The Bottom Line
A thorough text about Roman military life in the time of Caesar, a legionary's point of view about Caesar's Gallic and the civil wars, and what happened to the legions following Caesar's death.
Pros
- Well researched
- Easy prose style
- Good glossary, notes, and appendix
Cons
- Factual Errors
- Exhausting -- packed with detail upon detail
- Stretches subject to fit book length
Description
- Details expectations and occupations of the Roman legionaries.
- History of the civil and Gallic wars in Rome from the perspective of the Roman legionaries.
- Explains the changing composition of the legions, their formation, and discharge.
- Provides modern military equivalents of ancient ranks.
- Gives the history of the tenth legion to about A.D. 233.
- After Caesar's death the focus changes so it appears to be two books in one or one stretched.
Guide Review - Review of Stephen Dando-Collins' Caesar's Legion
Dando-Collins' "Caesar's Legion" is a goldmine of information about the Roman military. A vivid episode shows just how important the eagle standard was to the Roman legionaries. Notes provide further reading and explain that the "miles classicus" is the equivalent of a modern marine, the "primus pilus" of a captain, etc. Dando-Collins explains almost every mile of Caesar's adventures in Britain and Gaul.
However, the book is so densely packed with detail that within a line the legions may have traveled several hundred miles. Constant referring backwards or to the opening maps to visualize the troops' swiftly changing locations make it a difficult book to read carefully. For the military historian, occasional errors may be annoying.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
