Roman Battle Tactics 390-110 BC: No. 172 (Elite)

"Roman Battle Tactics by Nic Fields, Ph.D. is an excellently researched instructive manual on the various skirmishes and war maneuvers of the Roman Empire from 390 B.C. to 110 B.C. Fields displays his extensive knowledge of ancient history brilliantly, and without sounding the least bit dry... The chronological explanations of the names, uses, weapons, and training methods of each type of unit the Romans used was especially helpful in understanding how each victory came about." --Meredith Greene, San Francisco Book Review (March 2010)

By 390 BC, the Roman army was in need of change, as Greek-style tactics of fighting with a heavy infantry phalanx were proving increasingly outdated. A military revolution was born in the form of the legion, a tool of war better suited to aggressive action. Yet by the end of the 3rd century BC, Rome's prestige was shattered by the genius of Hannibal of Carthage, causing the Romans to revise their battle tactics once more, this time by inventing a whole new kind of soldier. This book reveals these two defining moments in Roman military history and the revolution in battle tactics that they caused, examining how the Roman army eventually became all-conquering and all-powerful.