This is the best book on the Roman army around at the moment and it has everything: battle plans, recreations of army fortifications, reconstruction drawings of equipment and armour, biographies of commanders, plans of camps, maps, photographs of key pieces of archaeological evidence, literary extracts, and much more besides. Adrian Goldsworthy presents a 'complete' analysis of the Roman army taken in three easy-to-manage chronological phases. Beginning with the citizen's militia of the middle Republic in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, he examines how and why this army changed, becoming the first professional army between the 1st century BC and 3rd century AD. He discusses how this army dealt with new conditions and new enemies, increasingly fighting far from the homeland. By the end of the 3rd century AD the Roman army faced even greater external threats and persistent civil wars which led to further transformations. Key battles are explored, tactics discussed, the lives of the soldiers, their equipment, diet, pay and conditions, their careers and experiences are revealed, bringing the literary and archaeological evidence to life. The sheer breadth of this book, its ability to combine general history with detail, and its range of illustrations, makes it unbeatable. Read Less