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Gladius

Living, Fighting and Dying in the Roman Army

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Gladius

By: Guy de la Bédoyère
Narrated by: Piers Hampton
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About this listen

The Roman army was the greatest fighting machine the ancient world produced. The Roman Empire depended on soldiers not just to win its wars, defend its frontiers and control the seas but also to act as the engine of the state. Roman legionaries and auxiliaries came from across the Roman world and beyond. They served as tax collectors, policemen, surveyors, as civil engineers and, if they survived, in retirement, as civic worthies, craftsmen and politicians. Some even rose to become emperors.

Gladius takes the listener right into the heart of what it meant to be a part of the Roman army through the words of Roman historians and those of the men themselves through their religious dedications, tombstones and even private letters and graffiti. Guy de la Bédoyère throws open a window on how the men, their wives and their children lived, from bleak frontier garrisons to guarding the emperor in Rome, enjoying a ringside seat to history fighting the emperors' wars, mutinying over pay, marching in triumphs, throwing their weight around in city streets and enjoying esteem in honourable retirement.

©2020 Guy de la Bédoyère (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK Ancient Italy Rome Military Fatherhood Ancient History War City Ancient Greece

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Good but too much a focus on Britain

A great pity that only a minimal amount has been devoted to the civil, engineering sides of the Roman army. The network of roads, the aqueducts, the sewage systems etc are perhaps the biggest legacy of the Roman army. And, too much a focus on Britain. However, I suppose that is the speciality of the author.

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