Roman Centurions 31 BC-AD 500: The Classical and Late Empire [Paperback]

In this book we leave behind the Republic. The centurions of the classical and late empire, although sharing many military roles with Republican centurions, developed into something more: A possibility of social ascension, a cadre of tough and obedient public administrators, political police officers and even enforcers for Emperors and senior politicians.

The Imperial period Centurions and Centenarius (in the late empire) are now disclosed in this small but marvelous book by one of the greatest investigators specialized in ancient Rome. With academic rigor and intelligent reasoning, Prof D'Amato guides the reader through the careers, lives, equipment, clothing and social status of those officers that were the true anima of the Roman Army. As always, he "discloses" great pictures of rarely published artifacts and sculptures, like the one probably representing a centurion wearing a lorica Segmentata (MOST probably; the sword in the left hip is quite a giveaway for the period in question; also the staff in his right hand and the richly embossed attic helmet wouldn't be usual in a legionary), from the Templum Gentis Flaviae; or the leather and linen greaves (or lining of the greaves) in the Vindonissa Museum! Other artifacts are given new and logical interpretations or possibilities, like the tombstone of T. Calidius.

The art from Giuseppe Rava details with unparalleled detail the equipment, creating magnificent aids to better visualize the explanations of Prof. D'Amato. The plates include Centurions from the following periods:

- Augustan-Tiberian Period (1st Cent BC - 1st Cent AD)
- The Julio-Claudian dynasty
- The investiture of a centurion in the Flavian dynasty
- A head presentation to Emperor Trajan during the first Dacian Campaign
- Centurions from the Antonine and Severan periods
- The anarchy of the 3rd Century AD
- Parley during the battle for Italy, early 4th Century AD
- Officers from Western and Eastern Rome during the 4th and 5th Centuries AD

This is a must buy for anyone interested in Roman warfare. If you havent bought the first part of this study, the title is "Roman Centurions 753 - 31 BC, The Kingdom and the age of Consuls". Buy it, you won't regret it.

This book is a great addition to one's library on Roman history. The author's main intention is to use primary sources, Roman writers and archaeological finds, to outline the centurion's career path and also explain his role in Roman military and civil society. He also devotes a considerable amount of space in describing and illustrating extremely well their equipment.

Dr Raffaele D'Amato writes in a way that is easy to understand and enjoy. The colour plates are brilliant (drawn by his co-author Giuseppe Rava) and they act as a major draw card when purchasing this book or others from Osprey Publishing.

This book is a sequel to his first book `Roman Centurions 753-31 BC' and both are a great reference source on Roman centurions. I have read both with great satisfaction.

A small but wonderful book on the 1st Century Roman Centurion, with excellent details and graphics about the backbone of the Roman Army. Powerful men who trained the Roman soldiers and Interacted with the local population. I'm studing the Centurions in the New Testament and how the occupying power in Israel delt with the political and religious in the first century. A very helpful addition to my library.