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solaireastora's review
4.0
A short manual on military training and tactics written during the reign of Valentinian II. It had a wide influence on later European military thought. Concise, useful, and easy to read. Glad to have it in the library.
nakedcardboard's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating 5th century reference book with plenty of interesting information regarding how the Romans waged war and kept their military organized and trained.
julis's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.0
I don’t pretend to have normal reading interests.
Quick summary! 4th century CE military guide, which veers wildly between “this is what we do today”, “this is what I think we should do”, and “this is what we did back then” (usually an unspecified then, or the mid-late Republic). Not always clear which one he’s talking about.
Which makes this difficult to use as a historical text, though not impossible, and the problem is we really don’t have any alternative. We can compare what Vegetius says to what other authors say when there’s overlap, and certainly use archaeological evidence, but you can’t completely throw it out either because it’s the only Roman military manual.
deearr's review against another edition
4.0
This is not only a book on military training and strategy, it contains small gems of information about the relationships between others living at that time. Author Flavius Vegetius Renatus continually fawns over the emperor during the three introductions (and with good reason, no doubt) and either repeats someone else’s thoughts or injects his own at times.
On the latter statement, his comments concerning peasant recruits include the following: “They are able to endure the greatest heat of the sun, are unacquainted with the use of baths, and are strangers to the other luxuries of life.” Humorous while at the same time a revealing glimpse into the thought patterns concerning their potential soldiers.
The military information goes into detail, and the book is split into three sections that address selecting and training new recruits, organizing the army, and engagement with the enemy. If you are interested in history or want to learn more about how the Romans and others trained and fought, this is an interesting book. It is short and can be read in one to two hours. Four stars.
On the latter statement, his comments concerning peasant recruits include the following: “They are able to endure the greatest heat of the sun, are unacquainted with the use of baths, and are strangers to the other luxuries of life.” Humorous while at the same time a revealing glimpse into the thought patterns concerning their potential soldiers.
The military information goes into detail, and the book is split into three sections that address selecting and training new recruits, organizing the army, and engagement with the enemy. If you are interested in history or want to learn more about how the Romans and others trained and fought, this is an interesting book. It is short and can be read in one to two hours. Four stars.
agirlushouldknow's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent insight into the views of the people who translated this document and used it for centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire. There is thought this might not be original, but it is historical from certain medieval armies if not further back.
Worth a read if you like military history or just ancient history itself.
Worth a read if you like military history or just ancient history itself.
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