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Caesar's Great Success: Sustaining the Roman Army on Campaign Hardcover – May 5, 2020

by Alexander Merrow (Author), Agostino von Hassell (Author), Gregory Starace (Author)

4.2 36 ratings

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Logistics have become a principle, if not a governing factor, in modern military operations. Armies need to be fed and supplied and the larger the army, the greater the logistical difficulties that have to be overcome. Two thousand years ago, when communications were far more primitive, the size of armies was limited by the difficulties of supply. It was because the Romans developed a sophisticated supply system that they were able to maintain large armies in the field – armies that conquered much of the then known world.

In Caesar's Great Success: Sustaining the Roman Army on Campaign the authors examine and detail the world's first ever fully-developed logistical supply system – the forerunner of today’s complex arrangements. This includes an examination of the sea, river and land transportation of food while on campaign, and of how the food was assembled at the operational bases and subsequently distributed.

The defense of the Roman food supplies, and especially of lines of communication, was an important factor in Caesar’s operational planning, as was interdicting the enemy’s supplies.

The eating habits of Caesar’s men are considered and what items could be obtained locally by forage and which were taken by requisition – and how much food a legionnaire was expected to carry on campaign.

With this, the nature of the actual food consumed by the legionnaires is therefore examined and sample recipes are provided with each chapter of the book to enable the reader to relive those momentous days when Caesar and Rome ruled the world.

Print length

248 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Frontline Books
Publication date

May 5, 2020
Dimensions

6.2 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
ISBN-10

147385587X
ISBN-13

978-1473855878
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Caesar’s Great Success is a good read for anyone interested in the Roman army, or logistics over the ages…”
The NYMAS Review

"...the level of logistical detail will please the most jaded of campaign grognards, the analysis of ancient texts supports the conclusions, and the writing zips along with clear, understandable prose."
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"The volume is laid out attractively and features eight full-color insert plates of the recipes."
Journal of Military History

""Caesar's Great Success" should be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in the development of Rome’s military might during the waning days of the Roman republic – a period that definitively laid the foundation for the following decades of imperial conquest. Moreover, the lively and well organized text is interspersed with two-millennia-old recipes (adapted to current culinary practices) for basic dishes that sustained the legionaries on campaign. Moving the work beyond popular history, an extensive bibliography of primary and established secondary sources is provided – a boon for anyone interested in further immersion in this fascinating subject."
Fries, Carsten H., Riding into the Twilight: Organization, Uniforms, Insignia, and Equipment of the German Army's Last Cavalrymen, 1920-45

About the Author

Alexander Merrow studied history and German at Denison University before completing a masters’ degree in history at Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in European history at Georgetown University, writing his dissertation in the field of Modern German History. He taught European History at Georgetown University, Franklin & Marshall College, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is the co-author of numerous works of military history and, under a nom de plume, the author of numerous works of fiction.

Agostino von Hassell studied history at Columbia University, graduating in 1974, and attended Columbia Journalism School, graduating in 1975. He has taught on leadership in the graduate program of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in New York. He has written extensively on military and food history and has authored books including Military High Life: Elegant Food Histories and Recipes, Alliance of Enemies: The Untold Story of the Secret American and German Collaboration to End World War II, In Honor of America, West Point: The Bicentennial Book, Strike Force: U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations, and Warriors: The United States Marines.

Gregory Starace is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Unites States Marines. He has served in and traveled across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, and the Indian subcontinent – visiting countless Roman ruins, military locations, and museum collections along the way. He has a B.A. in History from the George Washington University, M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and M.A. in National Security Affairs with a focus on Africa from Naval Postgraduate School. Additionally, he is re-enactor with over 30 years of re-enacting experience across a number of periods, including Imperial Rome.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Frontline Books (May 5, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 147385587X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1473855878
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.09 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,253 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- #10,014 in Ancient Civilizations

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4.2 36 ratings

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Dr. Joshua E. Segal, PhD

STELLAR BOOK--Finally a history for the masses!!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

If you want to be amazed and enthralled with a well-written and researched history book that takes complex topics and helps you understand and digest them ---then this book should be at top of your list. If you are expecting a stuffy academic study, this is not the book for you. Authors provide an intriguing and captivating examination of what really provided the "Fuel" for Caesar's victories. Despite nearly four decades of study of ancient Rome, I have must admit, I took logistics for granted....thanks gents for the knowledge and enjoyable read.

