The Reach of Rome: A History of the Roman Imperial Frontier 1St-5Th Centuries Ad
English historian Williams combines a history of Roman frontier military organization with a gazetteer of surviving Roman military structures. He does more than simply study Roman fortifications, also outlining Rome's traditional approach to offensive war and speculating on the reasons for the unprecedented shift to defensive warfare. Republican Rome had always seen itself as an expansionist state that took advantage of every opportunity to enlarge its territory and treasury by war. Following the end of the republic, the emperors became responsible for setting military policy. Williams believes that the shift to the defensive was more the result of personality and temperament than of external factors and that the shift fatally weakened the spirit of the Roman army. His work will appeal to readers interested in ancient military history. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.?Robert Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.