Legionary by Philip Matyszak .Any good?

[jonwr]

I was wondering if anyone has read this book?
Legionary. The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual
by Philip Matyszak
Thought it may pass the time when laying out in the hammock.
JonR

[Titus Juventius Tertius]

I have it. It's quite small in size but has a lot of information. It follows in suit with his other books (the 5 A Day series) where it has some in depth descriptions on religion, training and so forth... but has his normal flair of humor. It's set in the time period of 100AD which makes it less than useful for my needs (as I'm more interested in earlier years). But it seems well researched I just can't confirm that most of what is there, is actually accurate or not. Maybe someone more in the know of the 2nd century can comment.

I also have his "Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day" book that I thought was rather interesting. Lots of details on the Gods, how people worship, carry on the day, even some Latin phrases. The Unofficial Manual is very similar. The topics themselves are light on information (only going one page or less) but it's a decent overview I thought.

When I picked it up I was hoping for some depth on training, equipment, tactics, etc. You wont find that here. Good info, worth sitting in your book library, but not as detailed as a individual book for an individual topic.

This is a review from Amazon (a user there):

Philip Matyszak seems to be applying for the lifetime achievement award in the category of "How To Write For a General Audience." His latest entry, Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual, is a successful attempt to translate the minutiae of Roman military studies for those who may not have any prior exposure to the subject. This informative yet exceedingly entertaining read will endear itself greatly to the student looking for a friendly introduction to the mystique of the legions.

The work is structured in organization and tone much like two of Matyszak's previous books, Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day and Ancient Athens on 5 Drachma a Day. The conceit of the book is that it is written as if the reader actually were living in ancient times. In this case, the timeframe is during the reign of Trajan, at the height of the empire and its military glory, and just before the emperor's famous Dacian campaigns. The reader is presumed to be a Roman subject about to enter martial service; hence the title of the work, which really does come across as a handy how-to manual. The narrator is presented for the most part as a grizzled old veteran relaying his key experience to new recruits. However, the narrator is also somehow blessed by the gods with knowledge of both Rome's earliest past as well as the distant future, affording a broader historical perspective when necessary.

Chapter one concerns itself with actual recruitment, giving the criterion needed to serve in Rome's legions and what the recruit can expect the first few days. Chapter two outlines a historical overview of the Roman military from the days of the citizen-soldier to its "modern" professional incarnation, and gives a run down on the status of each of the empire's existing legions under Trajan. Chapter three provides a look at alternative forms of military service: cavalry for dandies, the auxilia for non-citizens, the praetorian guard for the fortunate Italian, and the Navy for those who prefer oaring to soldiering.

The next chapter discusses the various items, weapons and pieces of armor the legionary will come to know in his two decades of service. Chapter five looks at training, discipline and rank structure. A low down on the empire's various enemies, and their respective strengths and weaknesses, concerns chapter six.

The next two chapters discuss in turn the typical routine of camp life, and the lay of a campaign. The next three chapters delve into the fascinating nitty-gritty of laying siege to a city, hacking one's way through a battle, and the aftermath of a battle, including possibly a triumph and eventual discharge.

It should be noted that while everything presented is factual, this is by no means a dry study. The author will give you some very condign and practical advice in every item under discussion. For instance, in discussing the empire's Judean opponents, who could disprove of such wisdom as: "If you must kill a Jewish rioter, do so with full respect for his religious sensibilities." And also: "Try to fight Jewish religious fanatics on the Sabbath. They still haven't completely figured out what to do about this."

The prose, as hinted above, is as witty as it is erudite, lending itself to an easy read by someone of any background. Legionary has a broad visual appeal as well. There are 92 illustrations, 31 of them in color. You will find drawings of weapons, illustrations of camp life, and photos of legionary reenactments. There is also a map of the Roman Empire, a glossary of terms, a recommendation for further reading, and an index.

[Theodosius the Great]

Yes, I read it on Monday.

~Theo

[D B Campbell]

I was wondering if anyone has read this book?

I supplied one of the illustrations -- a Roman sling bullet -- in return for which T&H were supposed to send a copy of the book, but so far have conveniently forgotten! :x

[Titus Juventius Tertius]

I was wondering if anyone has read this book?

