The Army of Herod the Great

Herod the Great was one of Rome's most important client kings during the turbulent years of the late Republic and early Principate. Sponsored and aided by Mark Antony, Herod of Judaea had the military skill to conquer his country, and the political subtlety to hold his throne during and after the Roman civil wars. His small but wealthy kingdom supported a strong multi-national army formed from a mix of Jewish, Greek and Roman influences, which won repeated victories against Arab powers on Judaea's eastern borders. Drawing upon ancient texts, this book details the composition and organization of Herod's army, and its four major campaigns.

Herod was Rome's most important and powerful ally at the end of the Republic and during the first years of Augustus' principate. He has entered posterity as a ruthless ruler against both his own family and, according to the gospel of Matthew, as the instigator of the slaughter of the innocents. He was also an able administrator, however, and succeeded in developing a powerful army. At its peak, Herod's army could field approximately 40,000 men. This book offers a fascinating look at this ancient army using the latest Israeli archaeological reports and finds, including weapons and armor fragments.

Samuel Rocca was born in Milan, Italy but now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and three sons. He served with the Israeli Defense Forces, and has worked as a teacher and a curator at the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem. Having studied biblical and classical archaeology at undergraduate level at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he went on to complete his MA there, before researching his PhD on Herodian Judaea at Bar-Ilan University. Samuel has given papers at numerous international conventions, and written articles for several academic journals. This is his first book for Osprey Publishing. The author lives in Jerusalem, Israel.