Caesar’s Civil War, 49–44 BC
By Adrian Goldsworthy 144 pages.
Osprey Publishing, 2023. $20.
Reviewed by Jerry Morelock
Arguably, the deadliest “war machine” prior to the invention of gunpowder was the Roman Legion, particularly after the “Marian Reforms” instituted by Gaius Marius circa 107 BCE improved Roman legionaries’ tactics, discipline and, especially, killing effectiveness. Discipline was strictly enforced. Minor infractions were immediately and ruthlessly punished, while if an entire unit failed, mass punishment—such as “decimation,” the cold-blooded execution of 1 of every 10 legionaries in a legion—firmly implanted the “don’t ever do that again!” message within the surviving ranks. Well-led, highly-disciplined, long-serving professional heavy infantrymen (legionaries) were individually-protected by a large shield (), chain mail and/or segmented armor and helmets, and wielded weapons perfectly suited for closing with and efficiently killing their enemies (such as light and heavy spears and, notably, the short sword aptly described as “a nasty little meat-axe.”) They (c. 98 CE): “[The Romans] make a wasteland and call it ‘peace.’”
