An examination of Roman naval development, drawing upon archaeological evidence, documentary accounts and visual representation. The Roman Imperial Navy was the most powerful maritime force ever to have existed, prior to the European naval development of relatively recent centuries. It was able to deploy huge fleets and dominate the seas around western Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the great rivers that formed a large part of the eastern boundary of the Roman world. It secured the trade routes and maintained the communications that allowed the Roman Empire toexist. It brought previously untouchable and unreachable enemies to battle and enabled the expansion of Imperial power into areas thought hitherto inaccessible. At the height of its power the Roman Navy employed tens of thousandsof sailors, marines and craftsmen, who manned and maintained a fleet of warships far larger than anything in existence today. And yet these warships, the very tools that allowed the Roman Navy to dominate the seas, have remainedlargely unstudied. Drawing upon archaeological evidence, documentary accounts and visual representations, the book charts the development and evolution of the Roman warship over eight centuries of naval activity, showing howships were evolved to meet the circumstances of the different areas in which they had to operate, the different functions they needed to fulfil, and the changing nature of their enemies. ALSO AVAILABLE: Navies of Rome, by Michael Pitassi

A groundbreaking new chronological study of the role played by the Navy in the successful development of the Roman Empire. Both welcome and useful. [...] This is a narrative history as well as a focused study of the development of the ships, officers, and crews and the overall naval establishment. Recommended. CHOICE This publication represents the first true examination of the Roman Navy as an independent arm of the military. Though many may perceive the Roman Empire as a primarily land-based organisation, an empire forged by the formidable legions of infantry, thetruth is that it was as much a maritime empire as that of the British in the nineteenth century, and in fact the Roman Navy was the most powerful maritime force ever to have existed. It secured the trade routes and maintained thecommunications that allowed the Roman Empire to exist; and it brought previously untouchable and unreachable enemies to battle and enabled the expansion of Imperial power into areas thought hitherto inaccessible. This book, featuring detailed reconstructions of the ships themselves, provides an engaging survey of the craft, their crewmen, and the navy's major contribution to the Empire's growth.