In this new edition, with a new preface and an updated bibliography, the author provides a comprehensive and well-documented survey of the evolution and growth

The Roman army was the greatest fighting machine the ancient world produced. The Roman Empire depended on soldiers not just to win its wars, defend its frontier

A comprehensive narrative history of the greatest army the world has ever known from its earliest origins to its disintegration in AD 476.

This companion provides an extensive account of the Roman army, exploring its role in Roman politics and society as well as the reasons for its effectiveness as

“An outstanding general study of the Roman military system. . . . The best one-volume treatment of the subject now in existence.”—Historian The Roman army