The Greatest War Machine Of The Ancient World

2013, Osprey, 280 pages, profusely illustrated

The Brits do military history right, and Osprey does it better than anyone. Stephan Turnbull is a prolific expert on feudal Japan. Angus McBride is the best illustrator of authentic warriors, with their weapons and uniforms, and he contributes heavily in this volume, along with other talented artists.

I cannot say enough about how good The Roman Army is. Books of this kind should have a chronology, and this one does, in the front of the book. The captions to the illustrations are detailed and insightful. Close attention is paid to the dates of the introduction, and overlapping, of technologies.

One of the first illustrations is an illustration of the legendary defense at the bridge by Horatius Cocles and two soldiers. They held off the Etruscan army long enough for the bridge to be demolished, and set the tone for the moral direction of the Roman military for ages to come. There are illustrations of Roman versus Roman battles, with battle plans. Formations are illustrated, such as the breakdown of the manipular legion of the Republican on page 133.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.