Rome and the Sword: How Warriors and Weapons Shaped Roman History

by Simon James

The story of Rome and its military seems a familiar one, told often through books and movies and games, yet it is a modern myth obscuring a different reality. As this groundbreaking study demonstrates, Rome’s military was no war machine made up of mindless cogs. There was not even an ancient term for the Roman army; rather, Romans spoke of “the soldiers”—of men, not institutions.

Simon James provides a striking new perspective on Roman history by focusing on the soldiers and their actions. Rome’s soldiers were less sentinels of civilization than enforcers for aristocrats and autocrats against foreign foes and internal dissent. They were brutal and unruly, prone to mutiny and rebellion. How, then, to account for their sustained success and their eventual failure?

Rome’s dominion was achieved through soldiers’ ferocity and excellent weaponry, but to maintain it the conquered were integrated, as diplomacy accompanied the threat of the sword. Millions of allies and subjects became Romans themselves through military service. Nevertheless, the aggression of Rome’s soldiers precipitated the creation of a new Sasanian superpower in Iran and great barbarian confederations in the North.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Roman History, Military History, War, Military Fiction, Classics

328 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2011

About the author

British archaeologist teaching at the university of Leicester.

Reviews

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 5 out of 5]

James explores the development of Rome by focusing on soldiers and their weaponry, especially the gladius (the legionary sword). He expertly details how the transition from a seasonal army made up of citizens to a standing professional army both reflected social conditions and influenced them. Roman soldiers (Romans did not have a word for "military") were the "stick" that stood ready to enforce the will of autocrats and aristocrats. The "carrot" was Rome's willingness to welcome conquered peoples into the Republic and the Empire as participants in the rewards of being part of a strong, profitable state. James also examines the complex relationship between legionaries and their commanders. In addition, he shows how Rome's enemies helped shape Roman development and actually made it possible for her to dominate the Mediterranean. This is a totally fascinating work that is written in an easy-to-understand manner, and that fully engages the reader. I highly recommend it.

[Carlos Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/3都是已知的，不過這也沒辦法。
本書的主要內容是講述羅馬的戰士文化，這個文明是人類史上數一數二的武德充沛，大概只有遊牧民族出身的那些帝國可以比擬。在亞洲，只有華夏在中晚唐至五代十國，日本中世進入武士時代後，稍微可以相提並論。

羅馬以多元跟開放性著稱，在軍事方面也不例外，採取“好用就學”主義，不斷的戰爭途中，一直向周邊的鄰居學習，戰術、武器等，有著非常高的適應性。不論是同樣來自城邦的敵人，還是希臘的強敵，又或者是後期遇見的遊牧民族等，都是學習的對象。一部羅馬的軍事文化史，也是帝國的興衰史。

在經歷過漢尼拔的洗禮後，半吊子的軍官跟士兵已經無法應付未來的威脅，馬略展開了第一次革命。於是羅馬開始出現職業軍人。這是把雙面刃，它開創了帝國，卻也動搖了共和的根本。就像藩鎮既是屏障唐廷，卻也是威脅。人類社會向來對此都沒有真正的解法，即便現代社會亦然。

羅馬的第二次軍事轉變是奧古斯都，他在內戰中成為最大的「軍頭」，讓所有士兵都為其效忠，建立一個架空在偽共和軍事獨裁體制。捍衛著帝國領土的軍團士兵成為了一個特殊的階級，他們雖然未必真的有什麼共同的認同，但至少是以自己所屬的軍團為榮，並且有別於一般市民，有著特殊的身分跟地位。

三世紀以後的軍團地方屬性特徵日趨明顯，來自伊里利亞的皇帝們最後一次拯救了帝國，之後就逐步走向分裂。這之中有部分原因，來自於軍團的「野蠻化」。儘管作者並不認為戰力會因此下降，但離心力卻是明顯的。一支高盧的軍團通常是不願意去捍衛敘利亞的邊界。那麼，當軍團對於保護整個帝國都興趣缺缺的時候，又怎麼能期待它的長治久安呢？

[Hilmi Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rome and the Sword hasil karya Simon James merupakan sebuah buku kajian mengenai kuasa tentera Empayar Tom yang saya boleh kategorikan sebagai 'advanced'. Saya tidak mencadangkan buku ini kepada mereka yang tidak memiliki pengetahuan asas yang baik mengenai Rom. Walaupun masih lagi boleh dibaca secara terus,namun,saya berpandangan adalah lebih baik seseorang pembaca itu memiliki pengetahuan asas mengenai Rom terlebih dahulu untuk kefahaman yang lebih baik.

Buku ini mempersembahkan idea atau perbincangan yang bersifat provokasi atau mencabar pemahaman kita selama ini terutamanya sumbangan 'milites' atau individu askar Rom. Dengan berbekalkan senjata utama mereka,iaitu pedang,askar Rom meluaskan Empayar Rom dan impak yang mereka bawa dari segi politik,sosial,ekonomi dan ketenteraan empayar tersebut.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history of the Roman empire anchored in archeological information about the swords used. Some interesting arguments made about military verses diplomacy in the history of Rome but some of the details given didn't always seem relevant to his argument.