Raffaele D'Amato

Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier from Marius to Commodus, 112 BC - AD 192 (Frontline Books), 2009

xiv, 290pp., hardback, folio, £35, ISBN 978 1 84832 512 8.

This, the first of three volumes, is without doubt a magnificent production.  As Professor Giorgio Ravegnani of Venice writes in his Foreword, this is a vision ‘originated in the assiduous evaluation and comparison of finds' in archaeology. 

It constitutes the reconstruction of the equipment and armament and clothing of the Roman soldiers from literary, dramatic and archaeological sources.  The Roman army was and is all-important in the history of the period, generally acknowledged to be the finest fighting machine of the Ancient World.  It also played a significant role in the Greco-Roman culture and civilisation throughout the Mediterranean.

The illustrations are outstanding and make the book a visual experience of the most enjoyable kind.  There are seven specially commissioned colour plates and hundreds of other illustrations.  There are over 1,000 notes, an eleven-page bibliography of ancient and modern texts, a three-page glossary and an eight-page index.  Many of the illustrations from throughout the Roman Empire have never been seen before. 

They include ancient paintings, mosaics, sculptures and coin depictions.  It is a staggering combination culled by diligent research. The author, the artist Graham Sumner and the publisher are to be congratulated on the production of an invaluable work of reference at a most modest price.