Nicholas Sekunda

The principal source of information on the Roman Republican Army is the sixth book of the Histories by the Greek historian Polybius, written a little before 150 BC. This engaging text by Nicholas Sekunda draws heavily on this vital source to outline the equipment and organisation of the Roman Republican Army from 200–104 BC—a time when Rome was growing from...

This fully illustrated study explores the formidable Athenian army, rivalled only by the Spartan army in terms of battlefield prowess and influence. In 508 BC, the reforms of Kleisthenes established the ten tribes of Athens, inaugurating a system of military organisation that remained in place for nearly 200 years until Athens’ eclipse by the growing power of Macedon in the...

The early Romans were only one of a number of peoples that inhabited Iron Age central Italy. From the 8th to the 3rd century BC, the Romans undertook territorial expansion, and conflict with neighbouring tribes and cultures resulted in open war, most notably with the Samnites. Alliances were created too, but the rise of Rome was unstoppable. Early Roman Armies...