![]() ![]() Surveying numerous aspects of Roman military life between 264 BCE and 337 CE, De la Bédoyère draws not only on the words of famed Roman historians, but also those of the soldiers themselves, as recorded in their religious dedications, tombstones, and even private letters and graffiti. In Gladius-the Latin word for sword-Guy De la Bédoyère reveals what it meant to be a soldier in the army that made the empire. The Roman Empire depended on its army not just to win wars, defend its frontiers, and control the seas, but to act as the very engine of the state. ![]() ![]() It was also the single largest organization in Western antiquity, taking in members from all classes, from senators to freed slaves. The Roman army was the greatest fighting machine in the ancient world. The noted ancient historian presents a comprehensive and vividly detailed recreation of what it was like to be a Roman soldier. ![]()
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