Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus The Elder, Conqueror of Germania - Softcover

"Powell gives a solid account of the life and times of Drusus with an enviable lightness of literary touch. More to the point, he pulls off the difficult task of putting Drusus' career into the context of the political machinations of the early empire...Powell clearly understands both the psychology of the Roman soldier and the practical issues of day-to-day life in the military in nuanced detail."--Adrian Murdoch "United Nations of Roma Victrix History " "Eager for Glory is worthy of a place on the shelf of any ancient warfare fan. It is warmly recommended."--Ancient Warfare "This ground-breaking book will appeal to all interested in ancient world history, biography, military history and adventure stories, but will be of particular interest to those studying classics in academia, Roman period re-enactment and numismatics."--Heritage and History "... is a remarkably readable book. We don't know a lot about Drusus, and most of the accounts of his campaigns are lost, but Lindsay Powell gathers together what there is and produces a coherent account. Thus we have the story of the life of Drusus, an outline of his campaigns, an attempt to estimate which legions were involved, his death and legacy. Given the state of the evidence, it is impossible to provide 'orders of battle' for the participants in these campaigns, but the author does try to give as much detail as possible with regard to the participants, with photographs of re-enactors and the terrain. The author also looks at the reasons for the Romans deciding to stop and set the Rhine rather than the Elbe as a frontier, a decision of long-tern historical significance. A nice book that I enjoyed."--Miniature Wargames "... documents the life of Roman politician and soldier Drusus the Elder - whose real name was Nero Claudius Drusus - who was the first Roman general to begin the conquest of Germania, which is better known today as Germany....In short it is a rip-roaring yarn and tale of a young man growing up at a critical period in history. It is the story of a soldier, explorer, diplomat, builder and genuine Roman hero who is revered in death."I think it is a thrilling story."--Wokingham Times A real pleasure to read a book that is a page-turner for anyone interested in Ancient Rome!"--Alberto P rez Rubio, Editor, Desperta Ferro. "Admitting the sparsity of evidence directly related to Drusus, Powell has nonetheless done an excellent job. Gathering all the literary evidence and carefully sorting through the archaeological record, which has in recent years piled up wonderfully, he has sifted through appropriate evidence of what is known about other generals and campaigns from the period, and then added a useful dose of his own experience as a Roman re-enactor. The result is a surprisingly detailed, readable look at a long-forgotten great captain."--StrategyPage

Drusus the Elder (Nero Claudius Drusus) was regarded by the Romans as the first conqueror of Germania (western Germany) and a hero in the mould of Alexander the Great. Yet there has never been a full volume dedicated to his remarkable story, achievements and legacy. Eager for Glory brings this heroic figure back to life for a modern audience. Drusus was a stepson of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, through his marriage to Livia. As a commander he led daring campaigns by sea and land that pushed the northern frontiers of Rome's empire to the Elbe River. He oversaw one of the largest developments of military infrastructure of the age. He married Mark Antony's daughter, Antonia, and fathered Germanicus, the Empire's most popular general, and the future emperor Claudius. He died when he was only 29 and was revered in death. Eager for Glory is an objective and thoroughly researched account, written in a lucid narrative style which reveals the author's passion for the period.