Sometimes one needs to see certain developments, particularly in the military field, in a greater perspective. Thus, specific functions accomplished differently across centuries are connected to human history. A historian myself, I focus mostly on modern and contemporary history. I haven´t studied and read about ancient history, particularly Roman Empire, for a very long time, but having a fresh look on old times may help you to better connect with my usual research topics.
Roman Special Forces&Special Ops. Speculatores, Exploratores, Protectores and Areani in the Service of Rome by Simon Elliott was my latest such immersion. Elliott has a MA in War Studies from KCL, a MA in Archaeology from UCL and a PhD in Classics and Archeology from the University of Kent.
The book is short, written in a reader-friendly way and packed with lots and lots of information. The sources are mostly classical, but the author builds a bridge between times, trying to explain that, in fact, all military structures needed their special forces to maintain an extra layer of security and to operate special operations. This connection with the present times may convince even the most skeptical reader in terms of´´past times´ stories to continue with the reading. I liked the succint introduction, intertwined with account of various ´special forces´-related episodes, such as Operation Entebbe.
Roman Special Forces&Special Ops is an interesting historical read, an example that one can still read and learn from history books instead of just plain action games (nothing against it, of course).
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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