The Praetorian Guard (Elite, No 50)

Rating:
Summary: The sole book on the subject until now
Review: Mr Rankov's book earns 5 stars because it remains the single book written about the Roman Praetorian Guard. It contains much information based on good and extensive bibliography and will surely satisfy the enthusiasts of this ancient period with the numerous b/w photographs and the color drawings which are explained in exhaustively detailed captions. A nice first try on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Great book on the Roman Praetorian Guard
Review: This is a rather good book, a typical Osprey Publishing production. The topic is the Praetorian Guard, the bodyguard of the Roman emperors from Augustus until their disbanding in the early 4th Century AD by Constantine. This is a very good introduction to this elite military unit and is one of the few English sources on the topic...the majority are either in French or Italian and a few others are merely secondary sources that mention the Guard only in passing. The color plates are also excellent works as usual, some are of course conjectural as most of the sculptures and artwork of the Romans have been damaged or lost their own paint over the years. The authors make no pretension as to the accuracy of the color of the Roman shields but the shield designs are pretty accurately described and drawn. Other than that it's a rather good book with a good amount of very useful information for the beginning person interested in Rome or maybe even the experienced historian interested in Rome.

Rating:
Summary: Great book on the Roman Praetorian Guard
Review: This is a rather good book, a typical Osprey Publishing production. The topic is the Praetorian Guard, the bodyguard of the Roman emperors from Augustus until their disbanding in the early 4th Century AD by Constantine. This is a very good introduction to this elite military unit and is one of the few English sources on the topic...the majority are either in French or Italian and a few others are merely secondary sources that mention the Guard only in passing. The color plates are also excellent works as usual, some are of course conjectural as most of the sculptures and artwork of the Romans have been damaged or lost their own paint over the years. The authors make no pretension as to the accuracy of the color of the Roman shields but the shield designs are pretty accurately described and drawn. Other than that it's a rather good book with a good amount of very useful information for the beginning person interested in Rome or maybe even the experienced historian interested in Rome.