Twilight of Empire: The Roman Army from the Reign of Diocletian Until the Battle of Adrianople (Dutch Monographs on Ancient History and Archaeology, 19)

Nicasie, Martijn Twilight of Empire. The Roman Army from the Reign of Diocletian until the Battle of Adrianople. 1998 This book discusses the development of the Roman army during the fourth century. The author argues that the Roman army of the fourth century was by no means inferior to its early Imperial counterpart, and in some ways even much superior. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, the book discusses the development of the Roman army in the period immediately preceding the reign of Diocletian, the massive reorganization of the army in the fourth century under Diocletian and Constantine, recruitment and barbariza tion, and the Grand Strategy of the Empire in the fourth century. The final chapter is devoted to an analysis of battlefield tactics and of two important fourth-century battles, the Battle of Strasbourg in 357 and the Battle of Adrianople in 378. DMAHA 19 (1998), 330 p. Cloth. - 66.00 EURO, ISBN: 9050634486 TWILIGHT OF EMPIRE 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Acknowledgements 8 Contents 10 Introduction 12 I. The creation of the late Roman army 24 A. Introduction 24 B. Comitatenses and limitanei 25 1. The comitatenses 27 2. The limitanei 29 C. A New Model Army 34 II. The organization of the army in the fourth century 54 A. Unit types 54 1. Introduction 54 2. The Scholae Palatinae 56 3. The legions 59 4. The auxilia palatina 64 5. Other infantry units 67 6. Cavalry units 71 7. Artillery 76 8. Allies 77 B. The strength of army units 78 C. The size of the late Roman army 85 D. Higher-level organization 87 III. Recruitment 94 A. Introduction 94 B. The eligibility of recruits 96 C. Voluntary recruitment 103 D. The recruiting tax 105 IV. The "barbarization" of the Roman army 108 A. Introduction 108 B. Senior officers 111 C. The rank and file 114 D. Barbarian customs and formations 118 V. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire 128 A. Introduction 128 B. The borders of the Empire 132 C. Strategy and planning 156 1. Preparation 157 2. Gathering information 166 3. Strategy and campaigns 176 D. Fourth-century strategy: a Grand Strategy? 183 VI. The profession of arms: the army at war 196 A. Introduction 196 B. The instruments of war 198 1. Infantry 198 2. Cavalry 205 3. Artillery 209 C. Battle tactics 210 D. The Battle of Strasbourg, A.D. 357 230 E. The Battle of Adrianople, A.D. 378 244 Epilogue 268 Bibliography 276 Primary sources 276 Secondary sources 278 General index 292 Index of sources 310 Machine generated contents note: I. The creation of the late Roman army13 A. Introduction13 B. Comitatenses and limitanei14 1. The comitatenses16 2. The limitanei18 C.A New Model Army23 II. The organization of the ar,my in the fourth century43 A. Unit types43 1. Introduction43 2. The Scholae Palatinae45 3. The legions48. 4. The auxilia palatina53 5. Other infantry units56 6. Cavalry units60 7. Artillery65 8. Allies 66 B. The strength of army units67 C. The size of the late Roman army74 D. Higher-level organization76 III. Recruitment83 A. Introduction83 B. The eligibility of recruits85 C. Voluntary recruitment92 D. The recruiting tax94 IV. The "barbarization" of the Roman army97 A. Introduction97 B. Senior officers100 C. The rank and file103 D. Barbarian customs and formations107 V. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire117 A. Introduction117 B. The borders of the Empire121 C. Strategy and planning145 1. Preparation146 2. Gathering information155 3. Strategy and campaigns165 D. Fourth-century strategy: a Grand Strategy ?172 VI. The profession of arms: the army at war185 A. Introduction185 B. The instruments of war187 1. Infantry187 2. Cavalry194 3. Artillery198 C. Battle tactics199 D. The Battle of Strasbourg, A.D. 357219 E. The Battle of Adrianople, A.D. 378233 Epilogue257 Bibliography265 Primary sources265 Secondary sources267 General index281 Index of sources299. M.j. Nicasie. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.