This survey of Roman imperial grand strategy reassesses the questions of the Emperors' knowledge of military policy, of how they applied what they knew, and of how effective their efforts were in protecting the military integrity of the Roman Empire within the framework of political, diplomatic, and economic constraints. Arther Ferrill also examines the role of personality (leadership or lack of it) and religion. A pertinent contribution to the recent revival in the study of miltary history.
Author(s): Arther Ferrill
Series: Publications of the Association of Ancient Historians, 3
Publisher: University Press of America
Year: 1991
Language: English
Pages: X+74
City: Lanham
Acknowledgements v
Preface ix
I. Augustus, the Julio-Claudians, and Roman Grand Strategy 1
Manpower Limits 2
The Operational and Tactical Organization of the Army and Navy 5
The Army and the Spade 10
Strategy and Grand Strategy Under Augustus and the Julio-Claudians 11
II. Preclusive Security in the Roman Empire at Its Height 19
Troop Deployment, Fortresses, and Walls 22
Recruitment and Conscription 23
The Secret Service 25
Logistics 27
Military Engineering 29
Siege Warfare 32
The Civilian Population 34
The Military Budget 36
Roman Grand Strategy — Policy or Accident? 39
III. Defense-in-Depth: From the Third Century to the Fall 43
The Barracks Emperors and Elastic Defense 43
Diocletian and the Return to Preclusive Security 45
Defense-in Depth: Constantine and the Mobile Army 47
Arms and Armories 51
Stable-fed Cavalry and Horse Recruitment 54
The Secret Service 56
Technology and War 58
Barbarians in the Army 60
The Sack of Rome 62
The Fall of Rome 62
Select Bibliography 69
