Bestselling classical historian Barry Strauss delivers “an exceptionally accessible history of the Roman Empire…much of Ten Caesars reads like a script for Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal)—a summation of three and a half centuries of the Roman Empire as seen through the lives of ten of the most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine. In this essential and “enlightening” (The New York Times Book Review) work, Barry Strauss tells the story of the Roman Empire from rise to reinvention, from Augustus, who founded the empire, to Constantine, who made it Christian and moved the capital east to Constantinople. During these centuries Rome gained in splendor and territory, then lost both. By the fourth century, the time of Constantine, the Roman Empire had changed so dramatically in geography, ethnicity, religion, and culture that it would have been virtually unrecognizable to Augustus. Rome’s legacy remains today in so many ways, from language, law, and architecture to the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. Strauss examines this enduring heritage through the lives of the men who shaped it: Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Diocletian, and Constantine. Over the ages, they learned to maintain the family business—the government of an empire—by adapting when necessary and always persevering no matter the cost. Ten Caesars is a “captivating narrative that breathes new life into a host of transformative figures” (Publishers Weekly). This “superb summation of four centuries of Roman history, a masterpiece of compression, confirms Barry Strauss as the foremost academic classicist writing for the general reader today” (The Wall Street Journal).

Caesar was a surpassing military genius. Among students and professionals of the martial art prime interest in the great Roman’s career centers, upon his campaigns, leading with his immemorial conquest of Gaul. Of this, in his Commentaries, “admirable for their directness and luminous simplicity of statement,” he was his own inimitable historian. The stirring record of his nine years’ struggle against the warlike tribes that resisted Roman conquest in what is now France is the most famous military book in the world. Equally capable, ambitious and persevering in the development of all his inherent potentialities, Caesar also excelled in statesmanship, in politics, in oratory, in letters and in social gifts. His high and enduring achievements in civil life successfully brought into play the same constructive qualities of genius, character, energy and judgment which enabled him to dominate battlefields. For centuries famous captains have made Caesar their mentor, and followed profitably his strategical and tactical expositions. Innumerable generations have not found their interest lagging in absorbing the stirring accounts of Caesarian exploits in Gaul. “The most stimulating addition to the long bibliography of Caesariana published in recent years; it will be welcomed by student and teacher alike...exciting reading.”—The Classical Weekly

An in-depth look at the world’s first ever military logistical supply system and how it fed Caesar’s armies in the field. Logistics have become a principal, if not a governing factor, in modern military operations. Armies need to be fed and supplied, and the larger the army, the greater the logistical difficulties that have to be overcome. Two thousand years ago, when communications were far more primitive, the size of armies was limited by the difficulties of supply. It was because the Romans developed a sophisticated supply system that they were able to maintain large armies in the field—armies that conquered much of the then known world. In Caesar’s Great Success, the authors examine and detail the world’s first ever fully-developed logistical supply system—the forerunner of today’s complex arrangements. This includes an examination of the sea, river, and land transportation of food while on campaign, and of how the food was assembled at the operational bases and subsequently distributed. The defense of the Roman food supplies, and especially of lines of communication, was an important factor in Caesar’s operational planning, as was interdicting the enemy’s supplies. The eating habits of Caesar’s men are considered and what items could be obtained locally by forage and which were taken by requisition—and how much food a legionnaire was expected to carry on campaign. With this, the nature of the actual food consumed by the legionnaires is therefore examined and sample recipes are provided with each chapter of the book to enable the reader to relive those momentous days when Caesar and Rome ruled the world.

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This edition of the Civil War replaces the earlier Loeb Classical Library edition by A.G. Peskett (1914) with new text, translation, introduction, and bibliography.

At the time of his death, Julius Caesar was the most powerful man on earth. Beginning with the Gallic Wars, he had fought a series of epic campaigns, culminating in the brutal civil war that brought the Roman Republic to an end and gave birth to the new Roman Empire. His battles ranged over much of the known world, from Spain, Gaul and Italy, to Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt. Caesar's own Commentaries are a classic account of how he led his beloved legions into battle, but they leave many questions of war and strategy unanswered. Theodore Ayrault Dodge's illustrated history of Caesar was first published in 1892, as part of his “Great Captains” series. The author, an experienced military officer and historian, visited all of the major battlefields, and made full use of ancient sources. His history follows Caesar’s entire career, reconstructs his victories and defeats, and explains his lasting impact on the art of war. “Caesar” is an unparalleled military history of one of the world’s greatest generals. This ebook edition includes an active table of contents, reflowable text, and over 250 campaign maps, battle diagrams, and other illustrations.