ePub The Logistics of the Roman Army at War (264 B.C. - A.D.235) (Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition) by Jonathan Roth in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good start to answer the question - how did they get rations to the troopsBy Just Ten ThumbsVery detailed content of a subject area not well considered in other texts I have read. A question I ask myself is how do you feed an army of 10;000. The legionarie receives X amount of grain for the two meals per day what could you make unleavened bread? (what grain? I’ve seen corn documented as a ration; barley - punishment ration). On the production side what was yield per acre; number of farmers/slaves to seed; manage; harvest the grain; how much was taken. What was the end result of the grain purchased from the Gaul? Taken from the Britain family. Most certainly beyond the scope of this text. Vol. 2?Pictures would be a helpful addition; I’ma visual learner and I believe it would have helped me digest some of the content.Some familiarity with the conflicts that took place during the time period would be useful.I keep asking myself - how were they able to accomplish what they did.This answers some of my questions.16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Good Resource Marred By Horrible EditingBy Kenneth PetersWith a book this expensive you would think they could have found a decent editor; but such is not the case. This book is filled with hundreds of grammar and spelling errors (at times several on a single page) that would have been caught by even the most casual editorial review or even a read-through by an English 101 student. The editor of this volume (William V. Harris) should be ashamed to have his name attached to it.If bad editing does not bother you; then I can recommend this book with five stars. It retreads a lot of ground in the field; but the author deftly combines a number of sources into a unified whole. Although by no means worth the $135 if you are simply a casual reader; the first two chapters alone (1. Supply Needs and Rations; 2. Packs; Trains and Servants) make the book *well* worth it for military historians hungry for hard numbers and thoughtful extrapolation.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. What you always wanted to know about Roman Army Logistics and SupplyBy Arnold L. RobertsFor me this was a VERY expensive book; but it provided me with the answer to the question of not what the roman army did but how they were able to get their troops to the right place; at the right time and in condition to whip their opponents. Parts of this book reminded me of the Red Ball Express feeding Patton's army after his breakout. I highly recommend it to those who want to go beyond the "who" and the "what" of Roman military history.