Imperial Roman Legionary

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Does Justice to a very poorly covered part of Roman Military History - Rated
This is an excellent book. The so called "Middle Imperial Roman Army" is a very underrated part of Roman Military History and has been ignored by historians who tend to ignore the time between Marcus Aurelius and Constantine when the Roman Empire faced by powerful new enemies such as the Goths, Sassanid Persians and Palmyrans as well as many usurpers nearly tore itself apart.
The book covers the transition of the Roman Legionary in the face of these threats by taking the example of detailed records of one legion and examining its rite of passage through this turbulent period. The plates, the major selling point of any Osprey are very good and have many ideas for Modellers and Wargamers alike to pursue.
An exciting and readable scholarly study of the subject.

Essential Reading - Rated
Most books about the Roman army tend to skip over the chaotic third century AD; everything seems to stop with emperor Severus (AD 193-211) and only pick up with Diocletian in AD 284. That's because the period is chaotic and confused: the legions lost as many battles as they won; the organisation of the legions was changing and ancient ranks were disappearing; legionaries added to the chaos by their willingness to revolt and engage in civil war. But Cowan paints a picture of resilience rather than decline. He highlights the rise of elite legionary corps, explains concisely the reasons for the decline of the traditional legion and rise of the smaller unit of the late empire, and shows how the legions emerged triumphant from the defeats of the mid-third century under the leadership of soldier-emperors like Aurelian (the book actually covers the period up to AD 285).

This is the most exciting book I've read about the Roman army in a long time. It is an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in the Roman army or military history in general.