Stephen Dando-Collins

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for this popular military history of the Legio X Equestris, a Roman legion, that was levied by Julius Caesar in 61 BC during his governance of Hispania Ulterior. Surprisingly, its legionaries were often middle-aged man, even older. Despite, or perhaps because of that, they were able to sustain marathon-sized forced marches day after day, on barely 1500 calories, carrying roughly 80 lbs in armor and weapons and tools, none of it made for comfort like modern equipment is. The legions fighting spirit is best described by the author’s quote:
“It was a great day to die. And before the sun had set, thirty-four thousand men would lose their lives in this valley. The men of the loth Legion would have had no illusions. They knew that some of them would probably perish in the battle that lay ahead. Yet, to Romans, nothing was more glorious than a noble death. And if the men of this legion had to die, there was probably not a better place nor a finer day for it, on home soil, beneath a perfect blue sky.”

The Tenth was the first legion levied personally by Caesar and the instrumental tool to Caesar’s martial success. Acting as his shock troops, it was chiefly responsible for not only his greatest victories but also was able to stave off defeat when all but utter disaster seemed imminent for the greatest of all Roman generals.
Dando-Collins manages to put together a magnificent account of the greatest of all legions from various ancient sources, including citations, comments and the well-known texts by Tacitus. So then what are we waiting for get that book for it is a good day to read.… (more)

I was disappointed in this work as the author's lack of objectivity compromised his account. More specifically, it's painfully obvious the author has no love for Julius Caesar, and therefore his account overemphasized Caesar's faults while ignoring his significant support leading up to his assassination.

This was a fascinating and complicated period, yet the author's account would leave one believing that Caesar was little more than a tyrant with a small following whose murder was if not inevitable then certainly justifiable. Claims that Caesar was responsible for destroying "democracy” and may have suffered mental illness are surprising from a historian.

The most value of this book comes from the second half which is devoted to the machinations as the anti-Caesareans (styled "liberators"), Octavian and Marc Anthony competed for ultimate superiority.

A far better book on this subject is author Barry Strauss' "The Death of Caesar."… (more)