The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century CE to the Third / Edition 2

by Edward N. Luttwak

Overview

A newly updated edition of this classic, hugely influential account of how the Romans defended their vast empire.

At the height of its power, the Roman Empire encompassed the entire Mediterranean basin, extending much beyond it from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the Rhine to the Black Sea. Rome prospered for centuries while successfully resisting attack, fending off everything from overnight robbery raids to full-scale invasion attempts by entire nations on the move. How were troops able to defend the Empire’s vast territories from constant attacks? And how did they do so at such moderate cost that their treasury could pay for an immensity of highways, aqueducts, amphitheaters, city baths, and magnificent temples?

In The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, seasoned defense analyst Edward N. Luttwak reveals how the Romans were able to combine military strength, diplomacy, and fortifications to effectively respond to changing threats. Rome’s secret was not ceaseless fighting, but comprehensive strategies that unified force, diplomacy, and an immense infrastructure of roads, forts, walls, and barriers. Initially relying on client states to buffer attacks, Rome moved to a permanent frontier defense around 117 CE. Finally, as barbarians began to penetrate the empire, Rome filed large armies in a strategy of “defense-in-depth,” allowing invaders to pierce Rome’s borders.

This updated edition has been extensively revised to incorporate recent scholarship and archeological findings. A new preface explores Roman imperial statecraft. This illuminating book remains essential to both ancient historians and students of modern strategy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421419459
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/18/2016
Edition description:	revised and updated edition
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	375,337
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Edward N. Luttwak is a senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A longtime strategic and security consultant to US government departments, the armed services, and friendly governments, he is the author of The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, among other books.

Table of Contents

List of Maps, Figures, and Tables vii

Preface to the 2016 Edition ix

Preface to the First Edition xv

Acknowledgment xvii

Introduction 1

1 The Julio-Claudian System: Client States and Mobile Armies from Augustus to Nero 6

The System in Outline 10

The Client States 19

The Management of the Clients 28

The Tactical Organization of the Army 42

The Strategic Deployment of Forces 50

Conclusion 53

2 From the Flavians to the Severi: "Scientific" Frontiers and Preclusive Defense from Vespasian to Marcus Aurelius 56

The System in Outline 60

Border Defense: The Tactical Dimension 67

Border Defense: The Strategic Dimension 89

The Decline of the Client System 125

The Army and the System 132

Conclusion 144

3 Defense-in-Depth: The Great Crisis of the Third Century and the New Strategies 146

The System in Outline 149

The Changing Threat 166

The New Borders of the Empire 176

Walled Towns and Hard-Point Defenses 182

Border Troops 195

Provincial Forces 199

Central Field Armies 207

Conclusion 216

Epilogue: The Three Systems: An Evaluation 219

Appendix: Power and Force: Definitions and Implications 223

Notes 229

Bibliography 251

Index 269

Editorial Reviews

Lucidly and vigorously written. It is a long time since I have read so important a contribution to Roman history.

Times Literary Supplement

A fascinating book, well written and forcefully argued.

New Republic

Avec un retentissement exceptionnel pour un ouvrage écrit par quelqu’un qui n’était ni historien professionnel, ni spécialiste de l’Antiquité, le livre d’Edward Luttwak sur la grande stratégie de l’empire romain occupe une place à part dans l’historiographie depuis sa publication en 1976. À le relire on reste impressionné par l’ampleur des questions abordées, la concision, la clarté et l’audace de la synthèse, mais aussi par nombre d’observations. Au lendemain de la défaite du Vietnam,

Revue des Etudes Anciennes

Luttwak has done scholarship an immense service. Every page brings detailed insights into the working of Roman military organization, in strategy and tactics.

New York Review of Books

Avec un retentissement exceptionnel pour un ouvrage écrit par quelqu’un qui n’était ni historien professionnel, ni spécialiste de l’Antiquité, le livre d’Edward Luttwak sur la grande stratégie de l’empire romain occupe une place à part dans l’historiographie depuis sa publication en 1976. À le relire on reste impressionné par l’ampleur des questions abordées, la concision, la clarté et l’audace de la synthèse, mais aussi par nombre d’observations. Au lendemain de la défaite du Vietnam,
—Revue des Etudes Anciennes

Lucidly and vigorously written. It is a long time since I have read so important a contribution to Roman history.
—Times Literary Supplement

Luttwak has done scholarship an immense service. Every page brings detailed insights into the working of Roman military organization, in strategy and tactics.
—New York Review of Books

A fascinating book, well written and forcefully argued.
—New Republic

From the Publisher