EDITORIAL – Mythbusting
It is probably a pretty safe bet that readers of Ancient Warfare have a copy of Peter Connolly’s The Roman Army (or the combined Greece and Rome at War), or John Warry’s Warfare in the Classical World. Perhaps you’ve got both. I certainly do!
Both books are about as old as I am, and they’re still pretty easy to find second hand, while Greece and Rome at War is still in print. Pride of place in these highly influential books goes to the Roman legion as described by Polybius and Livy. It is the army that fought the great wars against Carthage, and the Successor Kingdoms. Then, we are told, we get Marius’ reforms. The mulis marianis, the poor, burdened legionary unable to buy his own equipment, goes to war with the warlords of the first century BC on whom he depends for his livelihood after service. And that, inevitably, leads to exploitation by ambitious generals, civil war and, eventually, empire.
A lot of new academic research has recently been published that questions much of what I just wrote. Connolly’s own illustrations and those in Warry will remain inspirational, but their
