The Bureaucracy Supporting the Roman War Machine

First published in 2021, and now available in paperback, Dr. Pearson’s book addresses one of the most significant gaps in our knowledge of the Roman Army, its central administrative structure, the bureaucracy that underpinned the Roman military machine.

Pearson concentrated on the period 338-146 BC, with particular attention to the era of the Hannibalic War (218-201 BC), it being the earliest for which we have more or less reliable evidence, notably the works of Polybius and Livy, although both come in for some criticism. Pearson supplements these by other writings and documents, some in fragmentary condition, plus artifacts, buildings, and more, even the physical details of places associated with mustering of troops.

The book comprises six chapters:

      I. “Dilectus,” examining the details of the annual muster of available men to select recruits for the legions.

      II. “The Census and Centralized Military Bureaucracy,” what we can learn from the census and the ways in which  the records were maintained and used.

     III. “Recording Men on Campaign,” the problem of maintaining service records between Rome and the field armies.

     IV. “Tributum and Stipendium,” a look at the complexities of raising money and paying troops.

     V. “Documents and Archives,” the management and preservation of records.

     VI. “Record Producers and Record Keepers,” who managed the paperwork.

While treating much material that has been established in the past, Pearson advances the study of Roman military administration by offering new ideas and suggesting new lines of inquiry, such as parsing contradictions in some of the evidence, discussing the expansion of the tax base, examining the physical location of the dilectus, and considering the role of state slaves in the military bureaucracy, and more.

Exploring the Mid-Republican Origins of Roman Military Administration is an excellent book for those seriously interested in Roman military institutions.

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Note: Exploring the Mid-Republican Origins of Roman Military Administration is also available in hard cover and e-editions.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium

www.nymas.org