I supplied one of the illustrations -- a Roman sling bullet -- in return for which T&H were supposed to send a copy of the book, but so far have conveniently forgotten! :x

Hehe... big companies getting so busy they forget.

"Copyright Dr. Duncan B Campbell 155r"

The 155r is the page reference and shows two slingers in the form of a statue with a stone to the right (hence the "r" I suppose) that is inscribed with:

"Em Tibe Malvm Malo"

What's the translation for that by chance?

[D B Campbell]

"Em Tibe Malvm Malo". What's the translation for that by chance?

Literally "here's some hurt for you from this nasty thing", it's a variation on "something wicked this way comes", with a probable play on words (malum, meaning "hurt" or "misfortune" can also mean "a lemon", which is obviously the shape of the bullet). Soldiers often seem to have put some effort into dreaming up witty insults for their sling bullets. :wink:

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I recently bought it, but haven't started it yet. Should be good for the newrecruits too!

[jonwr]

Thank you for all the replies and reviews. I am going to pick up a copy this week.
Jon R

[D B Campbell]

Mine finally arrived this morning.

Should be good for the newrecruits too!

Probably a good overview for the newcomer, but (inevitably) contains its fair share of factoids and minor inaccuracy (e.g. cornicularis = trumpeter! honourable discharge is given as misso honesta -- but maybe "thrown out worthily" could be a soldiers' joke?). If you're going to all the trouble of publishing a book, why not make sure you've got it right? :roll:

First of all, for people who like books, this is a nice one. Its pocket-sized 5" x 8" (octavo?) format with weatherproof-style binding (no dustjacket), and the page layout is nice and clear. Two sets of 8 glossy colour pages present (a) a selection of Peter Connolly's paintings and (b) a selection of photos of the Ermine Street Guard. The in-text illustrations are black and white drawings and half-tone photos (including some nice views from Trajan's Column -- unfortunately the precise scene numbers are not given).

Each chapter is headed by a pseudo-Latin tag, along the lines of "Join the army, see the world" (although the latter is translated as an imperative -- pervagare orbem terrarum -- where it should surely just be future tense: "(you will) see the world"?) There are other oddities of Latin (e.g. De Res Militari); certainly, these will not trouble the target readers, but ... why not get it right?

The content is supposed to be light-hearted. We are to imagine that we have joined the Roman army in AD 100 and this is our handbook. Matyszak mostly manages to pull this off -- except that the Picts appear as one of the "People Who Will Want To Kill You" (hmmm ... not for another 200 years), and Hadrian's Wall appears as the northern frontier. And he's not too good on the legions: I Minervia appears as Minerva; III Gallica appears as Gallicia; VII Claudia, but just XI; IX Hispana appears as IX Hispania; and XXI Rapax is listed (although he has remembered to omit others destroyed before AD100). Silly mistakes -- why not try and get it right?

The text is dotted with original sources in bite-sized translation. Sometimes the source is stated (e.g. "Plutarch Life of Crassus 27") sometimes not (e.g. "Papyrus from Egypt, AD 117"). Sometimes the source is easily intelligible (e.g. "Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae 2487") sometimes not (e.g. "Document relating to a release from military service on 24 April AD 52"). These are probably not important issues for the target audience. (But, again, if you're going to do something, why not do it properly?)

All in all, probably an amusing read to while away an hour or two.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

A good enough review then.....I'll have to make a provisio before recommending it to our boys in the VIIIIth then !

I always have that same argument about the Picts with my Barbarian work collegues Duncan.....I guess a book like this just helps to reinforce misconceptions....not so good for new recruits, especially when they are Caledonian stock!! :roll: :lol:

[Vindex]

Just finished this as found a copy in a bargin basement (am I allowed to say that??!).

Despite small inaccuracies I thought it was an amusing read and made me chuckle once or twice, if only for the forced Latin translations of current military sayings:

"conscribe te militem in legionibus, pervagare orbem terrarum, inveni terras externas, cognosce miros peregrinos, eviscera eos"

Join the legions, see the world, travel to foreign parts, meet interesting and exotic people...and disembowle them!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

This is beginning to sound more and more like my hand book of not so common latin phrases....I can only guess at the inaccuracies!!