Research Catalog

Title

The limits of empire : the Roman army in the East / by Benjamin Isaac.

Author

Isaac, Benjamin H.

Publication

Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1992.

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Holdings

Details

Description

xiii, 510 p., [9] p. of plates : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

• For more than seven centuries most of the Near East was part of the Roman empire. This was the area of confrontation with Persia. Yet no work exists which explores the means by which an ancient power originating in the western Mediterranean could control such a vast and distant region. What were the Roman political and military aims in the region from the Caucasus to Sinai? What was the impact of the army presence on the population of the provinces? How did Rome respond to the challenge posed by the desert and its nomadic population?
• Professor Isaac here offers answers to these questions in the first comprehensive treatment of the Roman military presence in the Near East. Using both well-known and neglected sources, and archaeological material, he reassesses the means by which Rome achieved and maintained her control over the region. He discusses the extent to which current vacillating views on imperialism can affect opinions concerning the character and mechanisms by which Rome ensured the integrity and expansion of her influence. Also considered here are problems of methodology, especially the use of archaeological remains for historical interpretation. In this study, Professor Isaac casts new light on an important issue which has far-reaching implications for the understanding of ancient and modern imperialism.
• The book won the Best Book Award for 1991 from the American Military Institute.

Subject

• Imperialism
• Rome > History > Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D
• Middle East > History > To 622

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [451]-495) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

I. Rome and Persia -- II. Consolidation and Internal Unrest -- III. The Army of the Principate: An Army of Occupation -- IV. The Army of the Fourth Century -- V. Enemies and Allies after Septimius Severus -- VI. Army and Civilians in the East -- VII. The Military Function of Roman Veteran Colonies -- VIII. Urbanization -- IX. Frontier Policy -- Grand Strategy? -- Appendix I. Roman Army Sites in Judaea -- Appendix II. Antioch as Military Headquarters and Imperial Residence.

ISBN

0198149522

LCCN

^^^93116316^

OCLC

28096057

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library