The Auxilia of the Roman Imperial Army cover

The Auxilia of the Roman Imperial Army

by George Leonard Cheesman

A classic work of military history, this is the first systematic study of the auxiliary soldiers who accompanied the ancient Roman legions into battle. Using evidence ranging from their gravestones to the discharge papers that eventually granted them citizenship, Cheesman traces the evolution of the “barbarian” auxiliaries, from ad-hoc local levies to highly specialized units that became a vital component of the Roman army. Separate chapters cover the size and organization of auxiliary units; where and why auxiliaries and their officers were recruited; their role in war and frontier defense; and the different kinds of arms and armor they used. A final conclusion deals with the decline and break-up of the Augustan military system, and the fates of auxiliary units left to defend forts far from their homelands. Two appendices list the strength, positioning, and recruitment areas of all known auxiliary units in the peak years of the second century AD.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?