Erdkamp Paul (ed.) A Companion to the Roman Army

Malden (USA) – Oxford (UK) – Carlton (Australia): Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2007. — 601 p. — (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World). — ISBN13: 978-1-4051-2153-8; ISBN10: 1-4051-2153-X.The guiding principle behind this companion to the Roman army is the belief that the Roman army cannot adequately be described only as an instrument of combat, but must be viewed also as an essential component of Roman society, economy, and politics. Of course, the prime purpose of the Roman army was to defeat the enemy in battle. Whether the army succeeded depended not only on its weapons and equipment, but also its training and discipline, and on the experience of its soldiers, all of which combined to allow the most effective deployment of its manpower. Moreover, every army is backed by a more or less developed organization that is needed to mobilize and sustain it. Changes in Roman society significantly affected the Roman army. However, the army was also itself an agent of change, determining in large part developments in politics and government, economy and society. Four themes recur throughout the volume: (1) the army as a fighting force; (2) the mobilization of human and material resources; (3) the relationship between army, politics, and empire; and (4) the relationship between the armies and the civilian population. Even in a sizeable volume such as this choices have had to be made regarding the topics to be discussed, but the focus in this volume on the army in politics, economy, and society reflects the direction of recent research.List of Illustrations
Notes on Contributors
Abbreviations of Reference Works and Journals
Abbreviations of Works of Classical LiteraturePaul ErdkampEarly Rome
Warfare and the Army in Early Rome. John Rich
The Army and Centuriate Organization in Early Rome. Gary ForsytheMid- and Late Republic
Army and Battle During the Conquest of Italy (350–264 BC). Louis Rawlings
The Age of Overseas Expansion (264–146 BC). Dexter Hoyos
The Late Republican Army (146–30 BC). Pierre Cagniart
War and State Formation in the Roman Republic. Paul Erdkamp
Roman Manpower and Recruitment During the Middle Republic. Luuk de Ligt
Military Command, Political Power, and the Republican Elite. Nathan Rosenstein
Colonization, Land Distribution, and Veteran Settlement. Will Broadhead
Army and General in the Late Roman Republic. Lukas de BloisThe Empire (Actium to Adrianople)
The Structure of the Imperial Army
The Augustan Reform and the Structure of the Imperial Army. Kate Gilliver
Classes. The Evolution of the Roman Imperial Fleets. D. B. Saddington
Battle, Tactics, and the Emergence of the Limites in the West. James Thorne
The Army and the Limes in the East. Everett L. Wheeler
Strategy and Army Structure between Septimius Severus and Constantine the Great. Karl Strobel
Military Organization
Military Documents, Languages, and Literacy. Sara Elise Phang
Finances and Costs of the Roman Army. Peter Herz
War- and Peacetime Logistics: Supplying Imperial Armies in East and West. Peter Kehne
Army, Emperor, and Empire
The Roman Army and Propaganda. Olivier Hekster
The Army and the Urban Elite: A Competition for Power. Clifford Ando
Making Emperors. Imperial Instrument or Independent Force? Anthony R. Birley
Soldiers and Veterans in Society
Military Camps, Canabae, and Vici. The Archaeological Evidence. Norbert Hanel
Marriage, Families, and Survival: Demographic Aspects. Walter Scheidel
Recruits and Veterans. Gabriele Wesch-Klein
The Religions of the Armies. Oliver StollThe Late Roman Empire (up to Justinian)
Warlords and Landlords. Wolf Liebeschuetz
The Foederati. Timo Stickler
Army and Society in the Late Roman World: A Context for Decline? Michael Whitby
Army and Battle in the Age of Justinian (527–65). Hugh EltonIndex locorum