Dyan Blacklock

The Roman Empire had great power during the early A.D. years. They expanded their lands, north, south, east, and west, conquering many countries. To keep all their territories in check, it was necessary to have a strong army. The Roman army maintained the territories, traveling from fort to fort. They had ranks in the army, from general to auxiliary. They had various gears and marched for miles each day. When they attacked a town and conquered it, they killed most of the inhabitants and took the rest as slaves. But within a short time, the town would be rebuilt as a Roman town. The army’s great deeds would be celebrated at the Forums. However, after about 450 years, the Roman Empire came to an end.

This book is dedicated to the Roman army and their history. The story does not follow a specific person but covers an overall story of the army. Because of this, the flow of the story is a bit rocky. It also is detailed in listing specifics of each rank and their skills. The illustrations are essential in this book because they show the readers exactly what how the army looked. The illustrations are displayed in a mix of graphic novel style panels and full-body portraits with labels on different items. The illustrator uses multiple techniques such as acrylic paint and markers on watercolor paper and digital coloring.

The once great Rome collapsed after years of ruling even when they had a fearful army. This book will introduce readers to the world of war and how the Roman Empire was able to stay in power for so long. The readers will learn about soldiers, weapons, and methods that keep the Empire growing.… (mehr)