Ross Cowan

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About Ross Cowan
Author of For the Glory of Rome: A History of Warriors and Warfare. "The book gets closer to the brutal reality of Roman warfare than many other volumes on ancient battle" - Tim Newark, Military Illustrated.
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Books By Ross Cowan
Roman Conquests: Italy
Jul 16, 2009
by
Ross Cowan
$9.99
The author of For the Glory of Rome details the conflicts ancient Rome endured to defeat its neighbors and take over the Italian Peninsula.
The first of the exciting Roman Conquests series, this volume will look at how Rome went from just another Latin town under Etruscan rule, to a free republic that gradually conquered or dominated all her Italian neighbors. With hindsight we know that Rome, which won its independence from the Etruscan kings around 510 B.C., went on to conquer the greatest empire ever known, yet it took three hundred years just to become master of all the peninsula. This involved desperate struggles for survival against their Italian neighbors: Etruscans, Latins, Samnites, Umbrians, Lucanians, the Greek colonies in the south, and the ferocious Celts of northern Italy—plus invading armies from further abroad like those of Pyrrhus of Epirus and the Carthaginian genius, Hannibal. Rome’s survival, let alone her eventual greatness, was never a foregone conclusion while such formidable enemies were to be found so close to home.
The first of the exciting Roman Conquests series, this volume will look at how Rome went from just another Latin town under Etruscan rule, to a free republic that gradually conquered or dominated all her Italian neighbors. With hindsight we know that Rome, which won its independence from the Etruscan kings around 510 B.C., went on to conquer the greatest empire ever known, yet it took three hundred years just to become master of all the peninsula. This involved desperate struggles for survival against their Italian neighbors: Etruscans, Latins, Samnites, Umbrians, Lucanians, the Greek colonies in the south, and the ferocious Celts of northern Italy—plus invading armies from further abroad like those of Pyrrhus of Epirus and the Carthaginian genius, Hannibal. Rome’s survival, let alone her eventual greatness, was never a foregone conclusion while such formidable enemies were to be found so close to home.
Other Formats:
Hardcover
Roman Legionary AD 284-337: The age of Diocletian and Constantine the Great (Warrior Book 175)
Apr 20, 2015
$9.99
Diocletian and Constantine were the greatest of the Late Roman emperors, and their era marks the climax of the legionary system. Under Constantine's successors the legions were reduced in size and increasingly sidelined in favour of new units of elite auxilia, but between AD 284 and 337 the legions reigned supreme. The legionaries defeated all-comers and spearheaded a stunning Roman revival that humbled the Persian Empire and reduced the mighty Goths and Sarmatians to the status of vassals. This title details the equipment, background, training and combat experience of the men from all parts of the empire who made up the backbone of Rome's legions in this pivotal period.
Other Formats:
Paperback
Roman Legionary AD 69–161 (Warrior Book 166)
Apr 20, 2013
$9.99
Between AD 69 and 161 the composition of the Roman legions was transformed. Italians were almost entirely replaced by provincial recruits, men for whom Latin was at best a second language, and yet the 'Roman-ness' of these Germans, Pannonians, Spaniards, Africans and Syrians, fostered in isolated fortresses on the frontiers, was incredibly strong. They were highly competitive, jealous of their honour, and driven by the need to maintain and enhance their reputations for virtus, that is manly courage and excellence. The warfare of the period, from the huge legion versus legion confrontations in the Civil War of AD 69, through the campaigns of conquest in Germany, Dacia and Britain, to the defence of the frontiers of Africa and Cappadocia and the savage quelling of internal revolts, gave ample opportunity for virtus-enhancing activity. The classic battle formation that had baffled Pyrrhus and conquered Hannibal was revived. Heroic centurions continued to lead from the front, and common legionaries vied with them in displays of valour. The legions of the era may have been provincial but they were definitely Roman in organisation and ethos.
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Paperback
Roman Legionary 109–58 BC: The Age of Marius, Sulla and Pompey the Great (Warrior Book 182)
Nov 30, 2017
$9.99
The Roman centurion, holding the legionaries steady before the barbarian horde and then leading them forward to victory, was the heroic exemplar of the Roman world. This was thanks to the Marian reforms, which saw the centurion, although inferior in military rank and social class, superseding the tribune as the legion's most important officer. This period of reform in the Roman Army is often overlooked, but the invincible armies that Julius Caesar led into Gaul were the refined products of 50 years of military reforms.
Using specially commissioned artwork and detailed battle reports, this new study examines the Roman legionary soldier at this crucial time in the history of the Roman Republic from its domination by Marius and Sulla to the beginning of the rise of Julius Caesar.
Using specially commissioned artwork and detailed battle reports, this new study examines the Roman legionary soldier at this crucial time in the history of the Roman Republic from its domination by Marius and Sulla to the beginning of the rise of Julius Caesar.
Other Formats:
Paperback
$9.99
In AD 312, the Roman world was divided between four emperors. The most ambitious was Constantine, who sought to eliminate his rivals and reunite the Empire. His first target was Maxentius, who held Rome, the symbolic heart of the Empire. Inspired by a dream sent by the Christian God, at the Milvian Bridge region just north of Rome, he routed Maxentius' army and pursued the fugitives into the river Tiber. The victory secured Constantine's hold on the western half of the Roman Empire and confirmed his Christian faith, but many details of this famous battle remain obscured. This new volume identifies the location of the battlefield and explains the tactics Constantine used to secure a victory that triggered the fundamental shift from paganism to Christianity.
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Paperback
Roman Guardsman 62 BC–AD 324 (Warrior Book 170)
Jan 20, 2014
$15.16
From the civil wars of the Late Republic to Constantine's bloody reunification of the Empire, elite corps of guardsmen were at the heart of every Roman army. Whether as bodyguards or as shock troops in battle, the fighting skills of praetorians, speculatores, singulares and protectores determined the course of Roman history. Modern scholars tend to present the praetorians as pampered, disloyal and battle-shy, but the Romans knew them as valiant warriors, men who strove to live up to their honorific title pia vindex – loyal and avenging. Closely associated with the Republican praetorian cohorts, and gradually assimilated into the Imperial Praetorian Guard, were the speculatores. A cohort was established by Marc Antony in the 30s BC for the purposes of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, but soon the speculatores were acting as close bodyguards a role they maintained until the end of the first century AD. This title will detail the changing nature of these units, their organization and operational successes and failures from their origins in the late Republic through to their unsuccessful struggle against Constantine the Great.
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Paperback
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