This authoritative short volume introduces readers to the Roman army, its structure, tactics, duties and development. One of the most successful fighting forces that the world has seen, the Roman army was inherited by the emperor Augustus who re-organized it and established its legions in military bases, many of which survived to the end of the empire. He and subsequent emperors used it as a formidable tool for expansion. Soon, however, the army became fossilized on its frontiers and changed from a mobile fighting force to a primarily defensive body. Written by a leading authority on the Roman army and the frontiers it defended and expanded, this is an invaluable book for students at school and university level, as well as a handy guide for general readers with an interest in military history, the rise and development and fall of the Roman legions, and the ancient world.

David J. Breeze has been professor at the Universities of Durham, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Chairman of the International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies and former Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Scotland, he has written on the Roman army and on Roman frontiers, including Hadrian's Wall (4th edn, 2000) and Roman Frontiers in Britain (Bloomsbury, 2013).

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
Money, Measurements and Dates

Introduction
1. The Republican Army
2. The army of Augustus and his successors
3. The army on campaign
4. The fighting tactics of the Roman army
5. The army in peacetime
6. Arms and armour
7. Soldiers as builders
8. The late Roman army
Conclusions

Glossary
Select list of Roman emperors
Suggestions for further study
Further Reading