Mark Antony's Heroes: How the Third Gallica Legion Saved an Apostle and Created an Emperor

by Stephen Dando-Collins

This fourth book in Dando-Collins’s definitive history of Rome’s legions tells the story of Rome’s 3rd Gallica Legion, which put Vespasian on the throne and saved the life of the Christian apostle Paul. Named for their leader, Mark Antony, these common Roman soldiers, through their gallantry on the battlefield, reshaped the Roman Empire and aided the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.

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

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Stephen Dando-Collins is the multi-award-winning author of 48 books. British reviewer, noted playwright Robin Hawdon, says that Dando-Collins is "the modern age's foremost dramatizer of Greek and Roman history," while American reviewer bestselling military author Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman has described Dando-Collins as "a literary giant." Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, Dando-Collins has written ancient and modern history, children's novels, scientific nonfiction, and biographies. The bulk of his works deal with military history, ranging from Greek, Persian and Roman times to American, British and Australian 19th century history and World I and Word War II.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Albanian and Korean.
His most acclaimed book on the ancient military, 'LEGIONS OF ROME,' was the culmination of decades of research into Rome's imperial legions.
Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history.
He has two new books in 2024: 'CAESAR VERSUS POMPEY: Determining Rome's Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder,' (Turner, US), and 'THE BUNA SHOTS: The Amazing Story Behind Two Photographs that Changed the Course of World War Two,' (Australian Scholarly Publishing).

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started really slowly with the antics of Mark Antony. Picked up and was truly informational after about 75 pages. Then I felt like there was a lot of repeat towards the end because of reading Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome. Still one of my favorite authors about Ancient Rome.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently became aware of a wonderful popular historian living on my island, Stephen Dando-Collins. He is the pre-eminent historian of the Roman legions and the good news is -- he can write. I really dislike badly written history!

He's also all about primary sources - respecting them, not tearing them to pieces with the glee of a chronological snob. Though I doubt I will ever number the Roman legions among my top areas of interest, I really enjoyed this book. Especially delightful was the way the 3rd Gallica Legion criss-crossed with biblical history, providing illuminating insights into Paul's adventures in the Book of Acts. I look forward to more of Dando-Collins' books in the future.

[Adam Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth look at a legion in the Roman legion from the beginnings of the Roman Empire to the rise of Emperor Vespasian, a little over a century-long span. It is also incredibly useful for understanding the situation for how Augustus became Emperor and defeated Mark Antony. Some of the details that could be given paint a nice picture of events for the legion, although my main criticism of the book is that it sometimes takes too much poetic license in describing events to intimate what the soldiers were exactly saying or feeling. One thing I appreciated was taking the book of Acts in the Bible to showcase how the legion was involved tangentially in the guarding and voyage of Paul to Rome. Without this book, I probably never would have made the connection.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think not enough people in the world know how to use the world sophistry in a sentence, so it is past time for me to take this back to the library, so more may learn how to. (That is deceit or fooling someone, not exactly the same as being sophisticated.)

More than just that lies between the covers of this book. It was talking a lot about Vespasian and I never really got into his time period when I was most studying Latin. Wiki says he was the first emperor to establish the Flavian dynasty.

So you might like to read about Roman history here.

[Matthew McBirth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different topic than what I'm used too, but I liked it. It was fascinating to follow the journey of a legion as they faced different obstacles
A legion that very much mpacted not just an empire but the church in its early years. I didn't feel the need to know certain military titles as I read it, nor Roman history in general. The author did well with connecting dots.

[David Wollaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I really like Dando-Collins books.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had I read this three months ago, it would have been incompatible with my conceptual schema. By chance, I came across this book at the right time after more reading. The publisher will be pleased that both the title and cover illustration of Titus participating in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem attracted my attention. (After all, my undergrad degree is in fine arts.)

Rather than producing a biography of Mark Antony, the author paints a verbal canvas of the 3rd Gallica that originated as a group of conscripts from Gaul (hence, "Gallica") but evolved into a legion comprised of sun-worshipping Syrians, highly respected but always feared. This is their story. Thanks to the 3rd Gallica Mark Antony actually survived his botched Parthian campaign. Herod would never have secured his throne in Judea had it not been for the 3rd Gallica. This legion is credited with sparing the life of the apostle Paul three times during the final and most influential decade of his life. Had it not been for the 3rd Gallica, Vespasian would not have become emperor, or so says Dando-Collins.

For soemone like me who is not a student of military history but most interested in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, I would recommend this book. It proved engaging and enlightening and highly readable. In fact I may even tackle more of Dando-Collins's books.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Dando Collins is a researcher/author who specialises in the Roman army. His book 'Mark Antony's Heroes' focuses on the Third Gallica Legion, encompassing a period of just over a century, covering the late Republican period to the Flavian dynasty.
The detailed descriptions of the exploits of this particular Legion are so vivid and informative that this book often seems to be written in the realms of fiction. The level of research here is meticulous. Not just from the usual Classical sources i.e. Tacitus, Suetonius, Plutarch, Cassius Dio, Josephus, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Appian, Polybius, Virgil, New Testament Acts and Pliny the Younger, but this history is written with an intimate knowledge of ancient Roman military precepts. The author not only paints fascinating detail of the political world of the Tribune or Consular level of the command structure of the armies of the empire, but we also march with the auxiliary soldier and quite often we know his name too!
Included in the many monumental events in the history of the Third Gallica, is it's association with a certain Saul of Tarsus. Which could possibly be more of it's claim to fame than the exploits concerning Mark Antony and Vespasian. All very interesting.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting job of historical reconstruction. It is to Dando-Collins's credit that he could tell such a compelling story using such a paucity or reliable historical sources. In the period of the first Jewish rebellion (in Nero's reign), the author had to assume that the 3rd Gallica was the Roman legion responsible for guarding Jerusalem. Perhaps the best section related to the Second Battle of Bedriacum (or Cremona) during the infamous Year of the Four Emperors in AD 69. Of course, it helped that Tacitus wrote a great account of it in his Histories.

[Mark Sequeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Already read two books by Dando-Collins, "Nero's Killing Machine, The True Story of Rome's Remarkable 14th Legion" and "Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome" Both excellent. Already on Chapter three and have to say, if you are interested in early Roman empire and/or early church history, then these books are great for understanding without the heavy reading of college textbooks and other dry research. Fun., fast, educational, factual...what more could you want?!

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in Dando-Collins' series, this one features the 3rd Gallica legion, whom Dando-Collins calls "Mark Antony's Heroes." Not being much of a fan of Mark Antony (too much of a Ciceronian for that, I'm afraid), I wasn't too enthusiastic about this one, but Dando-Collins does know how to tell a good story. He also makes a good case for the 3rd Gallica being the unit that saved the apostle Paul and brought him to Rome. Worth reading if one enjoys such things.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that traces a legion through history. Connecting it with events from the Bible helped to keep my interest. At the end it started to drag a little, but I did enjoy reading about how this legion played a role in Roman history.

[John Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good book about the 3rd gallica legion really found it interesting about its connection with the apostle paul and how the author describes if it was for the 3rds saving pauls there might not have been Chirstainity.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series. see my review of Cleopatra's Kidnappers for details.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as earlier books in the series.