Armies of the Past

A military history of ancient Italy, featuring details of the weapons, equipment, and tactics, as well as color photos showing how warriors looked. Before becoming the masters of the Mediterranean world, the Romans had first to conquer the Italian peninsula in a series of harsh conflicts against its other varied and warlike residents. The outcome was no foregone conclusion and it took the Romans half a millennium to secure the whole of Italy. In Armies of Ancient Italy 753—218 BC, Gabriele Esposito presents the armies that fought these wars, in which the Roman military spirit and their famous legions were forged. He not only follows the evolution of the Roman forces from the Regal Period to the outbreak of the Second Punic War but also the forces of their neighbors, rivals and enemies. The most notable of these, the Etruscans, Samnites and the Italian Greeks are given particular attention but others, such as the Celts and Ligures of the North and the warriors of Sicily and Sardinia, are also considered. Details of the organization, weapons, equipment and tactics of each army are described, while dozens of beautiful color photos of reenactors show how these warriors looked in the field.

The period covered in this book saw the Roman Republic face its greatest military challenges. In 264 the Romans were pitted against the might of Carthage in the first of the three Punic Wars, which would push Rome to the brink but end with the destruction of this great rival city. In the following two centuries they would clash repeatedly with the Gauls, this recurrent threat finally overcome by Caesar's campaigns in Gaul. In this period they defeated the Hellenistic Successor states, proud heirs to the military legacy of Alexander the Great, a process completed by the annexation of Egypt in 30 BC. These wars, and others, made the Romans masters of all Western Europe and the whole Mediterranean basin, though failure against the Parthians limited their ambitions in the East. The Roman armies of this era were also employed against each other in the vicious civil wars that marked the end of the Republican period. Gabriele Esposito describes the tactics, organization, weapons and equipment of the Roman forces involved in these wars. He shows how the lessons of defeats and victories against such varied opponents in far-flung theaters, as well as social changes, forced a process of evolution and reforms that transformed Roman armies across this turbulent period. As usual, his clear, accessible text is supported by dozens of color images of replica weapons and equipment in use.

This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the organization and equipment of the Macedonian army built by Philip II and later employed to world-changing effect by his son, Alexander III (the Great). This work explains how Philip took the traditional forces of Macedon and reformed them into the most modern and sophisticated combined-arms force in the Mediterranean world. Not only the formidable pike phalanx and the hard-charging Companion cavalry, but also the less famous components, such as light and cavalry types, are described in detail. The tactics employed in the great battles that won the largest empire the world had seen are analyzed. With numerous color photos showing replica weapons and equipment in use, this is a vivid, detailed and accessible study of the army that made Alexander great.

An in-depth, illustrated look at the campaigns, tactics, and weapons of some of history's fiercest and most legendary warriors. Viking warriors were feared by their contemporaries and their ferocious reputation has survived to the present day. This book covers the military history of the Vikings from their early raiding to the final failure of their expansionist ambitions directed against England. In that period, Viking warbands and increasingly large armies had left their Scandinavian homelands to range across vast regions, including the whole of Northern Europe and beyond, even reaching North America. The British Isles were terrorized for two centuries and at times largely conquered. In Normandy, Russia, and elsewhere they also settled and founded states. As far afield as Constantinople, the Byzantine emperors employed them as their elite Varangian Guard. Tough, skilled and resourceful, with a culture that embraced the pursuit of immortal fame and a heroic death in battle, their renown as warriors was second to none. In this book, Gabriele Esposito outlines the history of their campaigns and battles and examines in detail their strategy, tactics, weapons, armor, and clothing. In addition, dozens of color photographs of replica equipment in use bring this fascinating subject to life.

Contains detailed photographs and illustrations of equipment used by these warring armies who dominated the ancient world. The Thracians are mentioned as early as in the epic poems by Homer and were fundamental in the evolution of the Greek military systems across the ages. They fought in the Persian Wars, were part of Alexander the Great's army, were used as mercenaries in many Hellenistic armies and resisted Roman conquest for a long time. In addition, they used some iconic weapons and had a distincitve panoply. The Dacians were a mix of different cultures and were extremely influenced by some steppe peoples like the Sarmatians. They had a lot in common with the Thracians but had a different history. They formed one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of Antiquity, a sort of super-power that dominated over the Balkans. Their wars against Trajan and the Roman Army were absolutely epic, the last campaigns of conquest in the history of the Western Roman Empire. The book contains a rich collection of photos specifically made for it by some excellent groups of reenactors.

In the early 5th century, Germanic Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed the North Sea in increasing numbers and began settling among the ruins of the former Roman province of Britannia. This led to centuries of warfare as these 'Anglo-Saxons' carved new, independent kingdoms at the point of the sword, fighting the native Britons and each other. From the late eighth century they also had to face the threat of the Vikings, at first as opportunistic raiders but increasingly bent on conquest. The last Viking invasion was defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge but he was defeated by the Normans in that same fatal year of 1066, ending the Anglo-Saxon Age. Gabriele Esposito gives an overview of Anglo-Saxon military history, narrating the great campaigns, such as those of Alfred the Great of Wessex and Harold Godwinson. He discusses in detail the composition of Anglo-Saxon forces, their tactics, weapons and equipment, detailing developments across the period. The informative, accessible text is supported by dozens of color images showing replica Saxon war gear in use.

This guide to the Late Roman Army focusses on the dramatic and crucial period that started with the accession of Diocletian and ended with the definitive fall of the Western Roman Empire. This was a turbulent period during which the Roman state and its armed forces changed. Gabriele Esposito challenges many stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the Late Roman Army; for example, he argues that the Roman military machine remained a reliable and efficient one until the very last decades of the Western Empire. The author describes the organization, structure, equipment, weapons, combat history and tactics of Late Roman military forces. The comitatenses (field armies), limitanei (frontier units), foederati (allied soldiers), bucellarii (mercenaries), scholae palatinae (mounted bodyguards), protectores (personal guards) and many other kinds of troops are covered. The book is lavishly illustrated in color, including the shield devices from the Notitia Dignitatum. The origins and causes for the final military fall of the Empire are discussed in detail, as well as the influence of the barbarian peoples on the Roman Army.

A look at the military might of these ancient warriors who sacked Rome and conquered much of Europe. Although comprised of many distinct tribes and groupings, the Celts shared a distinctive culture that dominated much of Europe for centuries, and enjoyed a formidable reputation as fierce and brave warriors, skilled horsemen, and fine metalworkers. In 390 BC, an alliance of Celtic tribes defeated a Roman army at the River Allia and went on to sack Rome and thenceforth the Romans lived under their threat. In the early third century BC, a Celtic army swept into Macedonia and Greece, won a major victory at Thermopylai, and ransacked the sacred sanctuary at Delphi. Such was their warlike prowess that, when not fighting their own wars, they were sought after as mercenaries by many armies, serving as far afield as southern Egypt. When the Romans invaded Gaul-modern-day France and Belgium-and the British Isles, Celtic armies resisted them fiercely. In this book, Gabriele Esposito studies this fascinating warrior culture, their armies, strategy, tactics, and equipment-they invented the horned saddle and chainmail, and British armies were the last in Europe to use chariots on the battlefield. Also included are dozens of color photographs of reenactors to help bring these magnificent warriors back to life.