The Praetorian Guard

Osprey Elite #50

by Boris Rankov, Richard Hook (Illustrator)

The Praetorian Guard of Imperial Rome was the power behind the throne, with the ability to make or break an emperor. As the main body of troops in Rome, they were the emperor's instrument to discourage plotting and rebellion and to crush unrest. The emperor's most immediate line of defence, they could also be his most deadly enemies. This book details the organization, dress and history of the Praetorian Guard from the time of the late Republic to the Guard's effective destruction at the battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312. Numerous illustrations vividly depict the uniforms and weaponry of this elite fighting unit.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Ancient, Military History, Roman, Military Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 1994

About the author

Dr. Boris Rankov is a professor of Roman history at Royal Holloway, University of London. He studied Classics and Ancient History at Oxford, where he also wrote his doctoral thesis on Roman military staff officers. He has held a Research Fellowship at Oxford and lectureships in the United States and Western Australia. Rankov's research interests include Roman history, especially Roman Britain, the Roman army, epigraphy and archaeology of the Roman empire, and ancient shipping. While at Oxford, he rowed in six winning Boat Race crews and has, since 1988, been one of the rowing masters on the reconstructed Greek trireme Olympias.

Reviews

[Vladimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buon libro che fa chiarezza sulle cose che sappiamo per certe (poche) e le ipotesi di ricostruzione (tantissime). Fatti sorprendenti: nel primo periodo imperiale i pretoriani a Roma non indossavano alcuna corazza ma la toga come semplici cittadini; in guerra avevano armamento molto simile a quello degli altri legionari; unico vero segno distintivo era l'emblema sugli scudi e le immagini dell'imperatore negli stendardi.

L'autore a fine libro ammette che le fonti archeologiche sono molto scarse, essenzialmente tre: colonna Traiana, rilievo del Louvre e tomba del pretoriano Asper.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about it:

-details like the adoption of the scorpion as the guards' symbol, because Tiberius, the second founder of the Praetorian Guard, was born under the zodiac sign Scorpio

-the name Pupienus was mentioned - I guess that makes me a bad historian because I snickered at it, but hey, it's a Classics major joke