5 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Very disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

As an ancient historian, I was very disappointed in this book - I was hoping for a moderately informative account of the late Roman Republican logistic system and what I got was a bloated, light-weight historical summation of (a small handful of) other people's work and opinions. The authors endlessly repeated the theme of "there were production centers and transportation facilities to ship goods from there to the collection points for subsequent distribution to the troops" while providing little to no hard information on how this was actually done. There were a sentence or two where the authors arbitrarily gave one opinion out of the many (not discussed) alternative well-reasoned arguments over matters like the weight of a soldier's equipment or the daily food requirements of a soldier, with no discussion of why the authors chose that opinion (or what the other opinions even were). Let's also look at what the authors did not do or discuss in a book supposedly about the "logistics" of a Roman army in the field. There is not a single map to give the readers any visual picture of the locations, troop movements or distances discussed in the book. There is no discussion of basic logistic issues like (i) where and in what quantities were the weapons and armor of the troops produced, and how were they transported to the troops; (ii) how many animal skins did it take to make the tents, shield covers, etc. for a legion and where did the skins come from; (iii) how many ships did it take to move a legion (or its supplies) by sea; (iv) what do we know about the wear rate of equipment like armor, swords, tents, shields, etc. and were these repaired (if so, by who) or replaced; (v) how many non-combatants were involved in transporting supplies to rear area depots (or, beyond a simple "the tribes and merchants often did it," where the non-combatants came from); (v) where did the transport animals for the legions come from; (vi) how many support people like engineers, doctors and metalsmiths were attached to a legion; (vii) how many non-legionary combat troops were involved in the campaigns described and what were their logistic requirements - the same or different from the legion's soldiers; (viii) how quickly did the road construction discussed in the text proceed, and who performed this work. There is a fair amount of historical source material and supervised reenactor production data on all of these topics, but the authors never get into questions of detail - it is always summary, summary, summary. Perhaps the most annoying aspect is that when you are done with the book, you realize that the basic thesis could have been presented in 4 or 5 pages, and maybe expanded with another 10 or 15 pages of example. Notwithstanding that glowing prior reviews by what appear to be either uninformed light readers or the authors' friends and colleagues, this entire book could have been presented as medium-length article in any of the monthly history magazines you find at the local bookstore. I give it a 2 star only because it is written in a simplistic style suitable for the novice history reader.

11 people found this helpful

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CorpsStories

What a fascinating book!

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

Such an interesting and quick read about how Caesar fed thousands of troops for months at a time in all kinds of environments; what an accomplishment when you think about it! Anyway, this is on my gift list for a few Marines who love logistics, and love to cook!

6 people found this helpful

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C. Fries

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020

“These Romans are crazy,” Asterix and Obelix, the quintessential comic-book Gauls, always asserted. However, even their creators couldn’t avoid portraying the efficiency and rationality of the Roman republic and its army – even as they parodied it. This book, though a more serious introductory study of the development of Julius Caesar’s system to sustain his legions, ended up being just as captivating for my middle-aged persona as those wickedly clever graphic novels were for my pre-adolescent self. Although my primary areas of interest mostly cover 20th-century armies and warfare, I was drawn in by the well-balanced combination of scholarship and intriguing period recipes.

Cooperatively authored by three military historians, "Caesar's Great Success" should be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in the development of Rome’s military might during the waning days of the Roman republic – a period that definitively laid the foundation for the following decades of imperial conquest. Moreover, the lively and well organized text is interspersed with two-millennia-old recipes (adapted to current culinary practices) for basic dishes that sustained the legionaries on campaign. Moving the work beyond popular history, an extensive bibliography of primary and established secondary sources is provided – a boon for anyone interested in further immersion in this fascinating subject.

Following a concise 100–44 BC chronology that covers major events of the Gallic Wars and the Roman Civil War period, the authors provide a snapshot of Caesar’s military leadership, the Roman army of his time, and Caesar’s campaigns against the Gauls and his Roman political rivals. Although Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with the now-rote statement that “an army marches on its stomach,” his insight was neither new nor unique. Caesar’s campaigns into Helvetia, Germania, and Gaul ranged far beyond Rome’s frontiers and necessitated a coherent and smoothly functioning sustainment network. Victory in his subsequent clashes with political rivals in Spain and North Africa was also underpinned by this system. In the succeeding chapters, the authors describe types and availability of the typical foodstuffs consumed by the legions, the development of Roman logistics (spurred on by Caesar himself), innovations required within the logistics chain based on local geography and availability of supplies, and the challenging dynamics of effectively supporting armies constantly on the march. Bringing some modern perspective to the narrative, the penultimate chapter contrasts the logistical challenges faced by British and Italo-German forces in North Africa in 1941–42 with those experienced – and overcome – by Caesar.

For some, a forced confrontation with Caesar’s “Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres…” in second-year Latin class negated further interest in this period of Roman history. However, this book is a highly readable reentry into the era and provides insightful details about the development of the support system that supplied many of the essentials carried by each legionary in his pack. Moreover, for those with an interest in culinary history (or who are just plain “foodies”), the recipes provided are simple, tasty, and can be enjoyed while standing around a campfire – just as they were 2,000 years ago.

5 people found this helpful

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