Roman Military History
Not Always a Pax Romana

"...in all men there is an innate excitability and drive
which is kindled by the heat of the fight,
and it is the function of the general not to quench but to heighten the excitement.
There is sound sense in the ancient practice of sounding trumpet blasts on all sides
and raising a battle cry from all throats;
these things, they thought, serve both to terrify the enemy
and to heighten the ardor of one's own men."
Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
The Gallic War

"I thank all for the advice which you have given me.
I know that my going out of the city might be of some benefit to me,
inasmuch as all that you foresee might really happen.
But it is impossible for me to go away!
How could I leave the churches of our Lord, and his servants the clergy,
and the throne, and my people in such a plight?
What would the world say about me?
I pray you, my friends, in the future do not say to me anything else but,
'Nay, sire, do not leave us!' Never, never will I leave you.
I am resolved to die here with you!"
Constantine XI Palaeologus (1404-1453 AD)
Last Emperor of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire

The history of warfare fascinates many. Few people throughout history's course have lived their lives free of the shadow of war; warfare has been an omnipresent aspect of human existence.

Due to this subject's extensive interest, there is no shortage of sites devoted to the subject on the world wide web. We have offered our own modest contribution to this subject with our history of the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, a regiment which distinguished itself during the American Civil War.

When an individual combines an interest in warfare with a parallel fascination with the biblical era, a desire to study the history of Roman military endeavors often moves to the forefront. There are numerous sites around the globe devoted to Roman military and civil history. Several of the best are cited below.

In the future, this page will host two or three previously published articles which address the intriguing story of some of early Christianity's military saints. In the meantime, should you visit one of the addresses below, you will not be disappointed.