The Roman army was the greatest war machine produced by the ancient world. The Roman Empire relied on soldiers not only to win its wars, defend its borders, and control the seas, but also to serve as the driving force of the state. The Roman legionaries and auxiliaries came from across the Roman world and beyond. They served as tax collectors, police officers, surveyors, civil engineers, and, if they survived, upon their restoration as public figures, craftsmen, and politicians. Some even rose to become emperors. The book "Gladius" takes the reader to the heart of what it meant to be part of the Roman army, through the words of Roman historians and those of people via religious dedications, inscriptions, texts, and even private letters and writings. Guy de la Bédoyère reveals how soldiers, their wives, and children lived, from obscure garrisons on the borders to the protection of the emperor in Rome, living the history through the wars of the emperors, the mutinies over their pay, the triumphant marches, their imposition on the streets of cities, and enjoying appreciation during their honorary retirement.
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