|
Philippi 42 BC: The death of the Roman Republic (Campaign) | 
 enlarge | Author: Si Sheppard
Creator: Steve Noon
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $10.25
You Save: $9.70 (49%)
New (28) Used (5) from $10.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 95092
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 96
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.7 x 7.2 x 0.3
ISBN: 1846032652
Dewey Decimal Number: 355
EAN: 9781846032653
ASIN: 1846032652
Publication Date: August 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Philippi 42BC, Death Roman Republic
|
| Customer Reviews:
The Legions of October November 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Most readers who pick up this volume, Philippi 42 BC, will already have some knowledge of the events depicted herein based upon high school memories of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar and perhaps the more recent HBO series Rome. Si Sheppard's narrative on the final showdown between the Republican conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar in 44 BC and the Triumvir forces led by Mark Antony and young Octavian has all the drama of these popular sources but with the added benefit of historical accuracy. This is one of the most decisive battles of Roman history and here it is vividly conveyed in a solidly-researched and well-written volume. Although the author clearly leans toward Antony - it is difficult not to at this point - he gives Brutus and Cassius a fare shake. Overall, this is a very good volume in Osprey's campaign series and useful both for Roman specialist readers as well as general readers seeking more knowledge about the events in this tumultuous period in Roman history. After finishing this volume, most readers will eagerly anticipate the author's final installment of this Death-of-the-Roman Republic trilogy, on Actium.
After an excellent introduction outlining the events surrounding Julius Caesar's assassination and the development of rival factions led by Brutus/Cassius, Mark Antony and Octavian, the author provides short biographies of the opposing commanders and a brief discussion of the opposing armies. Although both armies were essentially trained and equipped along nearly identical lines (it was a civil war), the author notes that unlike earlier Roman armies, "political loyalties were fluid in the terminal Republic, and this had a commensurate impact on military discipline." Graphically, this volume has six 2-D maps (the Roman world, March 44 BC; two maps on the Battle of Forum Gallorum, April 43 BC; the approach to Philippi; the Italian theater of operations, 44-38 BC; the eastern theater of operations, 44-38 BC) and two 3-D BEV maps (First and Second Battles of Philippi). There are also three battle scenes by Steve Noon (the Fall of Xanthus, Antony victorious in the first battle of Philippi and the naval battle in the Adriatic) that are quite good, although all three are essentially from the viewpoint of the Triumvir forces. The author also provides a short section on the battlefield today and a 2-page bibliography. The other photos and illustrations in this volume are also quite good - no photos of broken vases, defaced wall murals or contemporary Greek cows chewing grass in a field that populate some other Osprey Ancient-era volumes.
The author devotes a 10-page section to discussing the initial outbreak of civil war, finally ending in the alliance of Mark Antony and Octavian to eliminate the Republican faction. This is followed by a 12-page section that discusses the approach to Philippi and which has the opposing plans section tucked in here as well. I found this the only section that was a bit hard to follow because the maps that support it appear much later in the volume. The two battles of Philippi are covered in a 29-page section which is adequate to summarize all the main actions. Given that the Triumvirs had about 123,000 troops and the Republicans 107,000, this was one of the largest battles of the Roman World. Readers will appreciate how Mark Antony cunningly attempted to outflank the Republicans by means of a covert path built through a marsh, but the author also notes that the Republicans' passivity was based upon the idea that their superior logistical position would ultimately give them the victory in a protracted campaign. Antony had to win quickly or his army would have fallen apart. In this account, Antony is clearly the superior commander, while Octavian is trounced in the first battle and plays little role in the second. The events after Philippi become a bit confusing with too many names and places mentioned in rapid succession without sufficient explanation; it would have been useful for the author to include a short chart or table summarizing who many of this minor characters were and which faction they supported. Nevertheless, this is a very good volume which accomplishes its purpose of melding political intrigue and military operations into a coherent story and even includes some information on the role of economics.
Excellent overview. October 1, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Some time ago, I read Pharaslus, author's first effort with Osprey Campaign series and praised his insightful narrative while downgrading book's illustrations, photos and maps which I thought were inferior efforts. After reading Philippi, his second effort into the Osprey Campaign series, I am quite please to discover that his narrative is still quite excellent and his support material, illustrations, photos and maps proves to be quite excellent as well.
The book follows the typical Osprey Campaign series format. You got your background material, leaders, armies and campaign overview as you get to the main event. The author managed to handled it quite well and his narrative proves to be well written with clarity and understanding of the events at hand. I found many of his comments on leaders to be insightful and well thought-out. A good example would be that I enjoyed his insightful look at Mark Anthony who does so well in the crises but fades in every day duties. I agreed with the author on that score. Unlike his first book, this time around the author's narrative was well supported by illustrations, photos and maps. These elements clearly support the written words at hand. I did find it interesting that this campaign wasn't as cut and dry as I was led to believed. There were many political elements that made it near run thing for the victors. The author's narrative however, smoothly lay out the details in way easy to understand.
My knowledge on this campaign is somewhat limited so I welcome this book that gave me fresh information and insights into what happened at Philippi beside what Shakespeare wrote.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
