Armies of Julius Caesar 58-44 BC

This book draws upon the latest research to explain and illustrate the Roman and allied troops of the consular armies led by Julius Caesar in his Gallic and civil wars. Caius Julius Caesar remains the most famous Roman general of all time. Although he never bore the title, historians since Suetonius have judged him to be, in practice, the very first 'emperor' - after all, no other name in history has been synonymous with a title of imperial rule. Caesar was a towering personality who, for better or worse, changed the history of Rome forever. His unscrupulous ambition was matched only by his genius as a commander and his conquest of Gaul brought Rome its first great territorial expansion outside the Mediterranean world. His charismatic leadership bounded his soldiers to him not only for expeditions 'beyond the edge of the world' - to Britain - but in the subsequent civil war that raised him to ultimate power. What is seldom appreciated, however is that the army he led was as varied and cosmopolitan as those of later centuries, and it is only recently that a wider study of a whole range of evidence has allowed a more precise picture of it to emerge. Drawing on a wide-range of new research, the authors examine the armies of Julius Caesar in detail, creating a detailed picture of how they lived and fought.

Raffaele D'Amato, PhD, is the author of some 40 books and numerous articles on the military of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Byzantium and the Middle Ages. For two years he taught at Fatih University, Istanbul as a visiting professor. He currently works as a lawyer and as an external researcher for the Laboratory of the Danubian Provinces at the University of Ferrara, Italy which is part of the Scientific Committee. Florent Vincent was born in 1973, and studied Applied Arts, History of Art and Archaeology. An illustrator specializing in historical and military subjects, he works with many French and Foreign publishers and museums (Museum of National Antiquities of St-Germain-en-Laye, Museum of the Army of Paris, Archaeological Museum of Frankfurt, etc.). He is also the co-author of two books on the Gallic Wars.

INTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGY ORGANIZATION OF THE CONSULAR ARMY Legiones Caesar's legionarii Equites Caesar's bodyguards COMMAND STRUCTURE Legati Praefecti Quaestores Tribuni and contubernales Centuriones Other 'non-commissioned' officers Socii auxiliaries Elephants ARMS & EQUIPMENT Shafted weapons: the pilum, gaesum and hasta Swords Daggers Belts Helmets Body protection Shields Equipment of socii auxiliaries Other equipment Clothing BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX