This book is a military organisational history of the Roman Empire on the lower Danube from the emperor Augustus (r. 27 BC-AD 14) to the emperor Severus Alexander (r. AD 222-235). Using a diverse body of evidence, from Roman military diplomas to funerary inscriptions and literary sources, the book looks at changes in troop disposition involving the legions, auxiliary units, the vexillations and the naval units based in Moesia Superior and Inferior, and around the northern and western coasts of the Black Sea. The book also examines the emplacement of the region's units, and contextualises both the disposition of troops and their emplacement in terms of regional strategy and the strategy of the empire as a whole. Besides the discussion and analysis, the book also includes detailed maps of the region and useful tables that summarise the results.

Follows the military lives of three soldiers across the Roman world, providing interesting, historical insight into the Roman military from the late republic to the end of antiquity in the west This book introduces readers to three historical Roman soldiers—Titus Pullo from the late republic, Aurelius Polion from the high imperial era, and Flavius Aemilianus from late antiquity. The three men inspire the themes and chronological organization of the text. Drawing on a wide and diverse body of evidence, the author charts their lives from enlistment to death or retirement, allowing students to envision the life of a Roman soldier who is on duty or experiencing adventures across the Roman world. An Introduction to the Roman Military: From Marius (100 BCE) to Theodosius II (450 CE) starts with a historical overview before introducing readers to the Roman soldier. It covers such things as the military hierarchy, soldierly origins, recruitment and training, and the soldier's appearance and identity. The next section looks at the Roman military during war—its environment, strategies, campaigns, and enemies. Their existence during times of peace follows that and focuses on how soldiers celebrated victory, mourned defeat, and readjusted to civilian life after a war. The book also features a timeline for readers to follow, as well as two glossaries—one filled with Roman military terms and the other with important names and events. Authentically captures the experiences of Roman soldiers Educates undergraduate or graduate students on Roman military history Describes Roman soldiers based on legal, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence Emphasizes the human side of the Roman military Moves through three Roman historical periods—the late republic, high imperial, and late antiquity An Introduction to the Roman Military is an engaging choice as a text for specific courses on the Roman military or army. It is also suitable for more general courses covering ancient warfare. In addition to university students, researchers and history enthusiasts will have the opportunity to follow the military lives of three Roman soldiers with this unique book.

The year of the four emperors in AD 193 shows the cosmopolitan interconnectedness of the Roman Empire, yet scholarship has long framed the Severan dynasty in a narrative of descent stressing their North African and in particular their Syrian origins. The contributions of this volume question this conventional approach and instead examine more closely actual Severan policy in the Near East to detect potential local connections that determined this policy as well as how local communities and elites reacted to it. The volume thus explores new beginnings and old connections in the Roman Near East.

The Roman world was fundamentally a face-to-face culture, where it was expected that communication and negotiations would be done in person. This can be seen in Rome’s contacts with other cities, states, and kingdoms — whether dependent, independent, friendly or hostile — and in the development of a diplomatic habit with its own rhythms and protocols that coalesced into a self-sustaining system of communication. This volume of papers offers ten perspectives on the way in which ambassadors, embassies, and the institutional apparatuses supporting them contributed to Roman rule. Understanding Roman diplomatic practices illuminates not only questions about Rome’s evolution as a Mediterranean power, but can also shed light on a wide variety of historical and cultural trends. Contributors are: Sheila L. Ager, Alexander Yakobson, Filippo Battistoni, James B. Rives, Jean-Louis Ferrary, Martin Jehne, T. Corey Brennan, Werner Eck, and Rudolf Haensch.

Acta 46 comprises 64 articles. Out of the 120 scheduled lectures and posters presented at the 31st Congress of the Rei Cretariæ Romanæ Favtores, 61 are included in the present volume, to which three further were added. Given the location of the conference in Romania it seems natural that there is a particular focus on the Balkans and Danube.

This volume explores the enigmatic primary source known as the ancient military manual. In particular, the volume explores the extent to which these diverse texts constitute a genre (sometimes unsatisfactorily classified as ‘technical literature’), and the degree to which they reflect the practice of warfare. With contributions from a diverse group of scholars, the chapters examine military manuals from early Archaic Greece to the Byzantine period, covering a wide range of topics including readership, siege warfare, mercenaries, defeat, textual history, and religion. Coverage includes most of the major contemporary siege manual writers, including Xenophon, Frontinus, Vegetius, and Maurice. Close examination of these texts serves to reveals the complex ways in which ancient Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines sought to understand better, and impose order upon, the seemingly irrational phenomenon known as war. Providing insight into the multifaceted collection of texts that constituted military manuals, this volume is a key resource for students and scholars of warfare and military literature in the classical and Byzantine periods.