Imprint
- Abacus
- Little, Brown
- Little, Brown Audio
History, Military history
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Imprint
Little, Brown
- Paperback Feb 22, 2022 | 9780349143910 | RRP $24.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Nov 5, 2020 | 9781408712382 | RRP $12.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Nov 5, 2020 | 9781405543293 | RRP $35.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
Little, Brown Audio
- Paperback Feb 22, 2022 | 9780349143910 | RRP $24.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Nov 5, 2020 | 9781408712382 | RRP $12.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Nov 5, 2020 | 9781405543293 | RRP $35.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00
Guy de la Bedoyere's gripping narrative history gives a sense of what it was like to be a soldier in the army that brought the Romans their empire
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 frontiers and control the seas but also to act as the engine of the state. Roman legionaries and auxiliaries came from across the Roman world and beyond. They served as tax collectors, policemen, surveyors, civil engineers and, if they survived, in retirement as civic worthies, craftsmen and politicians. Some even rose to become emperors.
Gladius takes the reader right into the heart of what it meant to be a part of the Roman army through the words of Roman historians, and those of the men themselves through their religious dedications, tombstones, and even private letters and graffiti. Guy de la Bedoyere throws open a window on how the men, their wives and their children lived, from bleak frontier garrisons to guarding the emperor in Rome, enjoying a ringside seat to history fighting the emperors' wars, mutinying over pay, marching in triumphs, throwing their weight around in city streets, and enjoying esteem in honorable retirement.
More books by Guy de la Bedoyere
Praise for Gladius: Living, Fighting and Dying in the Roman Army
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Gladius makes for a richly researched, detailed and plausible portrait, warts and all, bang up to date with the latest archaeological finds, and a highly enjoyable read throughout - Sunday Times
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A remarkably precise picture of life in the Roman army - how the men were armed and billeted, what they ate, drank, wore, how they were promoted or punished, how they built their great, straight roads, what they did for sexual relief - Telegraph
Guy de la Bedoyere
Guy de la BA doyA re has written extensively on the ancient world over the last thirty years, most recently Gladius: Living, Fighting and Dying in the Roman Army (which was described by the Sunday Times as 'highly enjoyable') and Pharaohs of the Sun: How Egypt's Despots and Dreamers drove the Rise and Fall of Tutankhamun's Dynasty. He was part of Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team for fifteen years. He has degrees from Durham, London and University College, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
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