| Empire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire Contributor(s): Elliott, Simon (Author) |
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ISBN: 1785706586 ISBN-13: 9781785706585 Publisher: Oxbow Books Limited OUR PRICE: $47.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - General - History | Ancient - Rome - Social Science | Archaeology |
| Dewey: 355.009 |
| LCCN: 2017940793 |
| Physical Information: 0.5" H x 6.7" W x 9.4" (1.05 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - Italy |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The armed forces of Rome, particularly those of the later Republic and Principate, are rightly regarded as some of the finest military formations ever to engage in warfare. Less well known however is their use by the State as tools for such nonmilitary activities in political, economic and social contexts. In this capacity they were central instruments for the Emperor to ensure the smooth running of the Empire. In this book the use of the military for such non-conflict related duties is considered in detail for the first time. The first, and best known, is running the great construction projects of the Empire in their capacity as engineers. Next, the role of the Roman military in the running of industry across the Roman Empire is examined, particularly the mining and quarrying industries but also others. They also took part in agriculture, administered and policed the Empire, provided a firefighting resource and organized games in the arena. The soldiers of Rome really were the foundations on which the Roman Empire was constructed: they literally built an empire. Simon Elliott lifts the lid on this less well-known side to the Roman army, in an accessible narrative designed for a wide readership. |
Contributor Bio(s): Elliott, Simon: - Simon Elliott is an historian, archaeologist and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent where he studied for his PhD in Archaeology on the subject of the Roman military in Britain. He also has an MA in War Studies from KCL and an MA in Archaeology from UCL. For a day job he runs his own PR company, and is a former defence and aerospace journalist at titles including Jane's Defence Weekly and Flight International. He frequently gives talks on Roman themes and is co-Director at a Roman villa excavation. His several books include Roman Legionaries: Soldiers of Empire in the Casemate Short Histories series, and also Empire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire (Oxbow Books 2017). |