Big Grin )
"...atque ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant."

????? ???? ?\' ?????...(J. Feicht)
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#68
My main interest is the Late Roman period and the below is just a small selection from my library, I've lifted it from another site I put it on and I've not included many of my recent purchases over the last year or so.

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. 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!
Adrian Coombs-Hoar
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#69
Great list Adrian. Thanks!
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#70
Quote:Great list Adrian. Thanks!

My pleasure.

Actually, I was quite horrified when I had occasion to review my purchases the last few years. For example, last year I purchased 33 Roman related books and items from Amazon alone, let alone the books I got from Oxbow, ABLE etc. Only 12 from Amazon so far this year, with one from ABLE.
Good job my lady very rarely ventures into my upstairs den!!!
Adrian Coombs-Hoar
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#71
Not sure if it can be classsed as indispensible, but I came across a collection of recent papers published by Oxbow Books today called "Feeding the Roman Army" which has aremarkable amount of interesting and up to date information. Here's the publisher's blurb and a link:

These ten papers from two Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (2007) sessions bring together a growing body of new archaeological evidence in an attempt to reconsider the way in which the Roman army was provisioned. Clearly, the adequate supply of food was essential to the success of the Roman military. But what was the nature of those supply networks? Did the army rely on imperial supply lines from the continent, as certainly appears to be the case for some commodities, or were provisions requisitioned from local agricultural communities? If the latter was the case, was unsustainable pressure placed on such resources and how did local communities respond? Alternatively, did the early stages of conquest include not only the development of a military infrastructure, but also an effective supply-chain network based on contracts? Beyond the initial stages of conquest, how were provisioning arrangements maintained in the longer term, did supply chains remain static or did they change over time and, if so, what precipitated those changes? Addressing such questions is critical if we are to understand the nature of Roman conquest and the extent of interaction between indigenous communities and the Roman army. Case studies come from Roman Britain (Alchester, Cheshire, Dorset), France, the Netherlands and the Rhine Delta, looking at evidence from animal products, military settlements, the size of cattle, horses, pottery and salt. The editors also provide a review of current research and suggest a future agenda for economic and environmental research. 169p, b/w illus (Oxbow Books 2008)

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ ... tion/Oxbow
Moi Watson

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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#72
An excellent book I'm just finishing on Roman imperialism in the Mid-Republic is "Rome Enters the Greek East: From Anarchy to Hierarchy in the Hellenistic Mediterranean, 230-170 BC" by Arthur Eckstein.

It's a more specific focus following on from his earlier book, "Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome (Hellenistic Culture and Society)".

He applies modern international relations theory to Roman conquests, and links the argument very well with the ancient evidence, especially Polybius, but also recently discovered inscriptions.
Counters Harris' argument - which is the preferred approach these days - that Roman imperialism was purely a result of a pathologically aggressive Roman society.
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#73
Hannibal by Theodore Dodge. Yes, it is old but it seems new; not written in a stodgy Victorian writing style. Dodge visited the battlefields he wrote about, and he was a Colonel in the American Civil War, so he has a practical viewpoint. A classic.
Tom Mallory
NY, USA
Wannabe winner of the corona
graminea and the Indy 500.
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