From the sun-baked hills of Latium to the far-flung frontiers of Britain, North Africa, and the Near East, the legions of Rome did more than conquer—they shaped the very foundations of Mediterranean civilization. In The Roman Military and Its Influence on Mediterranean Society, Liam Wilkinson offers an electrifying journey through the rise, evolution, and enduring legacy of Rome's greatest power: its army. Drawing on fresh readings of Livy, Vegetius, and archaeological discoveries from Hadrian's Wall to the deserts of Egypt, Wilkinson illuminates how the legion's discipline and engineering genius built roads, cities, and aqueducts that still stand today, how its professionalization under Marius and Augustus transformed politics and citizenship, and how its presence in the provinces sparked waves of cultural integration, economic expansion, and legal reform.

More than a military history, this book reveals the army as the engine of Rome's success—a force that forged emperors, toppled republics, and laid the groundwork for modern military organization. Vividly told and richly illustrated, Wilkinson's narrative brings to life the grit of the legionary's march, the hiss of the pilum in battle, and the grandeur of triumphal processions in Rome's marble streets. Essential for scholars and armchair historians alike, The Roman Military and Its Influence on Mediterranean Society is the definitive account of how an army of citizen-soldiers reshaped an empire—and, in doing so, crafted the blueprint for Western civilization.