This article is aimed at gamers who have or plan to buy a Later Roman army. Consider this a second part to an article in Saga #70. The Later Imperial Roman has been one of the most popular armies in general and one of the most popular of the many Roman armies. Sources Recent research has produced a number of good books on which to base a tabletop army. I encourage owners of this army to read some or all these books as well as older titles that still contain relevant information. The books used as sources for this article are listed in the bibliography below. Be wary when reading the sources as many are based on erroneous or dubious information. The biases of contemporary historians have endured throughout the centuries. Their material still influences modern perceptions of the events. The dearth of archaeological evidence means that corroboration of theories and historical material is often lacking. There is also a problem with terminology because of the use of both official and unofficial terms in Greek and Latin records. The easiest books to find are from Osprey, Foundry (Warhammer Ancient Battles) and WRG. The best Osprey books are; Later Roman Infantryman, Later Roman Cavalryman and Germanic Warrior. The latter seems an odd choice, until one realises the importance of Germans as both enemies and allies of the Roman forces. There was extensive cross-pollination in terms of dress, equipment, traditions, language (the development of military terminology) and tactics. The Warhammer Ancient Battles source book, Armies of Antiquity, is also a good source. Its army lists provide more detail than other supplements to popular rules, although the information primarily relates to those rules. The WRG book, Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome, is a good source, although it has not been updated since its last publication in 1981. It still has one of the best synopses of the military portions of the Notitia Dignitatum, which is a good source for organisations and shield patterns, despite it being the centre of controversy (historians dispute its accuracy because of the dubious copying by monks, who may have faked some of the shield designs and other sections). Terminology The Roman military made use of many names. The terminology can be bewildering at times because of the diversity and changes in meaning. Vegetius, Marcellinus and other contemporary writers mixed old and new words in their texts. Later historians have added to the confusion be using imprecise translations. For example, Vegetius refers to triarii, which was used by the Republican army until about 100 BC. Marcellinus uses the words clibanarii and catafractarii interchangeably, although Barker considered them two distinct troop types. For rules that place emphasise on the weaponry of the troops, the changes in names and weapons can create confusion when attempting to identify the classification of each weapon. For example, the early Roman legions made use of the gladius (sword), pila (heavy throwing weapon) and lancea (thrusting or throwing spear), while the later Roman legions used the spatha (sword), spiculum (heavy throwing weapon) and verutum (javelin). More Late Roman Army Late Roman Army: Introduction Late Roman Army: Weapons Late Roman Army: Personal Organization Late Roman Army: Bibliography Late Roman Army: Sources and Terminology Late Roman Army: Military Organization Late Roman Army: Unit Sizes and Types Late Roman Army: A Model Army Late Roman Army: Painting Tips Late Roman Army: Bibliography Back to Saga #75 Table of Contents Back to Saga List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Terry Gore This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com