The Last Legionary_ Life as a Roman Soldier AD 400 by Paul Elliott EPUB

xx



The Last Legionary: Life as a Roman Soldier AD 400 by Paul Elliott EPUB



In AD 400 Roman rule in Britain was collapsing as the thinly stretched empire was besieged on all sides. In "The Last Legionary", Paul Elliot explores all aspects of Late Roman military life, from recruitment to weaponry, marriage to wages, warfare to religion. It explores the world of the Roman soldier through the eyes of one man, posted to a British garrison at the edge of the empire, and follows the soldier's life through training and battle, marriage and business dealings, finally following him south as he leaves Britain for good in defence of Rome. When the legionary finally escapes the worst posting in the Roman Empire, it is only to join what effectively became a death march over the Alps, without food or shelter. To know what is was like to face the chanted battle cry, the charge and slashing axes of the Goths, and to understand why the order 'March out!' was so terrifying, read Paul Elliott's mesmerising, meticulously accurate account.



This book covers all aspects of Late Roman military life, from recruitment to weaponry, marriage to wages, warfare to religion. It explores the world of the Roman soldier, through the eyes of one man, posted to a British garrison at the edge of the empire facing the imminent collapse of Roman rule. In an evocative and highly comprehensive text, the author follows the soldier's life through training and battle, marriage and business dealings, finally following him south as he leaves Britain for good in defence of Rome, thereby tying together the many social and historical threads that would have made up the career of such a soldier, one of the last legionaries. In order to create a text that is as accurate and detailed as possible, Elliot has used his re-enactment expertise and conducted many experiments to discover how military equipment in this period was made, used and worn. His results and observations add a depth and immediacy to the subject. This is a book that will fascinate and intrigue all those interested in the Late Roman period.



xx