The Roman Soldier of the early 3rd Century AD.The early 3rd century AD saw the Roman Empire
confronted with an increasing number of problems: the northern frontiers shattered under the
impact of attacks at the hands of Germanic and Sarmatian tribes while the Persians ravaged the
Eastern provinces almost with impunity. Economic crisis the effects of the Antonine Plague
endless usurpations and climate change brought the Roman Empire to the verge of collapse.In the
year 238 AD the Emperor Alexander Severus was murdered at Mainz by his own troops. The
accession of his successor Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus ushered in five decades of inner unrest
and enemy incursions in which emperors in quick succession constantly fought among themselves
while desperately trying to stabilize the tottering Empire. The fateful era of the Soldier
Emperors had begun. This book seeks to provide a concise overview over organisation tactics
and equipment of the Roman army at the beginning of this era and also sheds light on
Maximinus' German campaign in which Rome's army once more ventured deep into unconquered
German territory. The discovery of the Harzhorn battlefield has enabled archaeologists and
historians to reconstruct a dramatic episode from this dramatic time.
