Review

General Books

Antonio Santosuossois the author of the section on Italy in the third edition of the American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature and has written extensively on military history. In this work he writes a history of Rome through the lens of Roman military history. In Santosuosso's pages, the rise and fall of the Roman army reflects the rise and fall of Rome itself. The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter begins with the Celtic campaigns of Gaius Marius where the author provides the historic background to the Roman military system, explains that Rome has succeeded in dominating the Mediterranean, and emphasizes the role that landowning soldiers played in maintaining the Republic's military might and moral fabric. However, Santosuosso argues, when Marius opened up the military ranks to landless plebeians, he planted the seeds of Rome's ultimate decay. In the second chapter, "Armies of Pillagers," the author explains how Marius' military reforms caused the troops to become more loyal to successful generals than to the Republic itself. Since these men had no farms to which to return, they fought battles not for their stake in society or for the honor of the Republic, but for what booty they could loot and pillage. The first century B.C. was filled with numerous social and civil wars, and the commanders, politicians in need of political support from their soldiers, would sometimes alter their policies to cater to their troops.	1
This devolution was halted and even reversed by Caesar, as Santosuosso explains in his third chapter, "Julius Caesar: Thoughts and Actions of a Commander." Caesar returned the armies to their former discipline and made the soldiers realize their role as defenders of the Republic. Yet in the chapter entitled "Of Gods, Military Leaders, and Politicians," Caesar was assassinated—Santosuosso uses the word "sacrificed"—and sacrificed with him was the Republic. In his fifth chapter, appropriately called "My Soldiers, My Army, My Fleet," Caesar's grandnephew and heir Augustus restored order to the armies, reduced the number of legions on active duty, and relieved the Senatorial politicians of much of their influence by paying the soldiers out of his own private funds. Thus Augustus and his reforms reaffirmed the army's place as a servant of Roman society. Santosuosso explains in chapter six, "How to Manage an Empire: Strengths and Pitfalls," that subsequent emperors followed Augustus' example of wise leadership and astute management so adroitly that the Empire was well-served by its armies for almost two centuries. Rebellions such of those of Boudicca in Britain and the Jews in Judea were quickly crushed. Unfortunately, the Empire began to collapse because the armies later lost their dedication to the Empire. In the seventh chapter, "Enemies on the Borders, Violence at Home: Soldiers as the Makers of Emperors," Santosuosso traces the degeneration of the Roman military establishment. When the soldiers gained the ability to create and destroy emperors, the emperors could no longer control them. Finally, in the last chapter aptly entitled "Rome is No More: The End of the Empire," Santosuosso describes the Germanic invaders, details the battles of Adrianople, Ad Salices and Strasburg, and analyzes the illnesses to which the Empire eventually succumbed.	2
This is not a straightforward history of the Roman Empire, but rather a highly-focused work that uses Rome's military establishment as a vehicle for historical analysis. Santosuosso liberally cites the works of other modern military historians, and the reader is thus provided not only with Rome's military history but also with an overview of recent military historiography. For persons with some knowledge of Rome who would like to refresh their memory and augment their knowledge of Roman military history, this is a fascinating book. Well-written and replete with unusual insights and original opinions, it can provide teachers with military anecdotes to enliven lectures and stimulate discussions.	3
California State University, Long Beach David Hood

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