The problems faced by the late Empire were not radically different from those confronting its earlier counterpart. However, in the later period at least from the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211) onwards the attacks on the frontier, the internal unrest, the revolts, usurpations and civil wars were continuous, contemporaneous and continental in scope. Scarcely a part of the Empire was unaffected, some areas being forced to deal with several serious problems at the same time. How and how effectively the Roman army adapted itself to meet these growing threats is the subject of this wide-ranging study. The final version of the late Roman army owes its origin to the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine particularly the creation of the field army and the frontier army but the role of the army in the post-Constantinian period is also explored.
Using the full range of original literary sources, modern continental scholarship and current archaeology, The Late Roman Army , now available in paperback, not only provides a stimulating overview of the critical changes over this long period - and of the consequent morale of the Roman army - but includes individual chapters on recruitment, conditions of service, equipment, fortifications and siege warfare.